Respecting the Dursleys( was:Re: Hi everyone -- banning the books)

[Annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 159586

> Alla:
> > And after book 6 it is rather clear to me that that is what JKR 
is
> > trying to promote - that Dudley was abused too, but I am just soo
> > not buying it, I mean I am buying it on intellectual level, but 
not
> > on the emotional, because JKR did not manage to make me feel one
> > ounce of sympathy for Dudley. I want to buy Dursleys as abused 
> > child and want to sympathise with him. Help me?
> 
> 
> Jen: Well, I can't help because I have a problem with the whole 
> scenario myself. The primary reason is what you said above, 
emphasis 
> mine: "And **after** book 6..."  
> 
> Where was this concept in books 1-5? I'm not talking what I 
believe 
> in real life but what was actually written on the page. Weren't we 
> meant to laugh at the jokes about Dudley's size? Cheer when Harry 
> discovered he could threaten him with magic? Roll our eyes at the 
> Dursleys' stupendously poor parenting?  
> 
> I didn't know until Dumbledore's dramatic speech that I was 
supposed 
> to feel sorry for Dudley and consider him an abused child *in the 
> story*.  That's a hard message to sell in my book when JKR spent 5 
> books presenting Dudley as the boy we should love to hate. 

Annemehr:
Well, that's just it, isn't it?  "Meant to...?"  "Supposed 
to...?"  "Should...?"

I'm thinking, it's "tempted to."  JKR can't dictate our responses, 
even if she wanted to.  She did lay out all the facts (we hope!), 
including Harry's point of view.  And you both noticed the abuse 
yourselves, as you mention, on an intellectual level.

I say "tempted to" because I think JKR does that on purpose -- she's 
hoping to entice readers to one reaction but is planning to reverse 
a lot of those impressions in book 7.  Potentially, for a fair few 
of the characters.  

A "rude awakening" is inevitable for many of us, just because our 
reactions are so polarized about so many of them.  Think Dumbledore 
is kind and wise, or a puppetmaster (or both)?  Think Snape is a 
mean, evil bastard or one of the heroes of the story?  Is Percy 
ultimately sympathetic, or the twins ultimately dangerous?  Is Draco 
also a victim of his upbringing?

It's all part of the fun.

But if, in the end, my emotional response doesn't match his outcome, 
it's okay -- in that case JKR and I may differ on something.  What 
I'm really hoping for is that I've sussed out the ultimate 
dispositions of the most interesting characters based on clues in 
the text, and despite any emotional red herrings JKR may have 
planted along the way.

We'll see.

Annemehr