Harry's character development

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 139332

Steve wrote:
< HUGE SNIP>
> 
> Harry has a terrible and extremely difficult task ahead of him, and 
I
> still see him as woefully inadequately prepared to face it. 
<snip>
> I will concede that Harry has immense talent and some skill at
> fighting. He also has fierce determination and great courage and
> daring; all excellent characteristics for an effective fighter, but 
I
> still say he is hopelessly ill-prepared to face Voldemort. 
<snip>
> Harry is not currently even remotely able to take on the task that 
he
> appears to have to take on.
> 
> Just passing it along.
> 


Oh my goodness!  I tend to agree that, were Harry a real person, he 
would be in serious trouble.  However, I have a feeling that, 
whatever preparation he has, it will prove adequate to the task.  
That's the privilege of being the fictional hero of a fantasy series.

I tend to think that JKR, and hence Dumbledore, has been very 
conscious and deliberate in not providing Harry with systematic and 
logical preparation for the task at hand.  JKR seems out to emphasize 
that it will be the "power that Voldemort knows not" that will be the 
Dark Lord's downfall.  Giving Harry a systematic preparation for out 
and out battle would be beside the point.

This is, of course, well in keeping with the standards of certain 
kinds of fantasy, particularly fantasy that's influenced by Christian 
beliefs.  Frodo had no skills or powers with which to oppose Sauron, 
the children who stumbled through the wardrobe had no abilities with 
which to directly battle the White Witch.  It is the convention of 
such things that victory arises from weakness and humility, not from 
power.

Lupinlore