Harry doesn’t make any attempt to get along with Snape during Occlumency and actually intrudes upon his privacy. To be fair, as written, Snape went about it in a horribly invasive way. Had Rowling not written him as an awful teacher, this might have actually been an enjoyable reading experience.
Harry’s pity towards Luna at her father’s house (DH) is not love, either, strictly speaking. It is a sort of superiority. I think it’s meant to be read as empathy, but it comes off as shallow when he has done very little to get to know her over the years. She is always the Manic Pixie Girl, the “comic” relief, relegated to the sidelines.
What of Sirius? Harry obviously enjoys Sirius’ company a great deal, and he clearly cares about him. But Sirius is always avuncular, and he is one of the closest people Harry has had to a parent. Never mind that he isn’t a fit guardian, he’s better than the Dursleys and he seems to have Harry’s best interests at heart. But what, ultimately, does his death teach Harry?
Harry’s “saving people thing” is motivated by recklessness and impulsivity. It may also be a result of trauma - how, I have no idea.
As for Dumbledore, Harry idolises him. Why, I don’t know. Probably because he is genial and “twinkling”. But Dumbledore has done very little for him. In fact, his decision to leave Harry with the Dursleys:
a) emotionally stunts Harry, or at least doesn’t do anything to teach him about healthy relationships b) damages Harry’s chances to learn magic outside of school c) puts paid to his chances of being a leader.
So what is the real redemptive power of love in the series? Not much. There are very few real, positive instances of love-as-saving -grace in the series.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2019-02-16 03:19 am (UTC)Harry doesn’t make any attempt to get along with Snape during Occlumency and actually intrudes upon his privacy. To be fair, as written, Snape went about it in a horribly invasive way. Had Rowling not written him as an awful teacher, this might have actually been an enjoyable reading experience.
Harry’s pity towards Luna at her father’s house (DH) is not love, either, strictly speaking. It is a sort of superiority. I think it’s meant to be read as empathy, but it comes off as shallow when he has done very little to get to know her over the years. She is always the Manic Pixie Girl, the “comic” relief, relegated to the sidelines.
What of Sirius? Harry obviously enjoys Sirius’ company a great deal, and he clearly cares about him. But Sirius is always avuncular, and he is one of the closest people Harry has had to a parent. Never mind that he isn’t a fit guardian, he’s better than the Dursleys and he seems to have Harry’s best interests at heart. But what, ultimately, does his death teach Harry?
Harry’s “saving people thing” is motivated by recklessness and impulsivity. It may also be a result of trauma - how, I have no idea.
As for Dumbledore, Harry idolises him. Why, I don’t know. Probably because he is genial and “twinkling”. But Dumbledore has done very little for him. In fact, his decision to leave Harry with the Dursleys:
a) emotionally stunts Harry, or at least doesn’t do anything to teach him about healthy relationships
b) damages Harry’s chances to learn magic outside of school
c) puts paid to his chances of being a leader.
So what is the real redemptive power of love in the series? Not much. There are very few real, positive instances of love-as-saving -grace in the series.