More long HP&HBP observations
Jul. 20th, 2005 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieWarning: this is VERY long.
Harry’s maturity. How much do I love Harry in this book? Harry has always been my favorite character, the one I sympathized with the most, the one I followed, the one I will bawl over if he dies. But HBP was the first book where I really and truly fell in love with him. Not romantic love, but fictional character love. It was the first time where I found myself thinking: “he really is a lovely person, isn’t he?” It’s his new found maturity and determination that is responsible for this, I think. In many ways, OOTP was his lowest point, the place where he hit rock bottom and by the beginning of HBP he has fought an uphill battle to restore equilibrium and learn from his mistakes. The horribleness of OOTP events did one good thing for him: it forced him to reexamine and to think because he’s realized truly how awful his screw-ups can be. Sirius’ death did not break him. In fact, Sirius, in dying, gave something truly necessary to Harry. It was proven to Harry, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that he is truly loved, that someone loves him enough to die for him. For someone who felt so alienated the whole book, felt separated, lied to, and viewed as a freak not telling the truth, that is indeed a gift, however painful.
And Harry is much stronger in the beginning of HBP. Part of it is because the wizarding world believes him now, and because all the secrets are now in the open. He is not being kept in the dark. But part is because he does not want to waste Sirius’ death, precisely because of how awful it was. The deaths of his parents, which Lupin brings up in PoA (when he says that they died to preserve him and it would be a poor repayment if he got himself killed because he was bored) were in some ways abstract. Sirius’ death is not. But Harry learns to internalize his grief (his outburst at Mundungus is that of a grown man, not a boy). HBP says that he spent his time at the Dursleys not eating or moving or anything. But at some point during that time, he had the realization about Sirius not wanting him to fall apart and pulled himself together. Even though it happened off screen, I think this had to be one of the hardest and most mature things Harry has done yet.
And thus we get HBP Harry. Harry who is mature enough to go to Mr. Weasley, or Lupin, or DD if he thinks he has information that they might be more effective in dealing with. Harry who knows how to deal with Slughorn. Harry who “keeps his temper with Snape, no matter what (I understood CAPSLOCK Harry and he made sense, but it is wonderful to see that he can control his temper now). We get Harry that knows what is important at the end: he is going after LV, not haring off after Snape. We get Harry who is still young enough, and loving enough, no matter his horrible trauma and life, to joke with his friends and to fall in love with Ginny. Harry who keeps his lovely sense of humor (sarcastic and darker than Ron’s) and who has the grace of spirit to know what’s really important in people: when he gets invited to sit with the “cool” kids, he says no and points out, even without any desire to make a point, just stating his belief, that Neville and Luna are cool. And the best part he doesn’t even think about it, as anything other than what he thinks. We get Harry who is loyal to both his friends and who is open with them, and who navigates the rocky Ron/Hermione spat the best he can. We get Harry who has a relationship with Ginny which I can only describe as more grown-up and mature (yes I know I overused the word) than many adults manage. We get Harry who does something that he would rather not do, because it’s right and DD asked him (feed him from that horrible cup) even though he hates himself. We get Harry who gives up “his best source of comfort,” Ginny and the “sunlit days,” to keep her safe. We get Harry who is determined to take out Voldemort and his DE because it’s right and does not mind dying in the attempt. We get Harry supporting Dumbledore in the cave, but not in a fashion of a hero-worshipping child, but a mature and heroic man.
I have never loved this new Harry more than in his two interactions with the MoM. There is no shouting, only Harry’s determination and quick understanding. His showing his hand which still has the scars from Umbridge’s torture is quiet and done to make a point. He is a man of deep-seated convictions, not a child who can be tempted by a toy, and MoM realizes it right away. He calls Harry Dumbledore’s man Not a boy, or a stupid teenager, or anything of the sort. But a man who has different loyalties and I like how the MoM treats him as such.
Some non-Harry observations:
I have realized why I am so eager to have Snape not be a villain. If Sirius was my favorite secondary character, Snape was the most interesting. I don’t want it to go to waste.
And a really geeky question. Do you think Sirius left Remus anything in his will? I know DD said Sirius left Harry everything, but it would make more sense to say that then “yes, he left you everything except for a small annuity to Lupin and a ruby brooch for Tonks and a pack of chocolate frogs for me etc etc etc.” And if he didn’t, I wonder why? Is it because Lupin is now taken care of by the order? Is it because Lupin didn’t want anything? Is it because he did something for him pre-death? Is it because he had no time to alter his will? Yes, I know this is geekiness extraordinaire.
Also, a Fleur and Mrs. Weasley comment. I don’t think they will ever be bosom buddies. Their personalities are just too different. But I think they will be able to get along well enough at the family reunions, because Mrs. Weasley realized that Fleur has that one all important quality that she would want in her son’s wife: she loves him. Truly and deeply. And because she knows that, everything else is really immaterial.
(Btw, my husband’s comment on why Fleur fell for Bill: “He’s got an interesting job, he’s attractive, and he dresses like a punk.” LOL)
I also found it interesting that at one point Dark Wizards thought Harry could be the next Dark “It” Boy. Interesting. (Ch 2).
Also, the one nasty comment Ginny makes at Hermione (i.e. “what do you know about Quidditch?”) is not out of nowhere, I realized on reread. Hermione has been hammering on Harry re: HBP book. I think this is Ginny’s indirect way of lashing out at Hermione for being “mean” to Harry. They aren’t dating yet at that point. I love the little hints.
I also don’t think DD’s death is as devastating to Harry as Sirius’. Partly because it is in no way his fault (though Sirius’ arguably is), but also because DD is his mentor. Beloved mentor, even. But Sirius was his father-figure. The closest to a father he’s ever had. I do love the realization he has at the funeral that finally there is no one to stand between him and LV, as everyone who had loved him, tried to stand in front of him and died. His thought that he ought to have abandoned at the age of 1, the illusion that he was safe in a parent’s arms and the outside couldn’t hurt him, and someone would wake him from the nightmare, is heartbreaking. And my heart duly broke.
I do hope if he survives (please, please JKR) that Harry will have a new, readymade, warm family in the Weasleys. The boy deserves happiness more than most, after what he’s been through and what he is going to do.
How much did I love seeing Draco made 3D? I never thought JKR would do it, and I loved seeing it. Yes, he is mean. He is bigoted, and unpleasant and a bully. But he is not a murderer and he is facing pressure and trying to kill DD out of desperation and love for his family. And he cries and bonds with Moaning Myrtle! And that last scene of him with DD? Wow. I also like seeing that the Malfoys love each other. Narcissa is obviously a devoted mother who also loves her husband. Draco is trying to protect his parents. And Lucius certainly seemed to indulge Draco’s whims. So yeah, love it. (And of course, Draco is redeemable unlike LV precisely because he can love).
Next post: on Remus Lupin and how much he rocked in this book.
Harry’s maturity. How much do I love Harry in this book? Harry has always been my favorite character, the one I sympathized with the most, the one I followed, the one I will bawl over if he dies. But HBP was the first book where I really and truly fell in love with him. Not romantic love, but fictional character love. It was the first time where I found myself thinking: “he really is a lovely person, isn’t he?” It’s his new found maturity and determination that is responsible for this, I think. In many ways, OOTP was his lowest point, the place where he hit rock bottom and by the beginning of HBP he has fought an uphill battle to restore equilibrium and learn from his mistakes. The horribleness of OOTP events did one good thing for him: it forced him to reexamine and to think because he’s realized truly how awful his screw-ups can be. Sirius’ death did not break him. In fact, Sirius, in dying, gave something truly necessary to Harry. It was proven to Harry, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that he is truly loved, that someone loves him enough to die for him. For someone who felt so alienated the whole book, felt separated, lied to, and viewed as a freak not telling the truth, that is indeed a gift, however painful.
And Harry is much stronger in the beginning of HBP. Part of it is because the wizarding world believes him now, and because all the secrets are now in the open. He is not being kept in the dark. But part is because he does not want to waste Sirius’ death, precisely because of how awful it was. The deaths of his parents, which Lupin brings up in PoA (when he says that they died to preserve him and it would be a poor repayment if he got himself killed because he was bored) were in some ways abstract. Sirius’ death is not. But Harry learns to internalize his grief (his outburst at Mundungus is that of a grown man, not a boy). HBP says that he spent his time at the Dursleys not eating or moving or anything. But at some point during that time, he had the realization about Sirius not wanting him to fall apart and pulled himself together. Even though it happened off screen, I think this had to be one of the hardest and most mature things Harry has done yet.
And thus we get HBP Harry. Harry who is mature enough to go to Mr. Weasley, or Lupin, or DD if he thinks he has information that they might be more effective in dealing with. Harry who knows how to deal with Slughorn. Harry who “keeps his temper with Snape, no matter what (I understood CAPSLOCK Harry and he made sense, but it is wonderful to see that he can control his temper now). We get Harry that knows what is important at the end: he is going after LV, not haring off after Snape. We get Harry who is still young enough, and loving enough, no matter his horrible trauma and life, to joke with his friends and to fall in love with Ginny. Harry who keeps his lovely sense of humor (sarcastic and darker than Ron’s) and who has the grace of spirit to know what’s really important in people: when he gets invited to sit with the “cool” kids, he says no and points out, even without any desire to make a point, just stating his belief, that Neville and Luna are cool. And the best part he doesn’t even think about it, as anything other than what he thinks. We get Harry who is loyal to both his friends and who is open with them, and who navigates the rocky Ron/Hermione spat the best he can. We get Harry who has a relationship with Ginny which I can only describe as more grown-up and mature (yes I know I overused the word) than many adults manage. We get Harry who does something that he would rather not do, because it’s right and DD asked him (feed him from that horrible cup) even though he hates himself. We get Harry who gives up “his best source of comfort,” Ginny and the “sunlit days,” to keep her safe. We get Harry who is determined to take out Voldemort and his DE because it’s right and does not mind dying in the attempt. We get Harry supporting Dumbledore in the cave, but not in a fashion of a hero-worshipping child, but a mature and heroic man.
I have never loved this new Harry more than in his two interactions with the MoM. There is no shouting, only Harry’s determination and quick understanding. His showing his hand which still has the scars from Umbridge’s torture is quiet and done to make a point. He is a man of deep-seated convictions, not a child who can be tempted by a toy, and MoM realizes it right away. He calls Harry Dumbledore’s man Not a boy, or a stupid teenager, or anything of the sort. But a man who has different loyalties and I like how the MoM treats him as such.
Some non-Harry observations:
I have realized why I am so eager to have Snape not be a villain. If Sirius was my favorite secondary character, Snape was the most interesting. I don’t want it to go to waste.
And a really geeky question. Do you think Sirius left Remus anything in his will? I know DD said Sirius left Harry everything, but it would make more sense to say that then “yes, he left you everything except for a small annuity to Lupin and a ruby brooch for Tonks and a pack of chocolate frogs for me etc etc etc.” And if he didn’t, I wonder why? Is it because Lupin is now taken care of by the order? Is it because Lupin didn’t want anything? Is it because he did something for him pre-death? Is it because he had no time to alter his will? Yes, I know this is geekiness extraordinaire.
Also, a Fleur and Mrs. Weasley comment. I don’t think they will ever be bosom buddies. Their personalities are just too different. But I think they will be able to get along well enough at the family reunions, because Mrs. Weasley realized that Fleur has that one all important quality that she would want in her son’s wife: she loves him. Truly and deeply. And because she knows that, everything else is really immaterial.
(Btw, my husband’s comment on why Fleur fell for Bill: “He’s got an interesting job, he’s attractive, and he dresses like a punk.” LOL)
I also found it interesting that at one point Dark Wizards thought Harry could be the next Dark “It” Boy. Interesting. (Ch 2).
Also, the one nasty comment Ginny makes at Hermione (i.e. “what do you know about Quidditch?”) is not out of nowhere, I realized on reread. Hermione has been hammering on Harry re: HBP book. I think this is Ginny’s indirect way of lashing out at Hermione for being “mean” to Harry. They aren’t dating yet at that point. I love the little hints.
I also don’t think DD’s death is as devastating to Harry as Sirius’. Partly because it is in no way his fault (though Sirius’ arguably is), but also because DD is his mentor. Beloved mentor, even. But Sirius was his father-figure. The closest to a father he’s ever had. I do love the realization he has at the funeral that finally there is no one to stand between him and LV, as everyone who had loved him, tried to stand in front of him and died. His thought that he ought to have abandoned at the age of 1, the illusion that he was safe in a parent’s arms and the outside couldn’t hurt him, and someone would wake him from the nightmare, is heartbreaking. And my heart duly broke.
I do hope if he survives (please, please JKR) that Harry will have a new, readymade, warm family in the Weasleys. The boy deserves happiness more than most, after what he’s been through and what he is going to do.
How much did I love seeing Draco made 3D? I never thought JKR would do it, and I loved seeing it. Yes, he is mean. He is bigoted, and unpleasant and a bully. But he is not a murderer and he is facing pressure and trying to kill DD out of desperation and love for his family. And he cries and bonds with Moaning Myrtle! And that last scene of him with DD? Wow. I also like seeing that the Malfoys love each other. Narcissa is obviously a devoted mother who also loves her husband. Draco is trying to protect his parents. And Lucius certainly seemed to indulge Draco’s whims. So yeah, love it. (And of course, Draco is redeemable unlike LV precisely because he can love).
Next post: on Remus Lupin and how much he rocked in this book.
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no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:24 pm (UTC)Umm...I kind of thought that Draco was still 2D. I don't blame JKR, but since the story is told from Harry's point of view, it would be hard to fully develop Draco. Have you ever read the Draco Trilogy? After reading that, I always thought that no matter how much I love canon characters, they will always seem the tiniest bit flat.
It seems like it would be difficult to give part ownership to Sirius' posessions, because, magically, how would that work.
On the topic of geeky questions, what happens to the secret keeper thing once Dumbledore is dead? Does that spell vanish as well?
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:29 pm (UTC)Re: Secret Keeper. I would imagine the secret would still keep, because then, one would only have to kill the secret keeper to find the victim you were really looking for.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:35 pm (UTC)Secret Keeper: Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. But isn't the secret keeper a secret as well? Sirius switched with Peter because nobody knew who really was the secret keeper.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:43 pm (UTC)It just strikes me as very useless type of safeguard if once the secret keeper is dead, the secret is out.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 11:18 pm (UTC)Some things I love about Harry. The first is that he just accepts. Yes, he thinks Luna and Neville are a little odd sometimes, but because of the way he was raised (or not raised), he has no qualms about befriending people for internal reasons instead of external. Second reason is that he is unshakably loyal. Ginny couldn't have picked a better man for that. Once Harry makes up his mind, that's the end of it. Like Harry said, he'll go down fighting if it protects his friends. Third thing is his rather biting sense of humor. Harry's humor has more of an edge to it than just about anyone's save Snape (yes, Snape has a vicious sense of humor that I actually think is sort of funny sometimes). It's that sort of morbid humor that it takes a certain personality to like. Fourth thing is the kid has balls. Here's a 16 year old willing to stand between his friends and a Dark Lord to protect them. Bravery doesn't mean you're NOT scared, it just means that you can function (and do) WHILE you're scared. And we've seen Harry do that over and over.
There are also a lot of Harry/Snape parallels that Harry would despise, but I think will come into play later. They both have sucky home lives, they're both terribly stubborn, if my theories are correct they're both unshakably loyal and willing to do stuff that they don't want to do at all, but that they know is right. And they're both broken almost past fixing, yet they still manage (Harry better than Snape, but then I think Snape had an even worse home life).
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 11:32 pm (UTC)I think that's in part because Harry's friends aren't future DE, and he would never join the DE because they killed his parents and friends (not that V would take him even if he wanted. He is petty enough to kill him regardless of usefulness). And, of course, Harry at 16 had to do a lot less horrible things than Snape at 40 or so.
We don't know much about Snape's home life except for that one glimpse, which makes it look unpleasant, but not worse than living in the closet, being dunked into toilet by Dudley that Harry's had.
I do like the Harry/Snape parallels. I haven't thought of them before. And I agree with you on the biting sense of humor. I find Snape's hilarious, but Harry is quick catching up in sarcastic rejoinder category.
Anakin is proof of that. His trouble was an inability to control his feelings. Harry had that problem in OotP and that got Sirius killed.
The problem for Anakin is that he doesn't learn the danger of having no breaks until it's entirely too late and Padme's dead and he is irrevocably (he thinks) bound to Palpatine. Harry learns much earlier.
he has no qualms about befriending people for internal reasons instead of external
Yes. Considering that during his childhood at the Dursleys, he was the one picked on for his "weird actions" and awful clothing, he strikes me as not only someone who would NEVER bully (that is why he is so horrified at Snape's Worst Memory in OOTP, it's because he's been on the recieving end), but also because he has had to evaluate people on their goodness and capability alone. Once you have faced DE or Voldemort, the popularity contest is meaningless compared to who would be willing to stand at your back to help you fight. Romilda Vane might be the coolest girl in the Universe, but she wasn't the one helping him fight. Harry's awful life has at least made him get his priorities straight early in life.
he is unshakably loyal
He is. That is one of his overarchng characteristics, and the one he has most in common with Sirius (though his reckless streak got knocked out of him after OOTP). You know that there is nothing Harry won't do or risk for his friends.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 11:45 pm (UTC)I think Harry realized a slight inkling of how he could relate to Snape in that moment. I see a lot of people talking about that scene as Harry being awakened to the fact that his father and Sirius weren't perfect (and that's true, that is part of it), but I think the bigger part is that Harry is suddenly having to sympathize with Snape, the person he really dislikes in the world. And even though Snape does lash out in the memory, it's still hard not to sympathize with him. We see him on the receiving end of some vicious, unprovoked bullying and he lashes out like a cornered animal, not like a aggressor. I think we see that lashing out again in HBP when Harry calls him a coward. It's the exact same reaction. It's not an aggressive one, it's a cornered, rather terrified one. That's what makes me think that DD gave Snape the order there and Snape was cornered again. The reactions are too similar.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-21 04:00 am (UTC)