Such a searing pain... (Re: Harry's experiences : what's missing ?)

[iris_ft]

No: HPFGUIDX 116308


Hi ,

Del wrote:
"Physical pain ? Well, I don't know for you, but I'm getting tired 
of being told 10 times in each book that "Harry had never felt such 
intense pain before".

To which SSSusan replied:
"Hallelujah & amen, Del!! I know some people find JKR's (over)use of
adverbs to be annoying. Well, I find her "searing" scar pain
and "never felt such intense pain before" lines to get really old.
There *has* to be a new way to express scar pain!"

Speaking of the `searing pain' expression

It can sound odd, but there's at least one advantage when you are 
not a native English speaker: you need to read the books with your 
dictionary at hand. 
As you did, I noticed the repetitive use of `searing pain', and 
needed to check my dictionary, because I didn't know what `searing' 
meant. That's how I learned it comes from `to sear', a very 
interesting verb if you consider it is associated with the double 
idea of burning and drying out (if I'm mistaken, please be kind 
enough to correct me). 
Burning and drying out: that's precisely what an Alchemist has to do 
with the Materia Prima of the Work in order to create the 
Philosopher's Stone. In many treaties, it is said that the Alchemist 
has to make the Materia Prima `suffer' to purify it and to improve 
it. The alchemist uses the fire of his melting pot as an instrument 
of torture. The Materia Prima suffers, but at the end of its long 
agony, it becomes the Philosopher's Stone. 
In other words, every time Harry's scar inflicts `a searing pain' on 
him, the boy steps up to what he has to become: a human 
Philosopher's Stone, i.e., the one with the power to vanquish the 
Dark Lord and `heal' the wizarding world of his evil influence (I 
wish him good luck). 
Of course, you have to agree with the possibility of an alchemical 
reading of the series. If it happens to be relevant, then we can say 
the expression `a searing pain', though repetitive, is the best JKR 
could find to symbolize what is actually happening to Harry every 
time his scar makes him suffer. And we can also say Voldemort, 
though trying to destroy Harry, is finally working for his benefit. 
The more he suffers, the stronger Harry becomes, even if it's not a 
conscious process, even if the boy considers it's a sign of 
weakness, or a defeat. It's the old `what doesn't kill you makes you 
stronger' story. Apparently, the Dark Lord doesn't know that 
proverb. But he's not the only one

As for the "Harry had never felt such intense pain before" 
repetition, it could work the same: the use of `before' implies a 
comparison, and implicitly an evolution.
It could simply mark the evolution in the process, every 
new `intense pain' being like a point of no return. 

Of course it's just my point of view, and maybe it's completely 
pointless.

Amicalement,

Iris