MAGICkal elITE - The Boy, The Man, The Hero, the Saint.

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 186413

---  "Geoff Bannister" <gbannister10 at ...> wrote:
>
> ...
> 
> Geoff: 
> I consider Harry as an everyman because I cannot see him as 
> Christ as some people do. ...
> 
> So I seek an everyman with whom I can identify. As I said 
> earlier, everyone has the innate ability to be a hero (small
> 'h') if events demand it. 
> 
> <snip>
> 

bboyminn:

Geoff, I know you are an educated man, and also a man of faith.
But in this instance, and with no intended offense, I have to 
wonder if your faith isn't playing a role in your refusal to 
see Harry in the suggested role? 

First, I don't think anyone can remotely imply that Harry is
'Christ' in the story. But he could symbolically and 
metaphorically represent a Christ-like figure.

Keep in mind that the classic hero's story or hero's fable is
all about the hero dying and being reborn. Not literally reborn
but symbolically reborn, or reborn in a more practical but still
abstract sense.

And I think we see Harry's symbolic death and rebirth in every
story. The Harry we see at the beginning of the book is not the
Harry we see at the end of the book. He is older, wiser, and
more experience; more wiser and more experienced in ways that
his fellow students are not. 

Further we see Harry's selflessness and willingness to sacrifice
for the good of his friends, and for what he believes is the
right and noble thing to do. So, even here there is a symbolic
similarity.

Do I think Harry is Christ? No. But I do see aspects of him and
his story that are symbolically Christ-like. 

But, does that stop him from being everyman? No. Certainly not.
As you point out, most heroes are not heroes by choice, and 
even after being declared and acclaimed as heroes, they still 
deny it. Oddly, everyone wants to have a hero, but no body 
really want to be one. It is a very hard thing to live up to. 

So, very much Harry is 'everyman', and I think that is a huge
aspect of the appeal of the stories to people. It is very easy
to see yourself reflected in Harry. He is not some idealize 
'After School Special' version of a Hero. He is flawed, he has
troubles, he struggle with the common things that we all 
struggle with. He is an ordinary man who is not afraid to do
extraordinary things.

So, I think Harry is both. Clearly he is 'everyman'; the 
common denominator among us. But I also see Christ-like glints
reflected in the things he does and the choices he makes. I
hope and pray that we are all lucky enough that when the world
looks upon us, they also see those Christ-like glints in us. 
Yet, even with those reflections, none of us would feel 
comfortable being called Christ-like or, even more so, Christ.

So, I understand your resistance to seeing Harry in this light,
but you have to remember it is all very metaphorical. And to
further understand that virtually every "hero's story" is filled
this symbols that are reminiscent of Christ. But there is a
huge gap between 'reminiscent' and literal. 

Harry as 'everyman' and 'hero' are very clear, but to draw
Christ-like parallels, you need to dig pretty deep in to the
symbology and mythology of the story; pretty deep into the 
subtle and abstract aspects of the story. I think any one
who sees any deeper resemblance to Harry and Christ beyond the
subtle and symbolic, is adding a lot more to the story than
is actually there. 

Harry, in my view, is only Christ-like in the sense that nearly
every hero's story tells a Christ-like tale. 

Again, not intending to offend, nor to imply that I know your
mind better than you. Simply saying that what we call 'Christ-
like' from a literary sense, is very common in myth, fables,
and hero's tales, and that I see that subtle underlying symbology
in Harry story too. 

The boy, the man, the hero, the saint, they are not mutually
exclusive. 

Just a few random thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn