How do the books affect children? (was: Why down on all the characters?)

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 179531

> Alla:
> 
> Somebody said elsewhere that JKR may not be the perfect writer, but 
> phenomenal storyteller and I agree with that.
> 
> Myself I would be **proud** if my child will learn what I consider 
> to be the most important values in the book – that you should not 
> make friends because of the important connections they have, but 
> because of their personality, that courage is important, that 
> standing up against evil is important, that forgiveness is 
> important. I would be very proud.

Magpie:
Really? That's the most important value in the book? That just seems 
kind of...so what? I mean, how many children are struggle with that? 
In fifth grade you're not generally looking to be friends with 
somebody with important connections--or if you are, you'd be friends 
with Harry anyway, because he's the hero. We see this in the books as 
well, where people want to be friends with Harry because of who he 
is. Harry's got far more social clout that any other person he meets 
in his life so he's got nowhere to climb to. (And before somebody 
points out that sometimes Harry is a pariah--yeah, that's part of 
being an Important Person. Everybody has an opinion about Harry. 
Nobody's friendship will change his social standing.)

Not being friends with someone because of their connections isn't an 
issue in the books at all. Harry is never tempted by it. The closest 
the books get to raising the issue is maybe Draco's lines on the 
train, but there's no temptation there. Harry already hates Draco 
personally and Draco has nothing to offer him that we can see. If any 
sixth grader came on to another with a line like that they'd be 
laughed at and probably be a complete social misfit. Draco's an 
annoyance to Harry, somebody jealous of him. 

If anything, Harry deals with negotiating everybody wanting to be 
friends with *him* and having to only choose the people who are going 
to be totally loyal to him all the time as opposed to those who just 
want something for themselves, which is who he winds up with. 

-m