[HPforGrownups] CHAPDISC: DH3, The Dursleys Departing

[Laura Lynn Walsh]

No: HPFGUIDX 177151


On 2007, Sep 17, , at 14:22, kneazlecat54 wrote:

> QUESTIONS
>
> Oh, the Dursleys…*shakes head*
>
> 1.  The way Vernon calls to Harry speaks volumes about their
> relationship.  What strikes you about this and what do you think it
> means?  Is Vernon's behavior here consistent with that in the other
> books?

Yes.  In the first book, he couldn't make his mind up about how
to escape from the letters, driving here and there seemingly
randomly.  In the face of what he perceives as danger, he can't
seem to make his mind up what to do.  He has the certainty to
act, but can't seem to reason beyond that to decide what would
be the BEST kind of action.

> 2.  Although Vernon is the chief disciplinarian at Privet Drive,
> clearly it is Petunia who sets the tone of the family's relationship
> with Harry.  We learn in Book 1 that it is her rage and resentment
> towards Lily that is playing out in her treatment of Harry.   What do
> you think Petunia sees when she looks at Harry, and how does it make
> her feel?

Like Snape, when Petunia looks at Harry, she sees Lily's eyes and
James' hair and body type.  I think this reminds her continually of
what magic stole from her - a younger sister who looked up to her
and loved her.  Magic, Snape, and James stole Lily from her.  And,
in some ways, they also took her importance to the family away.
As a first born, she assumed she had a special place, then along
came Lily, who not only had a special talent, it was a talent their
parents appreciated.  She was permanently deposed.

> 4.  What do you think she would have said to Harry had she chosen to
> speak at this time?  Will Harry and Petunia ever see each other
> again?  Is there unfinished business between them?

Perhaps there is some unfinished business between them, but
Petunia has long since squandered the opportunities to develop
a relationship with Harry.  And, like Voldemort, I think she is too
full of resentment to go beyond that.  And Harry, who doesn't yet
understand why she resents him, has given up on her, so he
can't reach out either.

> 5.  After Dudley's encounter with the dementors in Book 5, fans
> wondered what experiences   Dudley relived.  From Harry's point of
> view, Dudley had never had a moment of fear, doubt or sadness in his
> entire life.   But something life-changing happened to Dudley during
> that encounter, as we see in DH.  What do you think Dudley saw, and
> how did it change him?

Dudley is a bully.  A bully fears losing.  I think Dudley's worst
memories would have been of a time when he felt lost or
incompetent at something.  Since Petunia was quite overprotective
of him when he was young, I would think some normal encounter
with someone who was a bit strange or different would have set
off unusually strong fears in him - perhaps that time when he was
in a shop and Petunia had to grab his hand and pull him out of the
shop.  Repeat this scenario often enough and he develops a sense
that he is vulnerable, in spite of his size.  In fact, his size may be a
partial response - if he is big and scary enough, then he won't be
vulnerable.

> 6.  What was your reaction on reading Dudley's unexpected defense of
> Harry?

My response was just like Harry's.  Bemused and slightly unbelieving,
but appreciative nonetheless.

> 7.  Do you see Dudley and Harry having any further contact throughout
> their lives?

No.  I see them being cordial, but not friends - not going out of the
way to see each other, but perhaps exchanging ritual Christmas
presents or other such things.  [socks, anyone?]

> 8.  How would Dudley's worries about Harry affect his relationship
> with his (Dudley's) parents?

I think they would try to persuade him that Harry is not worth worrying
about.  In a way, their doubts help Dudley grow up a bit.  He will now
be more likely to have a few of his own opinions.

> 9.  Compare Dudley's dementor experience with that of Bellatrix or
> Barty Crouch Jr.  Can we learn anything about the moral awareness of
> these characters by their reactions to encounters with dementors?
> Other characters have different kinds of reactions-think of Hagrid,
> for instance.  How would someone like Mundungus Fletcher react to
> them?

Bellatrix - seemingly unaffected; Barty Crouch - terrorized;  Dudley -
scared out of complacency; Harry - haunted by his parents' deaths;
Hagrid - saddened by losses.   Mundungus - forced to be accountable
and honest - the HORROR!

> 10. The ways in which Harry arrives at and leaves Privet Drive every
> year are significant.  What are your thoughts on this?  Think of the
> way he first came to the Dursleys' home in PS and the way he left in
> DH.   Think also of the ways he leaves and returns in each book.
> What can we learn about Harry from this?

I think we learn more about JKR than about Harry.  JKR doesn't
like too much repetition, so tries to think up something completely
different each time.

> 11. How the Order was operating since Dumbledore's death?  It didn't
> seem to be much of democracy while he was alive.   How would
> decisions be made without him?

It seems to me that Moody has taken over as leader.  I think most of
the order would defer to him, in a similar manner to how they deferred
to Dumbledore - he is experienced and has proven skills.  I think that
is another reason why his death hit them so hard.  They lost Dumbledore,
Snape (as far as they know) is a traitor, then Moody gets killed.   
Slowly
their leaders are falling by the wayside.  It means that others have to
step up to the plate, but it also means a certain loss of direction  
for a
while each time.

> 12. Did you wonder what would happen to the Dursleys' lives while
> they were in hiding?  Would Vernon lose his job?   How would their
> bills get paid?  Or were you happy to see the back of them?  *grin*

Yes, I did wonder.  I don't like the Dursleys and I don't even find
them all that interesting, but I do wonder just a bit how they end
up - just like I wondered with the first book how they finally got off
of the rock where the shack was, without their boat.

> 13. In PS and CS, Hedwig travels directly from Privet Drive to
> Hogwarts on the train along with Harry.  In books 3-6, she is free to
> fly about on her own for a while before meeting Harry and returning
> to school.    Here, she is confined to her cage and not happy about
> it.  Did you see this as a foreshadowing of her fate in the next
> chapter?   Was it meant that way?

No, I didn't think of it as foreshadowing, but I guess I should have.
Too bad Harry didn't just send her off on a mail run ahead of time.

Another Laura
-- 
Laura Lynn Walsh    lwalsh at acsalaska.net
http://llwcontemplations.blogspot.com



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