Suspension of disbelief WAS: Why should we care if Harry's not really needed?

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 182340

Betsy:
<BIG SNIP>
So my issue with the Voldemort story is that JKR went sloppy. She
couldn't be bothered to think up a truly formidable villain, she
couldn't be bothered to think up a good reason for Harry being the
hero of her piece. So she cut corners, didn't worry about plot
holes, and had her hero save the day due to his overwhelming...luck
<BIG SNIP>


Alla:

I was acknowledging the suspension of disbelief in any story where 
child is a hero IMO and where adults have to take a second seat.

I understand that you think that JKR went sloppy. It is your opinion, 
I understand, but to me she did not go sloppy, she just chose a 
certain scenario, while leaving open the possibility for other 
scenarios to play out in our heads.

She did not bother to think up truly formidable villain? I partially 
agree, but ONLY partially. I found Voldemort step by step personally 
executing the plan to take over the ministry to be very good and 
scary. I find his rebirth to be scary. But of course some of his 
deeds I find very funny.

And of course I do not agree that she could not be bothered to think 
up a good reason for Harry being the hero of her piece. As Catlady 
said, Harry certainly DID wowed me. I find his loyalty and his desire 
to save people to be very enduring trait.

But again, of course I see a plenty of scenarios where things could 
have gone differently had adults acted, what's the word? Oh yes, less 
idiotically in some instances.

But since this IMO common for so many stories where kids are main 
heroes, I just accept it as part of suspension of disbelief.

Every person is different in what is easy for them to believe and 
what is not. I find Harry and Co heroics to be quite easy to accept – 
what you call shire luck, I call, well, I guess everything – luck, 
friendship and skill. It is no problem for me that young wizards are 
able to achieve what they could.

After all they are wizards, you know? But I do get if it is hard for 
you to accept.

Adults acting in some instances as dumb idiots, in some just 
disappearing, in some, well as idiots again is of course harder to 
accept, absolutely.

But this is obviously up to every reader whether they could accept it 
or not.

I am sure I mentioned it before, but I find Will from Dark is Rising 
to routinely do things which his leaders could have done eh, long 
time ago, without involving him, well ever?

I mean, they have one of the signs to Walker to walk the earth for 
500 years
 only to wait till Will is born and to take the sign from 
Walker and erm
 hide it from the Dark?

Let's think about it for one second. Why exactly this sign was given 
to Walker in the first place? Wouldn't it be easier to NEVER GIVE IT 
TO WALKER in the first place. I would think in this instance this 
sign would be much easier to safeguard till Will is born. But hey, 
Susan Cooper needed Will to be the Hero, so she comes up with bizarre 
obstacles and then let Will to overcome them. She writes about it 
very beautifully, so I just suspend my disbelief and swallow it.

Same thing with Harry, you know? Do I find it hard to believe that 
nobody else but Dumbledore bothered to research how Voldemort became 
immortal? Of course I am. I laughed out loud when I read Magpie 
comparison with the meeting of resistance, where all means are no 
good, except teenager about whom his teacher made a prophecy.

But the difference between you and me is that I LOVE how JKR wrote 
the scenario, I adore Harry and I will swallow him and his friends 
taking the first seat in this ride. For me it is not that hard to do.

I am sure I also mentioned how hilarious I find that Will had to take 
that harp in Dark is rising. So he goes on that quest to figure out 
the riddles and to take it from Three Lords of Dark Light and Neutral.

So far, so good, except it turns out to be that Lord of the Light is 
nobody else as the Idiot called Merriman, who is Will's mentor.
He could not take away this harp and safeguard it for the Light why 
exactly? Oh I know because the chosen Kid just had to come.

So really to me Harry breaking into Gringotts and leaving safely is 
pretty much the same thing.

But  probably the funniest thing to me in the obstacles that Susan 
Cooper designs for the Light ( although I don't know there are so 
many of them) is the challenge that Dark brings up in the last book 
that Bran should not be there.
Anybody remembers who is the judge of that challenge? Oh that's right 
the Lady.  Now let's flashback to the second book and tell me, 
whether anybody already had a hint that Lady is how to put it a 
little bit biased in favor the Light? Did anybody had any doubt how 
that challenge be decided? I know that not me, that's for sure.

So, my point is that majority of authors who write about kids as 
heroes will require suspension of disbelief to the different degrees 
and for the most part it will be up to the reader whether they can 
accept it or not.

I do not find JKR's world to be the hardest to suspend disbelief. 
Now, granted at some point I thought that adults contrary to many 
books I read would be taking bigger role in these series. It ended 
with the death of Sirius. Not only in a sense that one of my 
favorites died. To me it signaled that adults, well will not be 
taking larger roles than I thought they will be.

I think honestly that in large the suspension of disbelief depends on 
whether one likes the characters. 
I am also not guessing whether your suspension of disbelief depends 
on whether you like or dislike the Trio. I am saying that if * I* am 
faced with the book where I DISlike the child who supposed to do 
heroics, it is much harder to suspend disbelief. I adore Harry so I 
totally suspend disbelief sometimes and sometimes what he does is 
believable to me.

But for example I cannot stand Artemis Fowl and I read one book and 
throw it out with hysterical giggles of how incredibly silly it 
seemed to me.

I also like Will, so I just accept that this is the way Cooper chose 
the story to develop, never mind that I can offer plenty of the 
scenarios to make life for Will and his fellow old ones MUCH easier.

JMO,

Alla