'Clue to his vulnerability' (Coming to a conclusion )

[cubfanbudwoman]

Carolyn:
> > Jen, pardon the irritated tone after trying day in the office, but
> > what *is* this insistance on Harry's 'untarnished soul'??

Jen: 
> Hey, this is JKR's construct not mine. I'm trying to fit the 
> story around what I understand to be fact now. I do have some 
> thoughts on this idea, though, since you ask ;).
 
Carolyn:
> > What we have in these books is a reasonable portrait
> > of a teenager, warts and all. The kid has made several (justified 
> > IMO) attempts at chucking unforgiveables at people he dislikes;
> > he lies frequently (some signs of intelligence in the lad);
> > instinctively avoids creeps like Creevey, Rita and Lockhart and is
> > not unreasonably confused about Snape, who's playing a deep game,
> > hand in hand with DD.
 
Jen: 
> From Harry's example we find out a magical person doesn't have to be
> perfectly well behaved to have an untarnished soul! What seems to 
> be remarkable about Harry is how many times he's been in contact 
> with pure evil and never succumbed to darkness. He's been touched 
> by the curse-that-failed, had his thoughts invaded by Voldemort, 
> been possessed, partially soul-sucked, etc. From a WW perspective, 
> I think we're meant to see his still-pure soul as a Very Big Deal. 
> 
> Whether you buy this idea is another matter.
> 
> I don't know if the specific incidents are so important as the 
> magical clues we have about Harry. I already mentioned the Mirror 
> of Erised incident, and gaining courage from the phoenix, which is 
> something only granted to the 'pure of heart'. Another symbol is 
> his white stag patronus, symbolizing purity and creation. I guess 
> I'm saying his soul isn't there *doing* things to prove itself, it 
> just is. 

Carolyn: 
> > Perhaps JKR really does see it this way, that the boy is possessed
> > of some extraordinary qualitity of love, vulnerability, whatever
> > that will conquer all in the end. Very touching I'm sure. However,
> > the way she's written him comes across to me as a good deal more
> > prosaic, and I hope she doesn't lose sight of this in the final
> > resolution. 
 
Jen: 
> Harry will still act like Harry, even if he is carrying around 
> the weight of an untarnished soul. He'll know what to do to 
> vanquish Voldemort, but I doubt he's going to change externally.


SSSusan:
Hey, those are excellent examples Carolyn has put out of ways in 
which Harry's shown us his warts and ways in which JKR has painted 
him as "a good deal more prosaic" than what one might think of when 
hearing the term "untarnished soul."  BUT I think Jen's right, that 
for JKR, at least, it doesn't have to do with behaving perfectly.  

I thought Mooseming made some quite relevant points for this 
discussion in 3265, even though she wasn't actually responding to 
Carolyn.  To wit:

>>>>To date Harry has had very little difficulty in making the right 
choices.  Yes he's done stupid things, ill advised things, dangerous 
things but always the *right* thing.

Should Harry be merciful to Wormtail, should Flammel destroy the 
philosophers stone, should Harry trust DD, should Harry fight Voldy, 
should Harry care about people, are mud bloods bad, is freedom good 
etc?

At the end of HBP we are left with our first true dilemma - is Snape 
good or bad? We are also aware that for the first time Harry is in 
peril because his hatred for Snape is the one failing that might, 
just might, corrupt his moral compass.<<<<


SSSusan again:
See, I think this is the key.  It's not that "untarnished" 
means "perfect" nor that Harry never makes mistakes.  It's what he's 
all about inside, what he strives to do, what his choices say about 
him, that speaks to the "untarnished soul."  Because, yep, as 
Mooseming says, Harry tries, most of the time, to do what is *right*.

Here are some things JKR has said over the years about Harry:  

>>> "Harry is someone who is forced, for such a young person, to make 
his own choices. He has very limited access to truly caring adults 
and he is guided by his conscience. Now, Harry makes mistakes 
repeatedly. Harry did things like --- he did steal the flying car. 
That was a very stupid thing to do, but it seemed like a great idea 
at the time. We've all been there. But, ultimately Harry is guided by 
his conscience. He is flanked by 2 friends. They work far better as a 
team than apart though Harry tends to be the one who has to shoulder 
most of the burden. He is a true hero in that sense."

"Harry doesn't have that [parental safety net] so he's more alone 
than most children are. And therefore his choices are revealing him 
as someone who is brave, someone who is trying to do the right thing. 
Someone who occasionally slips up as we all do."  [WBUR interview, 
1999]<<<<

>>>> "I mean, Harry is a human boy, he makes mistakes, but I think he 
came as a very noble character, he's a brave character and he strives 
to do the right thing."  [Diane Rehm Show, 1999]<<<<

>>>> "I see Harry as someone who is struggling to do the right thing, 
who is not without faults, who acts impetuously as you would expect 
someone of his age to act, but who is ultimately a very loyal person, 
and a very very courageous person. So, in as much as he has qualities 
that I admire most I would say he is a good role model. That doesn't 
mean that he is saintly, but then frankly, who is? But I think you do 
see enough of Harry's inner life, the workings of his mind in the 
books to know that he is ultimately human, struggling to do the right 
thing, which I think is admirable." [ITV, 2005]<<<<

>>>> "But Harry is also innately honorable. He's not a cruel boy."
[Booklinks, July 1999]<<<<

>>>> "Harry, Ron and Hermione are innately good people. [Washington 
Post, Oct. 1999]<<<<


SSSusan again:
So Harry is human, he's flawed like all of us, he makes mistakes and 
does stupid things.  Maybe the problem is that those facts may make 
it seem ludicrous to call his soul "untarnished."  But I 
think "innate goodness," "innately honorable," and "strives to do the 
right thing" all speak to Harry's essence, which is not that of 
perfection, but which is honorable, noble and with a drive to doing 
what is right.  

Siriusly Snapey Susan