Scene with likable James WAS: Re: Eileen Pince

[Joe Goodwin]

No: HPFGUIDX 156257


wynnleaf <fairwynn at hotmail.com> wrote:
wynnleaf:
  My sense is that she *wanted* us to have some conflicting 
information on James that would be very difficult to reconcile. 
Because Harry is the protagonist, we *want* to like his parents and 
think they were great, especially because I think she wants us to 
feel for Harry and his need for parents he can feel proud of. 

I guess what I'm saying is that I think JKR wanted to reader to feel 
what Harry felt -- so that *we* feel as conflicted about the 
character as Harry does.
   
  Joe:
  I think she did it to show he was human. Because we do hear a lot of characters that most readers tend to like and believe say he was a great guy. Hagrid, as you mentioned, liked him and Lupin is still hurt by his death to this day. Most readers are more than likely willing to just take their word for it (as I am) so I don't really neeed to see it.
   
  I also think for the most part the reactions to "Snape's worst memory" are totally overblown. What we see happens in a one time vacuum and as I have said before it isn't that bad among boys. In fact it could have been a whole lot worse. Nobody gets through school without a little humiliation and if remember rightly neither James nor Sirius tried to hurt him in anyway.
   
  James Potter was just like most boys with the exception that he was a good bit more gifted than most. To me the scene makes him a more believable character than the "super James" Harry initially believed in. 
   
  Even heroes are allowed a mistake or two.
   
  Joe