Occlumency redux, redux

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 139438

Back so long ago, I posted some theories about how Occlumency could 
be theorized: 116339, 116353, 116493, 116611, etc.  [There's more out 
there but I can't find things at the present...who can?]

Well, I didn't come out terribly well, I admit.  But on the other 
hand, the commentary JKR gave us about Occlumency is, ummm, very 
interesting:

> Harry's problem with it was always that his emotions were too near 
> the surface and that he is in some ways too damaged. But he's also 
> very in touch with his feelings about what's happened to him. He's 
> not repressed, he's quite honest about facing them, and he couldn't 
> suppress them, he couldn't suppress these memories. But I thought
> of Draco as someone who is very capable of compartmentalizing his 
> life and his emotions, and always has done. So he's shut down his 
> pity, enabling him to bully effectively. He's shut down compassion —
> how else would you become a Death Eater?

Let's break this apart.  Harry has problems with Occlumency because 
he's emotionally damaged, and his emotions are too near the surface.  
This fits with the problems he had in the attempt to shut himself off.

However, we immediately get something of a reversal in the commentary-
-Harry is actually very *in touch* with his feelings, he's *honest* 
about them, and he's not going to repress or suppress them.  Okay, so 
Occlumency requires emotional repression.

I'm not a psychologist, but it struck me that connecting emotional 
repression to this magical skill puts a very decidedly negative spin 
upon it.  Look at two characters who we canonically know can do 
Occlumency--Draco and Snape.  JKR right out tells us that Draco shuts 
down his pity; he refuses to let himself feel for other people.  
Draco cuts himself off from empathy and at least one understanding of 
what love is, via his isolation and consequent devaluation of other 
human beings.

Snape...well, I don't want to go there in the depth the argument will 
inevitably turn, but he's never come across (we're talking canon 
here, not the line of "Oh, he was 5% less nasty than usual in that 
scene!") as a demonstrably empathetic type, either.  I personally 
take "I see no difference" as a thematic statement for the 
character.  At the least, if he does feel empathic/connective things 
for other people, he doesn't let them show and doesn't express them.

So it seems pretty clear that two people in canon who can do 
Occlumency are not the nicest people in the world (although they may 
yet end up with the white hats), but more importantly, are both 
emotionally unhealthy, and quite possibly emotionally dishonest with 
themselves.  Occlumency is discussed as something that the isolated 
and cold are good at.  Why such a negative spin on the skill?

It puts Dumbledore's "Your heart saved you, not your mind" quote 
(paraphrasing, as everything is under a pile of scores) in new light.

[Consequently, there's another line which listies have had some 
trouble taking at face value--but again, seems absolutely solidly 
100% intended to be taken that way.  There's a whole lot of thematic 
messiness if you don't, too.  Anyone want to discuss *this* tendency 
in Rowling, which seems to be increasing in importance?  There are so 
many things that we've wanted to brush off as being more complicated 
(in past books) that are turning into things intended to be taken 
whole and at face...]

Contrary to Snape's 'instructions' at the end of the book, I don't 
think Harry needs Occlumency at all.  *Especially* not the kind of 
Occlumency Snape is good at.  In fact, a Harry eminently capable of 
Occlumency might be a Harry cutting himself off from what he really 
needs to have access to in order to win this battle.  [I submit that 
there's still room for my more genteel theory of Occlumency out 
there, but we do now know why Snape is good at it, and why his 
teaching method would never really work for Harry.]

I suspect, against my own better inclinations, that the denoument of 
the series is going to be emotionally based rather than 
intellectually.  That is to say, resolution is not going to come from 
Harry having figured out that there were all kinds of irregularities 
surrounding Dumbledore's death, and piecing together Snape's actual 
actions (this is assuming an Innocent!Snape at the moment).  It's 
more likely, IMO, to come from an emotional connection and 
realization, with a potential forgiveness plot rolled in there.

This, if true, makes a genial mockery of all our attempts to detail-
by-detail work out how Snape is actually innocent.  Which is part of 
why I think Rowling may well go for it.  But that's just me.

Heart and empathy and action over calculation and reflection?  Seems 
to reflect the hierarchy where, like it or not, Rowling values 
Gryffindor principles considerably more than Slytherin-associated 
ones.  So yes, I think that it's going to be some power of Harry's 
heart and love and emotion which ultimately carries the day, not his 
detective skills or dueling abilities.  Not to say that it won't 
involve both, but there seems to be a clear hierarchy in the books 
which celebrates the former over the latter.

-Nora digs out from under piles of handouts for her rugrats