Resolutions (was: Epilogue (was Re: Ron and Parseltongue)/Slytherins are Bad

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 183408

> Magpie:
> So careful reading and a memory for detail was rewarded. It
> wasn't always really a clue because there was nothing a reader could
> figure out, and it wasn't a gun set up that had to go off. It just
> meant that if you were a careful reader you'd remember an earlier
> reference to something that you only later found out.
> 
> Lynda:
> But, if in looking back through the books or with careful reading a 
person
> does figure out something concerning a plotline or device, that is 
a clue,
> just not one that's explicit.

Magpie:
Well, yeah, but it's the kind of clue described, imo, where you're 
just seeing a reference to something that will later come into the 
story. Ron's words about Harry's cloak isn't anything that could be 
said to be a clue that Harry's cloak is what it is. It's more like 
just when you go back and re-read PS you can say, "Heh heh, it sure 
is in good shape!" It proves maybe that Rowling had it planned out, 
but nobody could really use Ron's comment to get to anything. 

Actually, to go on a tangent, I think this sort of thing is simply 
JKR's strength and so also weakness. I think she's great at coming up 
with emotional stories in outline form--the story of the Crouches, 
the Marauders vs. Snape fight, Dumbledore's backstory, Merope's life 
and love for Tom--I think these work really well because we hear 
highlights and fill in the emotional detail ourselves. 

In the present day, I don't think it works so well. She is focused on 
Harry, as you say, and I think it was around OotP where I really 
started feeling like peoples' emotions were very much controlled by 
the plot. Which works great in backstory, but less often works as 
well when it's played out in front of us imo. So you get Harry 
following his strict line of development, having the emotions he 
needs for the plot, and other people also have emotions to give them 
things to do in that story that end when they're no longer needed. 
I'm not explaining this well at all, but I think it's partly a reason 
for my feeling underwhelmed a lot of the time. 

For instance, with something like the Draco story, it's not just 
about whether or not you expected something from him. That's just 
prediction. It's that HBP, imo, set up all sorts of interesting messy 
stuff that I though logically followed from what had already started--
it was a case of just starting a ball rolling and seeing where it 
landed. Instead Draco served his use in the plot and then fulfilled 
another use in the plot. Things that seemed like they'd need 
emotional resolution were wrapped up neatly--more neatly than felt at 
all organic to me. Snape, too, had all this build up and then slotted 
neatly into a more minor player on the chess board, regardless of his 
final revelation that he did it for Lily. With both those characters 
at the moment where it seemed like Harry would be most emotionally 
intimate with them, they became not very emotionally important to him 
at all. 

JKR wanted to focus on Harry's feelings about Dumbledore, so that was 
introduced late in the game--he worries he loves him just as we get 
information that maybe 100 years ago he was into some shady stuff 
when it always seemed like he'd just sprung forth fully formed as a 
mentor figure (which he kind of had). 

The focus still always being on whatever feelings JKR is wanting to 
take Harry through in that particular book, which I think is why 
people often wind up feeling "cheated" in the emotional fallout to 
things. Sirius' mourning is taken care of in the woodshed--you can't 
say it wasn't dealt with, it was just dealt with by us being told 
it's not really an issue. It fits neatly into the box where it goes. 
Starting with GoF Ron goes into an endless loop of jealousy about 
Harry, but like Lupin's problems in DH it felt more like just giving 
other characters something to do until the finale. When Harry and Ron 
fight in GoF I thought it was great and messy--the high point for me 
being when Harry hits Ron with the badge and says maybe he'll have a 
scar now because that's what he wants. But then most of those 
emotions go away--Ron just has to admit he was wrong, and then Ron 
continues to play out his inadequacy issues but Harry's own possibly 
problematic attitudes (as stated when he throws the badge) go away. 

Which is why to me it winds up being impressive for all the juggling 
of storylines--there is something satisfying in watching Rowling pick 
up the different threads, especially in HBP where Harry really is 
killing time until the Malfoy/Snape storyline climaxes. But that also 
takes away from my ever feeling emotional resolution. It's more just 
plot resolution--like in DH I felt like there was a big chalk board 
with different things and characters getting crossed off. Also we 
were without the school year which usually camoflaged all the time 
the plot wasn't moving us forward, and we wind up with the Trio often 
doing nothing until something falls into their lap, obviously 
following the school year without a school year to follow. I just 
think there's a reason that a lot of people expected Harry's Horcrux 
hunt to be about problematic relationships already set up. I think 
that's also why fanfic for this universe is so popular--I think 
fanfic deals with exactly this kind of stuff.

Pippin:
I'm not sure why you felt the symbolism was less. It's moving to me to
know that Dumbledore was improvising, his precious plans in a muddle,
and yet he was still capable of rallying himself to save Draco from
becoming a murderer.

Magpie:
Snape (not Draco) killing him was the most important part of the 
precious plans. Whether Draco himself became a murderer didn't have a 
quarter of the importance I thought it would have, myself. As I once 
described it to someone, if you've seen the Bad News Bears, I thought 
Dumbledore was acting more like Buttermaker putting Timmy Lupus in at 
the end of the championship game. He turned out to be more like Jack 
Black's character in School of Rock letting that one kid be the 
costume designer--a nice gesture that didn't risk the entire 
enterprise or play into the final outcome.

-m