Harry's character development

[dkeeberlibryn]

No: HPFGUIDX 139085

As a librarian, I have read all the books in the HP series, and 
while I enjoyed this one, I came away with a nagging feeling that at 
the end, Harry just wasn't ready to battle V in the next book.  In 
each book, Rowling did a very good job of showing an appropriate 
image of HP for the age he was in each book.  So, too, this one, but 
I just don't feel that he is prepared to do battle with the most 
powerful evil wizard in history as he stands. Certainly, in the time 
between now and the advent of the next title, he will grow, but when 
you look at H's skill level, the fact that as a rule he needs help 
or that he stumbles into the solution that saves his life, it just 
doesn't seem plausible that he will be powerful enough, in control 
of his emotions enough and wise enough to do battle.

Another impression I had was that, based on the archetypal form that 
requires that the father must die for the son to become a full man, 
I was fully expecting Dumbledore to die in this book.  As so it came 
to pass.  But, further true to the archetypal form, the powers of 
the father must pass to the son, although he does internal battle as 
he learns to control those powers and eventually do good with them.  
Unless Rowling either produces a 900 page monster, or she caves in 
and writes an eighth book, I don't see how she will convincingly 
bring about the necessary transformation of Harry to the point that 
he truly becomes the man he must be to do final battle for the 
forces of good.

I wonder if he will serve as the point of the spear that is 
comprised of many others who join forces with Harry to bring about 
the demise of V.

The reason I state these concerns is that the series has offered the 
archetypal forms very effectively throughout and it has served as a 
great moralistic tale in which the young readers have an 
opportunity, just as in any myth, to see themselves in the 
characters and attempt to reach the heights the characters do.  If 
the portray of Harry is to be convincing and continue to serve that 
mythic service of holding lessons for all, Harry will need to be 
much more convincingly drawn to serve that laudable goal.