[HPforGrownups] Re: The importance of death /Harry and Cedric

[Karen Chuplis]

No: HPFGUIDX 147326


On Monday, January 30, 2006, at 07:05 PM, susanbones2003 wrote:

> Then when Dumbledore talks to him in the Weasley's
> shed, it was extremely difficult for Harry. **His eyes stung. He
> couldn't speak.**He didn't want to face the loss of Sirius. So whoever
> has said that Sirius was a non-issue needs to read further. Life does
> go on and perhaps, mercifully, Harry doesn't dwell on the death
> constantly, but its effect is there, and can be felt. Harry said it
> best when he said Sirius wouldn't want him to crack up. And he tries
> his best not to.
> Jen D.
>

There are often small comments like this in the narrative I think 
people miss. Some are very small and barely tossed in, but there. I 
think people miss those and then think Harry never feels anything.  For 
instance in OoTP page 856:

"He sat there for a long time, gazing out at the water, trying not to 
think about his godfather or to remember that it was directly across 
from here, on the opposite bank, that Sirius had collapsed trying to 
fend off a hundred dementors....

The sun had fallen before he realized that he was cold. He got up and 
returned to the castle, wiping his face on his sleeve as he went."

I think that speaks so strongly of deep grief precisely because she 
doesn't say "Harry wept by the lake in deep grief over the loss of 
Sirius". Instead, she just tosses in a gesture. "wiping his face on his 
sleeve as he went". It's such a deep thing. Both in its indication of 
Harry's feelings and in this reflection of Harry as a boy, not the 
older Harry he is becoming. How many times have we seen a child wiping 
their face on their sleeve at a hurt? It's outstanding and if you don't 
see Harry as deeply grieving then I think maybe you are missing these 
small types of gestures in OoTP and in HBP.

kchuplis