I'm Just Wild About Harry…
When people used to make fun of me in elementary school and junior high for being, well, a total nerd, my parents always told me to ignore them and they'd just grow tired of me and leave me alone. Luckily I haven't had to employ the ol' "ignore them and they'll go away" technique with anything but flies since about 1995. But recently fellow blogger Bill has regressed about 16 years and started calling me names, attacking the very heart of my being by claiming that I'm obsessed with Harry Potter. Me! Obsessed! Can you imagine? Anyway, I tried ignoring him, but he didn't go away. So here's what I think: If he's going to give me a reputation as a Harry Potter fanatic, then I'm going to earn it. No more silence. Maybe I am obsessed. And if I am, what better place to get it out of my system then here? Go ahead and gloat, Bill. One day I'll get even.
Each time a new Harry Potter movie or book is released, I feel compelled to read the entire series. This might seem obsessive, but it really just makes good sense. It reminds me of what events happened in which book and I always pick up details I've missed the first few times around. With the release of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" this summer, I once again read the whole series. This was my first time rereading the most recent book, "Order of the Phoenix," and I stumbled upon so many things I'd missed the first time through. Anyway, I also found myself deeply intrigued about the forthcoming "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and, ultimately, the end of the series. I consider this kind of intrigue and sense or urgency about the series a testament to J.K. Rowling's writing ability. She creates a world with people I love, people I hate, places I long to explore and situations I can hardly fathom. As I read the books, I can see myself so much in the characters (one in particular) that I can almost hear the conversation at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, or the explosions issuing from misfiring wands in the DA. As a would-be writer, I admire Rowling's ability to create a world filled with fantastical people and events that is still somehow believable. She's mastered the trade. And she has a whole new life to show for it.
That being said, Phoenix left me with theories and questions that PERHAPS I've spent too much time dwelling on. But really, everyone I know who has read the books has their theories (even "normal," "bland" Bill). These aren't just for kids. Admit it. You love them too. And you've got questions, just like me. Here are mine.
(For those of you who haven't gotten around to reading "Order of the Phoenix" yet, I'd scram now and come back after you finish it.)
* Rowling announced the title of the sixth book about a month ago. On her official Web site, she said outright that the Half-Blood Prince (HBP) is neither Harry nor Voldemort, that HBP could have been the title for the "Chamber of Secrets" and that many clues to HBP can be found in Chamber. To me, that indicates that the half-blood prince has to be someone we've met already. Loads of people say it's Neville, but as we learn in Phoenix, Neville is a pureblood wizard. (It's in the chapter, "The Only One He Ever Feared," I believe.) Where does that leave us? The characters we meet in Chamber are Gilderoy Lockhart (now wacko in St. Mungos), Dobby the house elf, Mr. Weasley and Aragog--that huge spider. (There are probably more, I just can't think of them.) Could it be Hagrid, who is half wizard, half giant? Is Rowling just being clever by saying it's not Voldemort but it's really Tom Marvolo (the human Voldemort once was)? Could it be Malfoy, who is so proud of his pure-bloodedness? Did Narcissa mess around with a Muggle and conceive Draco, making him really a half-blood? Is it Dumbledore himself?
Although I'm desperately trying not to reread Chamber to glean any clues I might have missed, the relation between Chamber and HBP is really driving me mad. When you think about it, the battle scene between Harry and the basilisk could be interpreted as a foreshadowing of the great battle between himself and Voldemort years later. Is the fact that Harry pulls Godrick Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat a vital clue? Does it imply that Harry is a distant relative of Gryffindor and that, in battling the basilisk with it, he's imitating the battle between the school's original founders? Voldemort, after all, IS the heir of Slytherin. Is Harry the heir of Gryffindor? Or is it merely the battle of bravery over cunning.
Rowling also noted that the first chapter of HBP was her original opening chapter for Sorcerer's Stone. How can that possibly work? I'm beyond drawing conclusions about this. It's literally giving me a headache.
* The prophecy Dumbledore relates to Harry has also been weighing heavily on my mind. "The one who can defeat the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month wanes" (or something like that). Basically Harry learns that it could have been he or Neville (hmm...) and that by coming after him, Voldemort marked Harry as his equal. In the end, Harry will either kill or be killed (or, as he puts it "be murderer or victim"). It has to be to fulfill the prophecy. This is obviously cut and dried--it will come down to the great battle between good and evil. But what's Neville's role. Is he just a screw up, or is he as important as Harry in this scenario. Will Neville become a major player in the end of the second war? I already think it's important that Harry was helping Neville out of the Death Room in the Ministry of Magic when the prophecy broke, thereby eliminating the possibility that Voldemort could ever hear it. I also think the fact that Bellatrix Lustrange tortured the Longbottom's to lunacy is important, given Bellatrix's near escape (with Voldemort) in Phoenix. Both Harry and Neville know that the people who killed/almost killed their parents are out there, trying to hurt more innocent people. It makes sense for Neville to step up and become a vital part of the Order of the Phoenix. (Harry even notes how Neville's aptitude for Defense Against the Dark Arts improved dramatically before Umbridge ended the DA.)
* Can Sirius Black really be dead? And what's with that curtain in the Death Room. Luna Lovegood says, "They're not really gone, you know. You heard them whispering just behind the curtain." What's that mean? Can they come back? Every character keeps reinforcing that Sirius is gone, never coming back. I sure hope all those characters are wrong.
* Ron, Hermione and Harry pick their career paths in HBP. What will they do? I see Hermione teaching. Ron seems to be struggling to find something he's good at, and I think he'll come into his own in HBP. He's on the path to being a great Keeper, but really, he won't have what it takes to play professionally. And if Harry lives, he'll be the next (and much more permanent) Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. (He wants to be an auror, but I don't think he'll get the OWLS he needs in potions to do it.)
* When will Ron wake up and realize that Hermione's desperately in love with him. Honestly. Men are so stupid.
* Harry and Tonks? Harry and Ginny? Harry and some girl we haven't met yet?
Am I obsessed with Harry? Apparently so. But it's not unlike the obsession I used to experience when I finished a really great Shakespeare play (like The Winter's Tale or King Lear). It makes me think, gets my literary studies gears rolling and working again. As for all the answers to my questions, I guess I'll just have to wait until Rowling decides to give them to all of us.
Each time a new Harry Potter movie or book is released, I feel compelled to read the entire series. This might seem obsessive, but it really just makes good sense. It reminds me of what events happened in which book and I always pick up details I've missed the first few times around. With the release of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" this summer, I once again read the whole series. This was my first time rereading the most recent book, "Order of the Phoenix," and I stumbled upon so many things I'd missed the first time through. Anyway, I also found myself deeply intrigued about the forthcoming "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and, ultimately, the end of the series. I consider this kind of intrigue and sense or urgency about the series a testament to J.K. Rowling's writing ability. She creates a world with people I love, people I hate, places I long to explore and situations I can hardly fathom. As I read the books, I can see myself so much in the characters (one in particular) that I can almost hear the conversation at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, or the explosions issuing from misfiring wands in the DA. As a would-be writer, I admire Rowling's ability to create a world filled with fantastical people and events that is still somehow believable. She's mastered the trade. And she has a whole new life to show for it.
That being said, Phoenix left me with theories and questions that PERHAPS I've spent too much time dwelling on. But really, everyone I know who has read the books has their theories (even "normal," "bland" Bill). These aren't just for kids. Admit it. You love them too. And you've got questions, just like me. Here are mine.
(For those of you who haven't gotten around to reading "Order of the Phoenix" yet, I'd scram now and come back after you finish it.)
* Rowling announced the title of the sixth book about a month ago. On her official Web site, she said outright that the Half-Blood Prince (HBP) is neither Harry nor Voldemort, that HBP could have been the title for the "Chamber of Secrets" and that many clues to HBP can be found in Chamber. To me, that indicates that the half-blood prince has to be someone we've met already. Loads of people say it's Neville, but as we learn in Phoenix, Neville is a pureblood wizard. (It's in the chapter, "The Only One He Ever Feared," I believe.) Where does that leave us? The characters we meet in Chamber are Gilderoy Lockhart (now wacko in St. Mungos), Dobby the house elf, Mr. Weasley and Aragog--that huge spider. (There are probably more, I just can't think of them.) Could it be Hagrid, who is half wizard, half giant? Is Rowling just being clever by saying it's not Voldemort but it's really Tom Marvolo (the human Voldemort once was)? Could it be Malfoy, who is so proud of his pure-bloodedness? Did Narcissa mess around with a Muggle and conceive Draco, making him really a half-blood? Is it Dumbledore himself?
Although I'm desperately trying not to reread Chamber to glean any clues I might have missed, the relation between Chamber and HBP is really driving me mad. When you think about it, the battle scene between Harry and the basilisk could be interpreted as a foreshadowing of the great battle between himself and Voldemort years later. Is the fact that Harry pulls Godrick Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat a vital clue? Does it imply that Harry is a distant relative of Gryffindor and that, in battling the basilisk with it, he's imitating the battle between the school's original founders? Voldemort, after all, IS the heir of Slytherin. Is Harry the heir of Gryffindor? Or is it merely the battle of bravery over cunning.
Rowling also noted that the first chapter of HBP was her original opening chapter for Sorcerer's Stone. How can that possibly work? I'm beyond drawing conclusions about this. It's literally giving me a headache.
* The prophecy Dumbledore relates to Harry has also been weighing heavily on my mind. "The one who can defeat the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month wanes" (or something like that). Basically Harry learns that it could have been he or Neville (hmm...) and that by coming after him, Voldemort marked Harry as his equal. In the end, Harry will either kill or be killed (or, as he puts it "be murderer or victim"). It has to be to fulfill the prophecy. This is obviously cut and dried--it will come down to the great battle between good and evil. But what's Neville's role. Is he just a screw up, or is he as important as Harry in this scenario. Will Neville become a major player in the end of the second war? I already think it's important that Harry was helping Neville out of the Death Room in the Ministry of Magic when the prophecy broke, thereby eliminating the possibility that Voldemort could ever hear it. I also think the fact that Bellatrix Lustrange tortured the Longbottom's to lunacy is important, given Bellatrix's near escape (with Voldemort) in Phoenix. Both Harry and Neville know that the people who killed/almost killed their parents are out there, trying to hurt more innocent people. It makes sense for Neville to step up and become a vital part of the Order of the Phoenix. (Harry even notes how Neville's aptitude for Defense Against the Dark Arts improved dramatically before Umbridge ended the DA.)
* Can Sirius Black really be dead? And what's with that curtain in the Death Room. Luna Lovegood says, "They're not really gone, you know. You heard them whispering just behind the curtain." What's that mean? Can they come back? Every character keeps reinforcing that Sirius is gone, never coming back. I sure hope all those characters are wrong.
* Ron, Hermione and Harry pick their career paths in HBP. What will they do? I see Hermione teaching. Ron seems to be struggling to find something he's good at, and I think he'll come into his own in HBP. He's on the path to being a great Keeper, but really, he won't have what it takes to play professionally. And if Harry lives, he'll be the next (and much more permanent) Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. (He wants to be an auror, but I don't think he'll get the OWLS he needs in potions to do it.)
* When will Ron wake up and realize that Hermione's desperately in love with him. Honestly. Men are so stupid.
* Harry and Tonks? Harry and Ginny? Harry and some girl we haven't met yet?
Am I obsessed with Harry? Apparently so. But it's not unlike the obsession I used to experience when I finished a really great Shakespeare play (like The Winter's Tale or King Lear). It makes me think, gets my literary studies gears rolling and working again. As for all the answers to my questions, I guess I'll just have to wait until Rowling decides to give them to all of us.
5 Comments:
Not that I didn't know it already, but damn it's good to be right all the time.
Crap. I meant to turn off commenting for this post. Ah well.
Maybe Hermione is the HBP. Maybe she started life as Herman and had an operation. She is a half-blood, after all.
PS. What the hell is with having to sign in to post a comment? Its a conspiracy!
Matt
Ingenious, Matt, but likely not all that probable.
(And I don't know what's up with the commenting anonymously thing. I'll poke around and see if I can change it.)
Why bother turning off anonymous commenting?
If you're posting stuff that you think is going to get comments like "you're lame" then why bother?
Don't post things if you can't take a comment like a man.
Post a Comment
<< Home