Changed character perceptions (long)

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 185033

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister" <gbannister10 at ...> wrote:
>
> Geoff:
> The following comments may possibly move in the same direction 
> as some posts written a while ago by Alla about how our view of 
> some characters in the books has shifted as the story has progressed 
> through all its stages.

Montavilla47:
Interesting thread!  

In thinking about a reply, I'm finding that my feelings changed about 
most of the major and some of the minor characters in the series.

You started with Dumbledore.  I, too, found my feelings for the 
old man changing through the books.  In the first four books, 
Dumbledore did seem omniscient and powerful enough to let 
events play out without interfering, unless it was absolutely needed.

I liked very much that he was allowing Harry (who had powerful 
enemies) take managed risks.  I suspected that he might have
been watching Harry in the obstacle course of PS/SS, and maybe
even in CoS--that he might have sent Fawkes himself.  

My feelings about Dumbledore were a bit shaken in OotP when
he gave Harry the wrap-up of events, because he was a bit of jerk.
What bugged me most was the remark about giving Ron the Prefect
position because Harry would be too busy... doing what, exactly?  
But it wasn't that.  It was that, when Harry's beloved Godfather 
has just died, whether or not he got to wear a shiny badge seemed
like the most irrelevant thing in the world.  Nevertheless, 
Dumbledore took time to assure Harry that Ron was just not quite
as good as Harry, an idea that did not need emphasis.

My Dumbledore-o-meter plunged in the third chapter of HBP when
Dumbledore behaved so badly to the Dursleys.  He barged into 
their home, shoved them around like puppets, bonked them on the
heads with alcoholic drinks, and then lectured them on their 
lack of manners and bad parenting skills.   I know a lot of readers
liked this scene and found it a proper outcome for the Dursleys'
behavior, but I found it extremely offensive.  

The Prince's Tale didn't change my perception of Dumbledore,
it merely intensified my feelings.

****

The Dursleys gradually became more sympathetic in my eyes.
I think it might have been in GoF when I started to warm up to
them.  Because, although it was annoying to Harry, I thought it
was very supportive of Petunia to change everyone's diet to 
help Dudley lose weight.  And, although Harry found Dudley's 
boxing to be a terrible development, it did show that Dudley
was capable of some kind of discipline.  I was kind of proud
of Dudley for doing something that required hard work--
even if it meant that Dudley had more power to beat up
kids in the neighborhood (which, of course, is abhorable.)
But you don't get good at boxing without taking a good number
of blows, so it showed that Dudley could take it as well as
dish it out.

And, when Petunia got the howler and insisted that Harry 
stay, I realized that what looked like meanness on her part
may just have been terror.  And, looking back on the earlier
books, it seemed like Petunia and Vernon weren't just trying
to quash Harry's magical ability out of spite, but because it
*was* dangerous and their family had no way to defend 
themselves against wizards, whether good or bad.  (Ironically,
every bad thing that happened to the Dursleys was due to the 
"good" guys.  Even though Umbridge was a nasty person,
she was supposedly on the side of Ministry.)

****

My perception changed about Harry in HBP as well.  I remember
that the first time I read OotP I was very disppointed with Harry,
because he seemed to turn so angry and unpleasant.  After
several rereads, I thought better of him and realized he was 
probably going through a phase.  I thought very well of him
when I received my copy of HBP.

But, he started to annoy me dreadfully again.  There were a 
number of small things and one major one that did it.  
In minor terms:  He checked to make sure that Ron didn't 
do as well as he did on the O.W.L.s.  That may be realistic, but 
it's petty.  I was really proud of Harry for getting over his 
disappointment when Ron got the Prefect badge.  Making sure
your best friend didn't outdo you in *any* of the courses?  
Eesh.  

He took satisfaction in seeing that Marietta Edgecombe was 
still disfigured.  That's both petty and vindictive.  It bugged me
that Harry felt it necessary to call Luna and Neville "cool" in order
to sit with them.  If someone is your friend, their coolness 
quotient should not be a factor.  He took credit for the Prince's
work to win rewards and curry favor with Slughorn.  That was
dishonest behavior.

(Just to be fair to Harry, I will mention that I was glad he 
confided his suspcions about Draco to Arthur, Lupin, and 
Dumbledore. That was a good thing to do, even if they seemed 
to brush him off.)

Here's the big thing that turned me off to Harry:  He dropped the
D.A.  The year before he (and Hermione) had asked a lot of their
fellow students.  They asked them to give up time, risk punishment
and expulsion, in order to prepare themselves to fight Voldemort.
I felt that Harry had a responsibility to those students, but when
it became inconvenient for him, he simply dropped them.  

It's not that I was dying to see more exciting scenes of people
practicing their Patroni.  It's that you don't ask people to 
follow you and then six months later say, "I'm bored. Go home."  
At least, not when the main reason you gave for the cause was
opposing an enemy who is stronger and more dangerous than
ever.

And, as a reader, I'd rather have seen practice sessions on 
dueling than Quidditch.  

****

I think my perceptions of Slughorn are reluctantly becoming
more positive.  I really didn't like Slughorn, but I have to admit
that his vices were small, and he did come through in the end.

My feeling about Lupin is reluctantly worse.  I wasn't upset about
his leaving Tonks.  Honestly, lots of men have had to leave 
their wives, pregnant or not, during war time and if he could have
helped the Trio, I think it would have been the right thing to do.

But, I never felt that Lupin really wanted to marry Tonks and it 
seems to me like he gave in to peer pressure.  That's what
disappoints me about him.

****

Montavilla47