[HPforGrownups] Digest Number 10912

[k12listmomma]

No: HPFGUIDX 188926

5a. Chapter Discussion Chamber of Secrets Ch. 7 Mudbloods and Murmurs
Posted by: "Geoff" gbannister10 at tiscali.co.uk geoff_bannister
Date: Sun Feb 14, 2010 3:27 pm ((PST))

>Questions.
>
>1: What was your impression of Colin Creevey when he first appeared? Why do 
>you think that JKR decided to introduce his character?

Second question first: I think Colin is there to represent innocence. A kid 
who is immature from the beginning, immature all the way through. At the 
end, he dies, but as an example of all the innocents harmed by Voldemort- 
the needless suffering from the children who should have had a chance to 
grow up properly. I think he stands as a symbolic death of innocence.

I was struck that Colin is an annnoying fan boy (of Harry's) but that he 
lacks wisdom, tact, and judgement- he's immature, but what real school isn't 
full of Colins? Not every student is a studious Hermione, or a bully like 
Draco, or someone famous like Harry (those students are a small minority, 
IMHO)- most are just plain old immature kids. He's there to provide a 
balance in the student population, and in the end, to be another tragic 
early death that proves, yet again, why Voldemort must die, but mostly I 
think he's there to show that the school is full of immature kids. First 
years are babies in terms of where they are compared to the maturity and 
knowledge that they gain in the years at Hogwarts, and Colin is a reminder 
of just how immature some of those first years are. I didn't hate him for 
being annoying, but rather I looked forward (like any mother does) to whom 
this immature kid would turn out to be, and felt a deep pain of loss (more 
than Fred, or Dobby, even) when he was killed, because we would never get to 
find out.

The rest of the questions people answered pretty much the obvious, and so I 
don't feel the need to contribute to those.

Shelley