The OOTP Gripe List, v. 5,432

[tinglinger]

No: HPFGUIDX 126135


Pippin:
> I wonder, are Dumbledore and the other OOP!characters 
really OOC with respect to the way JKR depicted 
them in previous books, or are they only out of sync
with the pop culture stereotypes that the reader, with
JKR's sly encouragement, superimposed on them? <

<heavy snipping> 

Pippin:
> Was there ever justification in canon for thinking that
Ron's ambitions were as unrealistic as Sancho Panza's, or
was that an expectation formed by Sancho himself and all
the generations of loyal but hopelessly out of their depth
sidekicks who followed in his footsteps? <

Tinglinger:
I didn't see any OOC representation of Ron. In fact if
Ron indeed goes OOC in HBP, JKR has established a "reason"
since Ron accioed the Brain of Unknown Thoughts in the MoM.
Madame Pomfrey did warn that although Ron was completely
cured, thoughts do leave deep scars.  Only if Ron signs up
for the South Beach diet in HBP would I think he was OOC.

Pippin: 
> Whoever said that Molly was June Cleaver with a wand, or 
weren't there always indications that, kind and loving
though she is, she has a tendency to play favorites and
is a poor judge of character? <

Tinglinger:
There is plenty of canon describing Molly as a formidable
mom - Hermione's threat of sending a letter to her sure put
Fred and George back in line pretty quickly.

Pippin:
> Did canon ever show Ginny as a simple innocent, or did
we think she was because, like Snow White, she accepted a
gift from a stranger and was cast into a trance? <
 
Tinglinger:
I cannot imagine anyone assuming Ginny to be an innocent
given the amount of backstory that JKR used in embellishing
her character. Like how she got her skills in Quidditch or
how she can lie with impunity. 

Pippin:
> Did everyone in canon see the Marauders as angels with dirty
faces, or did we, the readers, wish that characterization
on them? <

Tinglinger:
Maybe some readers have been riding around Pirates of the 
Caribbean too much. No innocents here. Only Harry was suprised 
by his dad once all the facts (up to now) were revealed. Harry
was not told all the facts, a now familiar pattern in the 
series. JKR was very carefully to say that Harry was like his
dad in many ways but not completely.  He was heroic in trying
to save his family, as well as a legendary quidditch player,
and i feel that I may not have been the only one snookered
into believeing that James was ALWAYS a hero, which was
clearly not the case. 
 
Pippin:
> Did anyone promise us that Harry would always be clever 
enough to see through the traps the villain laid for him, or
did we think he would because he's the hero? <

Tinglinger:
How boring a story is when the Hero always wins unchallenged. 

<snip>

Pippin:
> JKR did say that Dumbledore is the epitome of goodness. But 
once you get away from fuzzy platitudes and down to hard cases, 
is there consensus about what goodness means? Isn't it a 
matter of passionate and bloody dispute? <
 
Tinglinger:
And yet... I always thought it curious that his partner
Nicholas Flamel died at age 666....


Pippin:
> I think JKR snuck in another object lesson in the power of 
 stereotypes. <

Tinglinger:
I think that JKR is not done with object lessons.
I personally think that she will be dealing extensively 
with loyalty, outcasts, and freedom of the press in HBP, 
my theories on these matters which will be part of another
post or five, (see below).
Only a very gifted writer can toss around object lessons
without being preachy. What some of the posters here take
as OOC is really COC (complexity of character). I have not
found any character in this series who acted inconsistently
without some canon support, and I would be very curious to
see some evidence in canon to the contrary.


Tinglinger
who has recently created a yahoo group for theories
and plotlines for the Harry Potter series which you
are welcome to check out at

http:://groups.yahoo.com/group/potterplots