Logical Limitations

[Talisman]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Barry Arrowsmith" 
<arrowsmithbt at ...> wrote:

> Fortunately  it doesn't really matter unless Boggarts can induce 
>fake, i.e. totally new, previously non-existent 'greatest' fears, 
>visions or memories.


Talisman:
The crux of my argument is that Boggarts deal in the dark side of 
imagination.  In this instance, Harry has already "imagined" events at 
GH based on the little he has been told by DD, Hagrid, and LV, plus his 
own assumptions. 

Similarly, Molly has--in the course of her worrying--at one time or 
another imagined "what ifs" in which her loved ones are dead.

Both of these instances relate to Rowling's descriptions of events she 
can recall, and which "feel" like true memories, but which she knows 
cannot be true.  Rather these "memories" are compilations of things she 
heard or thought or interpretated, etc, all mixed into an imaginary 
scene.

The Dementor uncovers true memories, the boggart exploits the 
imagination.

Harry's Boggart takes the form of a Dementor, therefore it wants to 
make him re-live bad memories.  But, it is not a real Dementor, thus it 
cannot suck out anything.  Instead, it simulates a Dementor by evoking 
Harry's horrible, albeit imaginary, psedu-memories.


I do recall Rowling having Lupin liken the fear of Dementors to the 
fear of fear itself (see Churchill's jowls jiggle).

Harry does not necessarily fear the memories--indeed in the course of 
PoA we see his ambivalence at making them stop--he fears the Dementors, 
which in turn, uncover the memories.

But I take your point.

And you are correct, all of Harry's issues are connected to the past.  

Everything started there, the mystery of his conflicts, his own burdens 
of loss and desire.  He needs to get to the bottom of theses things 
that cling to him from the dark past, before he can successfully pursue 
his "adult" future.

I believe Rowling has made comments of this sort, as well.

T