The trouble with Harry

[mooseming]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Annemehr" <annemehr at ...> 
wrote:

> 
> Anne:
> I liked him very much through GoF. I guess it's just a personal 
> thing, like whether or not you like someone in real life.

It wasn't that I didn't like him, rather he failed to `come alive' 
for me. I completely understood why children preferred Ron. A major 
flaw in Harry's characterisation is that we seldom get to laugh at 
him.

> 
> Unlike many other readers apparently, I didn't see the Dursleys as 
> being all-out abusive so much as oppressive.  I suppose the reason 
> for that is *because* Harry didn't seem to be all that much 
damaged 
> by them, and also because I could see he had certain defenses (the 
> horrible jumper/sweater shrinking; his hair growing back).

For me it was out and out neglect, which is very damaging for 
children.


> 
snip>
> 
> The real believable and fitting consequence Harry seemed to carry 
> from his upbringing, in my view, was his emotional distance from 
> people.  He really did have some empathy (except for 
his "enemies"), 
> but never knew what to do with it -- so, sometimes he *appeared* 
> cold.  Other times, he really *was* cold (like the time in PoA 
when 
> he ditched Neville to go to Hogsmeade).
> 

For me the oddity was that he was able to make friends at all. He 
behaves completely appropriately with Ron (and Draco) on his first 
meeting yet he has no previous friendships on which to base this 
behaviour.

 
> Anne:
> Here, I agree with your disappointment entirely.  The Harry who 
went 
> into the Forest to be killed by LV in DH is the same Harry who 
went 
> through the trapdoor in PS/SS -- except now he's meaner.
> 
> After GoF and OoP, I expected  Harry's victory over Voldemort to 
be 
> made possible by the fact that Harry had a circle of friends 
cemented 
> by love and loyalty whereas LV had a circle of minions cemented by 
> fear (except for that crazy Bellatrix).
> 
> We did get some of that in the end, to be sure -- Neville came 
> through in spades -- but it fell so flat!  First of all, it was 
all 
> one-way -- from them to him.  *He* never thinks of them unless 
their 
> distress happens right before his eyes.  And also, as you point 
out, 
> he's too busy:
> 

Yes, his friends had loads of potential and it doesn't really matter 
which 'alternate' route JK could of taken, your's is as good as any 
<g>, the point for me is that instead of expanding her characters to 
meet the world expansion she restricted *everything* to Harry.


> 
> Anne:
> Yep.  But I don't think it's a POV problem, I think it's a problem 
> with the story itself.  It seems Rowling had time for all this 
action 
> because in her view, her Harry was just perfect enough but not too 
> perfect (she stuck in those flaws to "humanize" him).


And reading posts on TOL those `flaws' fail to add depth to his 
character they simply appear OoC. 

The POV is only part of the problem, the weakness (failure?) in the 
series is that not only is Harry's character a growth-lite zone but 
that the themes, relationships, dynamics (both plot and character) 
are all dependent on Harry. This limits the time available for his 
development and occasionally creates discordant, conflicting 
messages.

Take the themes of death, sacrifice and life choice. Who else in the 
series acts as a protagonist? Not an antogonist, we have those in 
Voldy, Snape, DD, the marauders to a degree. But who else  acts as a 
pimary advocate of or proponent for one of these, other than Harry?

I guess my general point was that not only is Harry running around 
doing plot things but he's also carrying the bulk of the other stuff 
too. I feel this is an error by the author and wonder why she was so 
unable to share out the goodies. Which is very much the point you 
made

I don't have an answer but just think it's an interesting question
.

<snip>

> 
> Well.  Fortunately, the HP experiences I treasure have nothing to 
do 
> with DH.  I can be content with that.
> 
> Anne
>


I have to admit to rather enjoying DH, train wreck though it is!

Apologies if snipping is incorrect, I got confused and have a 
headache but wanted to reply anyway....

Regards
Jo