[the_old_crowd] Re: Genre WAS: That Bloody Man Again

[Waldo Glatisant]

pippin_999 <foxmoth at ...> wrote: 

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, silmariel <silmariel at t...>
wrote:
> 
> Nora:
> > Actually, there's a question for the list as a whole: can you

> > take the power of love and Harry's pure heart with a completely 

> >straight face?  


 < snip > 
 



> Pippin:
> But if I had to hazard a guess now, it's not that Harry's never 

> been cruel or selfish, because he has. But he's never wanted 

> to hurt anyone who he thought cared about him, or anyone 

> he thought was weaker than himself. He's been that way from 

> the beginning. He's also never intentionally misused his powers, 

> though once or twice he's attempted it.  Still, when  he failed with 

> the cruciatus curse, he did not try to find somebody to teach it to 

> him.

 

Waldo aka Justin Felt-Flatulent: 

 

I would have to agree. I know that the Malfoy apologists out there like to point out that poor, innocent Draco was hexed such-and-such-a-time and poor, innocent  Montague was stuffed in a vanishing cabinet when he was innocently trying to help the Vichy collaborators exterminate  
 er, I mean the innocent Inquisitorial Squad 
 innocently persecuting anyone they didn’t like.  But really,  were the Inquisitorial Squad the victims? 

 

I think that the text, in the voice of Dumbledore, is not saying that Harry has a saintly disposition , perfect in every way, or a Buddha-like ability to transcend self-centeredness.  However, it can be said that his motivation has never been to exploit the weak and gather power to himself so that he can dominate others.  He does not seek out opportunities to cause pain for anyone, even Malfoy, although he was not immune to enjoying hexing Draco once a confrontation was begun.  But even so, he felt shame and anguish when he seriously harmed Draco with the HBP’s curse “for enemies.” He did not put his name in the Goblet of Fire (my favorite book) and resisted the temptation to accept help that was not also offered to others.  Again, he was not perfect in every way, but generally he cared more about fairness and the survival of himself, his friends, and the other contestants than he did about winning the tournament.  Those were his operating principles throughout.  In the end, neither
 he or Cedric would claim the cup for themselves.  

 
I can accept the idea that he has a purity of heart in the sense that the principles that initially motivate him are always those of compassion, desire for fellowship, courage, and loyalty.  That does not mean that he never reacts with anger or is immune to entirely human reactions to the challenges he faces.  Even when he is jealous of Cedric, he sincerely struggles with these feelings rather than just seeking a way to overcome and humiliate Cedric. 
 
So there is my theory:  Purity of heart does not equal perfect transcendence of all human frailties. 


		
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