Remote Control

[mike_smith]

My job's gotten a little more hectic since I got back from Vegas, which kind of throws off my plans. Nevertheless, I'm too masochistic to stop myself from reviewing this book, so no worries there. It'll just take me till Christmas to finish

Comments

[tekalynn]

The issues with Harry and his "ethics" have been bugging a lot of us for years. Thank you for summing them up so effectively. JKR really seems to want to eat her cake and have it too when it comes to Gryffindor characters in general and Harry in particular. The scary thing is, she really doesn't seem to see this as either contradictory or problematic, judging by her interviews. Harry Is Good, even when he does seriously wrong things.

[mike_smith]

That's my beef in a nutshell. If Harry's supposed to be a flawed character, in that he's spiteful and bitter when it comes to things he doesn't like, then fine. He wouldn't be the first character with that sort of hang up.

But I find it incredible that there's a writer out there who'd create such a character and have no interest in exploiting those foibles. You take, for instance, Rodimus Prime. From the start, it's made clear that he's the new Autobot Commander, and while he's exceptionally qualified for the job, it wasn't his idea, and he never had any interest in doing it, and he's constantly second-guessing himself because he doesn't think he's up to the responsibility. Every episode of Transformers Roddy was in, they used that reluctance to create internal conflict. To deny Rodimus' self-doubt, or to ignore it as if it weren't worth exploring, well, you could do that, but it'd make the character less interesting.

[merenwen_81]

I actually think the Gryffindors and Harry are always right according to the narrator, because Harry thinks so. After all, not many people see themselves as evil. That is also why people he likes tend to be attractive and people he doesn't like...don't. Books one and two are really black and white and in the later ones Harry is beginning to realise most people are not completely good or evil. I have trouble believing you're always supposed to be on Harry's side, even when he's obviously acting like an ass, like when he uses Sectumsempra on Draco.

[lisatrix]

"JKR really seems to want to eat her cake and have it too"
Thank you so much for using that phrase in the order that actually makes sense.

Anyway, yeah- it sort of boggles my mind how black and white the Gryffindor v. Slytherin relationship is depicted in the books. The Gryffindor's recklessness is rarely depicted as bad, and the Slytherin's ambition is never depicted as good, and that just doesn't make any sense to me. Of course the hero's goodness will be played up and his enemy's played down, but it's taken to an extreme here. I think a lot of Harry Potter fanfic is actually an attempt to inject some grey into that black-and-white framework.

[jim_smith]

But Mike, it's Knight Bus! The crime-solving bus!

[info]jim_smith was giving me this cockamamie theory that because the books are written in Harry's P.O.V., and written for kids Harry's age, that these kinds of maturity issues aren't gonna be brought up, because it's not foremost on the minds of the tweenager set. Well, that only makes sense if the author were thirteen years old as well.

Well, what of it? At no point in my assessment did I suggest that Rowling doesn't have an IQ of 32.

[mike_smith]

Right, but if your entire premise was that she's as emotionally stunted as her lead, then you shoulda just said so.

[seductivedark]

That's what I'm getting at. jim_smith was giving me this cockamamie theory that because the books are written in Harry's P.O.V., and written for kids Harry's age, that these kinds of maturity issues aren't gonna be brought up, because it's not foremost on the minds of the tweenager set. Well, that only makes sense if the author were thirteen years old as well.

I do think this will be addressed in book 7. If I recall it right, JKR said she didn't realize how many loose ends she's got to tie up. One of the recent interviews she's been doing. I'm too lazy to look up the link.

but since his main priority is himself...

I think most thirteen year olds in similar situations would have the same priority. But it does tend to get annoying when fans think that, since Harry thinks it and isn't corrected, this is what the author is going for.

If Rowling's goal with all of this is to portray Harry as a devil-may-care anti-hero who shoots from the hip, well, Harry sucks at that too.For all the reasons you mentioned, plus interviews and the

[merenwen_81]

I have heard that OotP are the bad guys theory before and I'd just like to know if you think the Death Eaters are supposed to be good or are there just two sets of bad guys. I have trouble with having the goodies be people who destroy bridges and torture people.

[lisatrix]

I don't think it's that the DE are supposed to be good, just that the 'good guys' aren't that good either.

[seductivedark]

The thing is, other than the Quidditch World Cup scene, I don't recall seeing or hearing of any Death Eater torment of Muggles that isn't also done to WW folk as well. And, as has been mentioned, we almost always see things from the narrator sitting on Harry's shoulder and listening to his thoughts at his ear. He only knows so much

[tropical_madnes]

so he asks to be taken to Diagon Alley. Diagonally... Dammit, I just now got that.

I'd hate to see what you do with Knockturn Alley. :P

About Fudge, I think a big part of the reason he let Harry off is because he realized he'd have a huge PR mess on his hands if he instigated the punishment for "the-boy-who-lived", the wizard who defeated the self-proclaimed greatest evil wizard of all times. Come to think of it, it reminds me of wrestling storylines where certain things are ignored in the interest of accelerating the plot.

[jim_smith]

He should take a page from wrestling and arrest Harry, only for Harry to get out on bail inside of 24 hours. Because as all wrestling fans know, once you've posted bail you never have to actually go back and stand trial or anything.

[tropical_madnes]

problem: Azkaban - less with the "don't-drop-the-soap", more with the crazytime - it's reminiscent of Arkham but without the constant breakouts.

[mike_smith]

I'd hate to see what you do with Knockturn Alley. :P

Nocturnally? Aw, dammit, it makes perfect sense! Puns! How could Rowling have guessed my one weakness?

[sistermagpie]

It doesn't bug me so much that Harry would be this self-centered, but why is there no one else popping up to point out that Harry's crossed a line here? I mean, OK, he's not going to jail for this, and it was just and accident, and Harry's hardly mature enough to be expected to keep his emotions in check. Oh, the emotions don't even cover it, you'll be happy to know. Harry winds up just as unremorseful after cool-headed discussions with his friends as well

[mike_smith]

And in case you're tempted to check Book VI

Ah, yeah, been there, done that.