Dahl and the Dursleys (was:Re: Cruel, Mean, and Nasty/Follow the Owls...)

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 158878

"Marion Ros" wrote:

> Uhuh! Uncle Vernon always seemed to be a white collar, middle-
class version of Archie Bunker (if your American) or Alf Garnett (if 
you're British) to me, and Aunt Petunia a bit Hyacinth Bucket ("Bou-
Quet!"): suburban, wanting to be upwardly mobile and very, very 
boring.
> 
> Marion, who still feels very sorry for the Dursleys, whose boring, 
suburban lives have been effectively ruined by the machinations of 
those weird, wizarding people who can't even look after one of their 
own (they need the lowly Muggles to do that for them) and then don't 
even the decency to *ask*, but simply resort to *dumping* the brat 
on their doorstep.
> 

Tonks:
I agree that the Dursley's, if you take Harry away, would seem like 
an ordinary middle class family next door. Except for the 34 
presents for Birthdays, of course. I also think that JKR did use 
Hyacinth Bucket as a model. All of Hyacinth's sisters have flower 
names. So the names Lily and Petunia and Petunia need to "keep up 
appearances" just seems to have come straight from that show (which 
we get on PBS here in the States).

Tonks_op