Harry's Characterization

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 163479

---  "Jen Reese" <stevejjen at ...> wrote:
>
> Steve:
> > Consequently, from Harry's internal to the story 
> > perspective, he is out of excusses. Now everything 
> > falls on him. He has lost the last of his great 
> > protectors and now HE NEEDS TO LEARN TO PROTECT 
> > HIMSELF. Up to this point, I can explain away Harry's
> > action, but if he is not going full force towards 
> > arming himself, then all faith in the story will be 
> > lost for me. 
> > 
> > Yes, WE know that love is the answer, and to a limited
> > extent, Harry knows it, but how do you arm yourself for
> > battle with 'love'? The answer is, you don't. You work
> > long and hard to learn how to kick ass. 

 
> Jen: 
> Oops, sorry Steve, I didn't address your major 
> point about inside the story vs. outside. Harry 
> technically should be arming himself for battle and 
> learning to protect himself now that he knows the last
> of his greatest protectors is gone.
> 
> Part of the reason he doesn't is most of his examples
> of true power aren't magical skills so far, the 
> 'lessons' he's learned the best are the intangible 
> ones.  Lily's sacrifice for instance, being about love 
> and not magic.  ...

bboyminn:

Here's the thing, I agree with you and everyone who says
that in the end, it will be love or some similar abstract
concept that saves Harry, or if it doesn't save Harry, 
then at least saves the day. But I think that because I
am on the outside looking in. 

Harry is on the inside looking out, and what he sees is
dark and extremely dangerous and certainly DEADLY.

Now let me use a real world analogy. If you know with
absolute certainty that a group of soldiers are coming
to kill you, and you are give a choice of two types of
weapons; a heart shaped box of chocolates and a dozen
roses, OR a machine gun, which are you going to choose?
Now compound that with the concept that the outcome of
your pending battle will determine the fate of your 
world. As repugnant as the thought of killing other
people is, I can assure you that I am not going to
go down holding a box of chocolates and some roses. I'm
going to go down fighting, even if the fight is hopeless.

And that seems to be Harry's attitude; he is going to 
go down fighting. Dumbledore is telling him figuratively
that all he needs is a box of chocolates and some roses,
but Harry sees the deadly and destructive forces of 
Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and I simply can't 
believe that Harry is convinced a few hug and kisses and
a box of chocolates is going to do it, regardless of what
Dumbledore said. 

Harry needs his machine gun; he needs his finely honed
and deeply skilled magical power, and the only way to
get that is to train long and hard. Now, I can excuse
Harry up to this point, because he always had 
Dumbledore to fall back on; Dumbledore has a plan, 
Dumbledore will protect me, Dumbledore will tell me what
to do, Dumbledore had the situation under control, but 
Dumbledore is gone, and NOW EVERYTHING falls on Harry. 
No More Excuses.

So, up until now, I can excuse Harry not training with
fierce single minded determination, but from this point
on that excuse no longer cuts it. From Harry's perspective
he is hopelessly out manned and out gunned, and if he has
any chance of winning in his logical and rational eyes,
he must bring himself up to as close to Voldemort's level
of skill as he possibly can before the confrontation. He
must do that even knowing that he can never reach that 
level. 

Again, if you place yourself in Harry's mind to do anything
else is completely irrational. Consequently, if Harry is
at least making an effort in the next book I will be
satisfied, but if he plans to get by on Luck or boxes of
chocolate or hugs and kisses, then all plausability has
gone out of the story. It's Harry and only Harry from here 
on in, at least in Harry's mind. That means he has to 
meet Voldemort as close to Voldemort's level as he can get.

That's from Harry's internal perspective. From the external
perspective of a reader, I agree, some unforseen abstract
force will help Harry win the day, but it is irrational
for Harry to count on such a force and not prepare himself
to the best of his ability.

Like I said, Harry is insane if he proceeds as if 'hugs and
kisses' are going to save the day, even though as a reader
I know for a fact that 'hugs and kisses' will indeed save
the day.

This is why I keep insisting that we make a strong distinction
between what is right INTERNAL to the story, and what we
know is right EXTERNAL to the story.

Steve/bboyinn