Sympathy to the characters WAS: Respecting the Dursleys

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 159615

 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I will say even more - so far my sympathies did not suffer one 
> reversal whatsoever, at least not a complete reversal. There is 
> always book 7, but I doubt so.
 
|snip| 
> 
> Weren't we? I don't know, I know that I certainly did not have time 
> in one book to care for [Quirrell and Tom Riddle] that much as to 
feel sorry for them. 
> Honestly, I did not dislike them, but I did not sympathise with 
them 
> either, I was indifferent and I think that was done on purpose for 
> the reversal to not be as radical as to go from sympathy to hatred, 
> but from indifference to hatred, in my case at least.

Hickengruendler:

I mostly agree with you. I think part of this is also because both of 
them had very limited screentime. Riddle was only in one scene prior 
to the revelation, and Quirrell only had very few appereances. 
Therefore I guess while one could easily like them, or feel sympathy 
for them, I also think it is very hard (I won't say impossible), to 
have them among your favourite characters prior to the reversal. Of 
course it is possible, but JKR gave them less time to shine than 
other characters, even secondary ones.  

However, what about the fake Moody? Granted, we learn that he's not 
the real Moody, therefore we can still like Mad-Eye. But nonetheless, 
neither Harry nor the readers ever met the real Mad-Eye prior to the 
end of GoF. The person, who gained our trust and sympathy, was the 
villain. Of course I don't know how much symapthy you personally had 
for the fake Moody, but he definitely got more screentime than the 
previous surprise villains. And he also was the first villain, whom 
Harry definitely trusted, and who was nearly a mentor for him. That's 
definitely a difference to how Quirrell (about whom Harry really did 
not care at all) or Tom Riddle (whom Harry didn't really know, 
although he sort of identified himself with him) were portrayed.