[HPforGrownups] Re: I am about to rant....

[Laurel Coates]

No: HPFGUIDX 174068

Donna wrote:

    Another reason I now have appreciation for the camping and the
    camping and the camping, is, similar to what Dan has written. The
    long, tedious camping is congruent with 1. The use of The Journey in
    literature, from everything from mythology to folklore to modern
    literature (LOTR, The Wizard of Oz, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
    Maintenance, etc) 2. The camping is also reflective of pilgrimages
    that are seen in many religions. Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam,
    and even Christianity embrace sites of pilgrimage, and the older,
    eastern religions also embrace pilgramage for the sake of the
    spiritual growth one gains from the journey 3. HRH's camping can also
    be seen as a reflection of several psycho-social and psycho-moral
    development models. Outside of the microcosm of DH to include the
    entire series, Harry certainly follows much of Erik Erikson's model
    throughout the books- one could relate the camping and camping and
    camping to Erikson's Generativity Vs. Stagnation crisis, except Harry
    isn't working towards having a family and establishing himself as
    socially valuable, his work is a bit more specific and desperate
    (find and destory the horcruxes). But certainly this camping phase
    leads directly into Erikson's final stage, Integrity vs. Despair, and
    certainly Harry has resolved and found meaning in his life, has
    overcome doubts that his life will have had meaning even if only with
    his death, and as he strides out to the forest he has certainly
    conquered his fear of death.

Laurel:

Donna, I just want to say "I LOVE YOU!" Thank you so much for writing this.
I have been trying to sort through the posts to find a discussion of the
Trio's traveling into the woods, into the darkness, etc. I thought this was
a key point of the plot. I think it's the most important part of the book,
actually, and ties in very nicely with the Quest theme.

   Donna:
 And I rather suspected that JKR
    wouldn't require Harry to end up being a murderer, per se, I hoped it
    would be a device where he would be responsible for LVs death but not
    through a direct act of murder


Laurel:

Yes, that was my thought, too. JKR is very clear that murdering someone
damages souls and I felt that she'd want to portray Harry as having a pure,
undamaged soul.

Donna:
 I LOVED that JKR wrote
    Harry as maintaining his moral fiber throughout the book, I am sad
    that other fans might not see how hard it would be for Harry to do
    some of the things he did, if they have really considered what I
    believed JKR has intended his true character to be.

Laurel:

Thank you for your thoughtful post. This is why I am subscribed to the list.
I feel that DH really shows JKR's growth as a writer. DH is definitely my
favorite of the series.

Cheers,
Laurel


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]