DD and Snape /Re: Regressed Harry

[kibakianakaya]

No: HPFGUIDX 163169

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214"
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
MAJOR SNIPPAGE
>
> > Alla:
> > >
> Heee, I was typing that post yesterday while being a little
> feverish, seriously, so I may not expressed myself clearly. I am
not
> sure if I believe myself that Harry regressed, as you said in the
> part I snipped Harry certainly exhibits independent thinking. That
> was my friend's wording.
>
> But I do find it to not be very believable that Harry's rage or
hurt
> or temper dissappeared completely in HBP, no matter what triggered
> it, you know?
>
> I mean, if his hurt was from Dumbledore's reactions, does it mean
> that after him smashing DD possessions in OOP, he has no problems
> with DD whatsoever anymore?
>
> It is like OOP never happened, sort of.
>

Lilygale:
I think in HBP Harry still has huge amounts of anger, guilt and
grief based on fifth year and many years before.  But what makes him
more mature is that he is *channelling* his anger appropriately, or
at least towards well-thought out goals.

In OotP, the emotions seen in Dumbledore's office were not
channalled appropriately, IMHO.  Harry's outburst  in my mind
signified grief over Sirius and rage at Bellatrix as well as guilt
rather than rage at Dumbledore.  Dumbledore was the conscious object
of that rage at the moment, but again I make a distinction between
the source of the rage, and the convenient object upon which the
rage is vented.

In HBP, Harry is outwardly calmer, but we see a great deal of
focused energy that represents his emotional state.  His obsession
with Malfoy and reactions to learning that Snape was the
eavesdropper seem to be more controlled manifestations of his anger.

His obsession with Ginny was a perfectly normal response to teenage
hormones, but also served to deflect some of the negative energy
that we saw in fifth year.  And all the energy directed at worrying
about Ron/Hermione's falling out seemed to me directly related to
Harry's fears of losing loved ones.  After losing Sirius, his fears
that things would never be the same with his two best frieds, that
he might have to chose (at least at specific times) between Ron and
Hermione - this seems like a continuation of the emotional theme of
loss, but with Harry handling his feelings more appropriately.


> I suppose if we were to accept that CAPSLOCK Harry resulted from
> Voldemort in his head **only**  and it is not Harry's natural
state
> of mind, like naturally he is of sweet disposition, then I can
find
> it believable, I guess.
>
> But I thought that hormones also played a part in it and post
> traumatic stress disorder, as you said, so I just thought that it
> would be nice if once during HBP Harry would scream at somebody.
>
> I mean, I found the scene where Harry tries to make himself calm
> down in DD's office at the end of HBP to be very well done - as in
> Harry's character development, but it would have been nice to see
> something in between.

I agree that sometimes Harry seemed too calm, but after thinking
about all the emotion I talk about above, my conclusion is that
Harry is struggling with feelings, but somehow they are not conveyed
to us realistically. Maybe there is too much reliance on the "chest
monster."  I recall Jo also said that Harry would have to "get
himself together to be useful" (paraphrasing, I can't recall where
the quote comes from) in Book 6.  So perhaps we see another instance
of character development being sacrificed to plot.

Which may be why there is so much great character-driven fanfic out
there :-)

Lilygale, who offers Alla a nice bowl of chicken soup and hopes
she feels better.