PSS/SS: Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived

[Caius Marcius]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Eileen Rebstock" 
<erebstock at ...> wrote:

> It struck me listening that it's also our only unfiltered look at 
the
> Dursleys. Well, filtered only by the narrator/JKR. Later we see
> everything about them through Harry's eyes. I think they're more
> caricatured that way. Vernon's an idiot in this first chapter, but 
you
> do get to see all his worries and fears, and he's much more real 
that
> way. I keep wondering how much Petunia's actually let him know 
about the
> magical world. It's odd, but he comes across as somewhat bullied by 
his
> wife here, afraid to even ask basic questions lest she become angry.
> It's convention to regard Vernon as the bigger bully of the two, 
because
> he's loud and stupid, but I think it's Petunia who really calls the
> shots in that family. 
> 
That's how I've always thought of it, and the strongest confirmation 
is in OOP - in chap. 2, Vernon is ready to throw Harry out for good, 
but when Dumbledore's Howler arrives, he submissively falls behind 
Petunia's decree that Harry must stay. ("If we throw him out, the 
neighbours will talk").

   - CMC