Harry's "friend," the HBP (Was: Freud and JKR / Id vs...

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 165311

colebiancardi wrote:
> 
> yes, Harry does break a lot of rules, although he gets DD's approval
in the end for breaking of said rules. <snip>  However, you do bring
up the good point of the difference between him & Riddle - the
choices. Whereas I believe Harry's choices, rule-breaking and all,
were done not for himself, but to "save" others from harm.  I also
believe there is more than just the choices that DD mentioned.  There
are a lot of differences between Harry & Riddle from a young age in
their personalities even though they had a horrible homelife at that
time. And they didn't have the choice of who was raising them -
Harry/Dursleys, Riddle/Orphanage(although Mrs Cole seemed like a very
person, she was probably too busy to give Riddle the attention a child
needs).
> 
Carol responds:
In general, I agree with you. The first thing Harry does on the
Hogwarts Express in his first year is make a real friend, which Tom
Riddle never does. And, of course, Harry isn't conducting research to
prove that he's the Heir of Slytherin so that he can open up the
Chamber of Secrets and continue "Salazar Slytherin's noble work." He
hasn't murdered four people and started researching Horcruxes at
sixteen. And *some* of the rules he's broken were broken to help
others. However, brewing Polyjuice Potion (actually Hermione's idea)
was intended to expose Draco Malfoy as the Heir of Slytherin (oops)
and using the Marauder's Map and his Invisibility Cloak to get into
Hogsmead without permission was solely for his own entertainment. And
using the HBP's notes, though it didn't break any rules, was for his
own unearned advancement (high marks and praise from the teacher) at
the expense of the students who actually deserved those marks and that
praise, Hermione included (not to mention his dear friend, the Prince,
who actually deserved credit for his own research, just as a real
student would cite a source in a research paper).

Colebiancardi:
<snip>
>   I think the reason why the cheating thread is still going strong
is that we (the readers) want Harry to acknowledge his flaws and to
grow and learn from it in a positive way.  The slippery slope between
good & evil is a fine one.  A person may have noble intentions, but
those intentions can led to becoming a dictator or in this case, a New
Dark Lord.  How does that saying go - the path to hell is paved with
good intentions?

Carol:
Exactly. A hero (or the protagonist of a Bildungsroman) has to
acknowledge and learn from his own mistakes. So far, Harry doesn't
seem to be doing that. Even when he acknowledges the mistakes to
himself, they get glossed over or turned into something else (rather
than losing the Second Task because he misunderstood it and thought
that Dumbledore would put little Gabrielle Delacour and the others in
real danger, Harry gets points for "moral fiber." Rather than thinking
over the consequence of his thoughtless use of a dangerous Dark spell,
he gets sidetracked into protecting his precious Potions book. Rather
than acknowledging that he should not have believed that Voldemort
could capture Sirius Black and hold him hostage in the MoM, he blames
Snape for Black's death.) I'm waiting, Harry. Waiting for you to
accept the responsibility for your own mistakes and learn from them.
> 
Colebiancardi:
> One of Harry's saving graces is his own conscience - he does feel
that using the HBP's book in Potions is not all in the up-and-up.  He
makes excuses to his friends, defending his position, but we do get
the insight into his own personal thoughts on this matter - the guilt
and the hiding of the book when Snape demands it.  He knows, deep down
inside, that it isn't "all right".  He is embarrassed at Slughorn's
praise at the Christmas party about his natural talent.  He knows he
isn't the genius that Slughorn makes him out to be.

Carol:
Where else have we seen a character who has a conscience but doesn't
act on it? Remus Lupin, anyone? He knows that he should act the part
of Prefect and stop his friends from publicly humiliating Severus
Snape and hexing everyone who annoys them, but he doesn't do it. He
knows that he should tell Dumbledore that Sirius Black is an Animagus
(not to mention that he knows several secret passageways into the
castle or grounds) but he doesn't do it. Lupin is at best weak, a good
man who does nothing. And surely that's not what we want our hero to
be. Nor do we want him to be a Sirius Black, recklessly rushing into
danger regardless of consequences. He needs to put the two together
and think before he acts, not to mention accepting the consequences
when he makes a mistake.
> 
Coelbiancardi:
> Harry's conscience will save him.  His strong sense of right &
wrong, and I do believe he has that sense, will prevent him from being
the New Dark Lord.  His concern for his friends and even those he is
not close to - his empathy - will save him.  Heck, he even felt
empathy, short-lived as it was, for Snape in OotP.  He feels empathy
for Draco at the end of HBP.  So, I believe he can overcome the darker
side and not succumb to the temptations of being the One That Rules
All. <snip>

Carol:
I agree. He's starting to see others more clearly, Neville and Luna in
particular, and to develop true empathy as opposed to that
saving-people impulse which doesn't really see others as people, only
as victims in need of being rescued. The touch of pity (not empathy,
IMO) for Draco, whom he has always despised, is very important. Maybe
he'll revisit the Sectumsempra scene in his mind and even see it from
Draco's perspective, with Hermione's help. And somehow, somehow, he'll
come to understand and forgive and even empathize with Severus Snape
by the end of DH, understanding that he, too, has been trapped by
Voldemort into doing what he otherwise would never have done, killing
Albus Dumbledore (rather than allowing the DEs to force Draco to do it
or die).

Parseltongue and Slytherin tendencies (not always bad) to the
contrary, Harry is no Tom Riddle. But he hasn't yet learned to feel
compassion for the entire WW or to acknowledge his own mistakes and
imperfections and try to overcome them. If he feels a twinge of
conscience, he should realize that what he's done or is doing or is
tempted to do is wrong and stop doing it or take responsibility for
the consequences. That's what growing up is all about. It's important
for all the young characters, but especially for Harry, who bears the
heavy burden of saving the WW from the personification of its own
worst tendencies, Lord Voldemort.

Carol, wondering if the HBP's Potions book will come back into play in
DH and, if so, how