Harsh Morality - Combined answers

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 121107


Valky wrote:
"Percy had been behaving like a jerk for years, especially in his  
holier than thou attitude towards his family."

Del replies:
Hey, this is a *perfect* example of what I'm trying to explain.

Simply put : Percy had IMO *not* been behaving like a jerk, that's
only the *impression* we get of him because he annoys Harry and Ron.

What did he ever do that was so awful?
He enforced the rules ? As a Prefect, that was his duty.
He encouraged everyone to study? What's wrong with that?
He was proud of his accomplishments ? He learned that from his mother,
and there's nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments.
He counseled his younger siblings, even when they didn't want to?
That's the duty and privilege of the older siblings.
He bossed people around? Everyone in the Potterverse and in RL does
that, just some are more diplomatic about it than others.

So, in what ways did Percy ever act as a jerk? In my eyes, he only
started acting like a jerk in OoP, but because I can easily imagine
what kind of emotional stress he was under, I wouldn't classify his
jerk-y behavior in OoP as a natural trait of his.

Valky wrote:
"When "Seamus Finnigan and the Injustices of 1995" is published I am 
sure that the tables will turn and the onesidedness of it all will 
lean the other way. ;P"

Del replies:
That's the problem : the one-sidedness. Where there's one-sidedness,
there's unfair judgment. Saying that the books are one-sided but that
they don't pass unfair judgment on secondary characters is a bit of a
contradiction in my mind. The HP books do pass judgements on the
characters : Harry, being the hero, is good, and everyone else is
judged on whether they are sympathetic to Harry or not. It's not what
the characters do that matters, it's whether their actions make Harry
happy or not.

Del