First impressions vs in-depth character analysis

[donnaimmaculata]

So. First of all let me thank all you people who have not defriended me despite the fact that I seem to have abandoned this journal. I have not, and I am hoping to return to it in full swing at some point in the near future, though I cannot say when. I was also floored to discover that there are some people who friended me in my absence. Thank you and welcome. Problem is that I have rather lost interest in fanfiction. As far as I remember I only wrote two fics last year - both for the reversathon challenge - and have entirely lost any inspiration to write more - and not only in the HP fandom, but in any and all fandoms I have ever been interested in. On plus side, I have started writing an original novel, which has to be a success when it's published because I desperately need the money - but that's only by the bye. Anyway, I'm sure you are all familiar with the symptoms so I will not bore you by going on and on about them.

All this made me consider how I came to love Harry Potter in the first place and what made me end up in fandom. I guess the books have always held great appeal to me because they didn't make me think. I studied fictional and non-fictional texts for the better part of my adult life, and there is always a part of my brain which feels obliged to question and analyse literature. Harry Potter, being a children's and a fantasy book, was ideal to just delve in and enjoy on a very visceral level. In a way, the books let me experience the wonderful feeling again that I used to experience as a child when immersing myself into fairy tales/adventure novels/fantasy books etc. Don't get me wrong - I love meta discussions, character analyses and wild theories (as I think should be quite obvious), but, being as they are intellectual by definition, they are the exact opposite of what the novels represent to me.

However, I am convinced that my evaluation of the characters is not an intellectual but a purely emotional process.* When I read the books for the first time, I developed preferences for and aversions against the individual characters that were entirely irrational. I only began to question my own likes and dislikes in order to justify or explain them in discussions, thus beginning to read the texts more closely and search for clues that "proved" my analysis is correct. I use the inverted commas, because of course a proof that one's analysis is correct does not exist. As we are all aware of, there are plenty of different ways to read and evaluate a character (which is one of the aspects that has always appealed a lot to me in fandom). So while I enjoy reading other people's takes, they won't change my overall impression of a character.

But this all isn't new. What I was really aiming at was presenting my - possibly lesser known - entirely personal opinions on some HP characters, all of them based entirely on my initial impression, which I have embellished over the years.

Remus. Ah. I fell in love with Remus during PoA (the second HP novel I read) and I have continued loving him ever since. I have analysed him to death and will therefore try to keep it short this time. Back then, when I explained to a RL friend why I liked Remus so much, I said that I love how his calm, quiet facade only serves to hide the monster within. I was referring to the werewolf, of course. But now, after thinking as much as I did about Remus, I realised that it's not so much the fact that he's a werewolf but that he is a cooly calculating, ruthless-if-necessary man underneath the friendly teacher exterior. I have spoken about this at length before and will spare you the whole thing therefore. On to

Ginny, who, in a way, is the complete opposite of Remus. See, Remus is often considered shy, which is something I don't see. He is an introvert - a quality which is often mistook for shyness in RL. But "introvert" means that a person is self-contained and tends to not share their thoughts and feelings with others, not that they are timid and hesitant and whathaveyou. Anyway, the opposite would be "extrovert", which is what Ginny is, what she has been from the very beginning. In PS, Ginny shouts out something along the lines of "Look, Mum, it's Harry Potter!"** when she spots him at King's Cross. She blushes and hides and is obviously embarrassed about displaying her feelings, but display she does. Similar to this are her outburst at Lucius Malfoy in B&B and her obvious and very embarrassing crush on Harry in CoS. She sends him a Valentine card, thus showing clearly what she feels. At the same time, she is exceedinly shy. It appears to me that Ginny is unable to hide her (very powerful) emotions and that she acts impulsively whether she likes it or not. She seems to be one of those people who speak before they think and regret it in the next moment. She is shy, but she is not an introvert.*** This is why Ginny's development in OotP didn't seem surprising to me - she has always been impulsive and action-oriented, so the only thing she had to do was losing her shyness and no longer feeling embarrassed about her words and deeds. Plus, Ginny is the only female character in HP who's ever showed a sense of humour - she used to laugh at her brothers' very silly antics, which is something that neither Molly nor Hermione have ever managed.

Draco. I'm glad he gained depth in HBP and became a real character, but Draco-as-a-person annoys the hell out of me. I always had this impression of him as that pale, skinny little kid with watery eyes and an unhealthy complexion who looks as though he had a vitamin deficiency, and this has not changed despite all the hot art all over the Internet. I know I used to be bewildered that people could read Draco as even remotely attractive. I don't find him remotely witty or amusing, either****, and can understand why Harry and Fred beat him up after the match in OotP, even though it was stupid and cruel. Draco is like that fat green fly buzzying around your head so long until you simply swat it.

Parvati. I always vaguely liked Parvati but wasn't sure why until I re-read the novels looking for clues. Parvati and Lavender seem to always appear together and be interchangeable, but this is not true. Parvati is actually one of the more couragous and outspoken students we encountered - she tells off Draco when he steals Neville's Remembrall in PS and she stands up to Snape in PoA. Lavender, the poor girl, is reduced to crying for her bunny and shying away from mice. No wonder she ended up as Ron's shag bunny.

And now for someone about whom I have changed my mind:

Harry. I never cared much about Harry in the first four books. I found him too bland and too enduring; he filled in the hero part without displaying a real character. And so I loved him in OotP, when he finally burst out and started showing reactions to all that shit that was happening. Now there was a fully-fledged character I could love instead of a guy-to-who-all-this-stuff-happened-without-affecting-him-much. However, it was not an intellectual decision to like Harry. My heart simply melted by the words "What was making Harry feel so horrified and unhappy was not being shouted at or having jars thrown at him" (OotP, Snape's Worst Memory). 'Aw, the poor baby!' I thought. 'What pain must he have endured!' Now, I am the first one to admit that looking into Snape's Pensieve was as wrong as can be, but even though I condemn Harry's actions, he, as a fleshed-out character, appeals a lot to me.

Ah. Can't be bothered to do any more right now. Maybe some time later. Feel free to tell me whom you hate or love and why. I'm looking for personal and biased opinions.

*I am also convinced that this is true for everyone, but I am sure that many will disagree, so for the sake of the argument let's say it's only me.

**I don't have my copy on me and it's been ages since I read the book so I don't remember the exact wording at all.

***I base a lot of these observations on RL experiences; I am the prime example of an introvert, but I am not shy at all. I choose not to share my emotions with people and am in full control of them (the emotions, not the people) (though sometimes the people, too), but I don't shy away from social contacts, have no problems speaking up in public and take control over a situation, if necessary. A close friend of mine describes herself as very shy - especially of strangers - but she can't help shouting out whatever happens to pass through her mind even if it's embarrassing and can't keep a secret if her life depended on it, because she feels compelled to share everything.

****and think that "snarky" is one of the most overused attributes in fandom: Everything that is even remotely insulting is instantly described as "snarky".

Comments

[morganmuffle]

Ooo, long post :D I'll come back and read it properly when I can't smell supper being cooked but I just wanted to say I was very happy to see you pop up on my flist and that everyone seems to be a bit fandomed out right now so maybe it's just Winter issues.

[donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I tend to be absent for months inbetween my brief appearances on LJ, and I am always quite touched that people still talk to me when I'm here. I dunno about the winter issues, though. My enthusiasm for HP has certainly waned - I even read HBP only once, while I reread the other novels a couple of times.

[tunxeh.livejournal.com]

Ginny is the only female character in HP who's ever showed a sense of humour - she used to laugh at her brothers' very silly antics, which is something that neither Molly nor Hermione have ever managed.

I like Ginny, but I don't see why you have to inaccurately put down those other two characters in describing Ginny's positive traits.

"Now, Mum," said Fred, looking up at her, a pained look on his face. "If the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow, and George and I died, how would you feel to know that the last thing we ever heard from you was an unfounded accusation?"

Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Weasley.

(From Goblet of Fire, prior to the World Cup.)

Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, also chortling, went in to breakfast.

(Also Goblet of Fire, after the twins attempt to cross the age line.)

[quivo.livejournal.com]

Interesting points on Harry - I think I actually started out really liking him and sympathising with him and that, and ended up wanting to rant like a parent (Why the HELL won't you question what the 'good people' tell you?) at him. I still sort-of enjoy him in canon, but am way more interested, fanfiction-wise, in what other people in the HP world think and do. For me, Harry is sort of old hat - I read so much about him that I sometimes want to just metaphorically stand up and leave the room, so I can find out more about his slightly more intriguing background.

Oh, and about the introvert/extrovert issue - you seem to have a good handle on the definition of both, except maybe in Ginny's case. I agree that she's an extrovert, but would also like to add that being an extrovert doesn't mean blurting out everything that's on your mind (which she does, and likely needs to stop doing to an extent. She could have saved herself tons of embarrassment by keeping her mouth shut about Harry, I think). Being an extrovert, for me, means consistently wanting and needing to be around people, or do stuff with people, and so on. Some things like constant expression of one's emotions tie into that, but not that much, I should think. One or two of my sisters are real extroverts, and don't do anything of the kind, and can definitely keep all sorts of secrets (and still do from me and our parents and so on).

I'll use my (introverted) self as a further example - for a year or so, I was really into sharing every blessed thing that I thought or agonised about with my mother, brother or sisters. Yes, everything - embarrassing stuff, you name it. And yet I'm just as much of an introvert today as I was then. What changed for me was realising the extreme unwiseness of such a stance and correcting the habit for myself - I didn't suddenly become an introvert overnight, and couldn't have, as I already was one.

Sorry this was so long - just wanted to share that with you.

[coeursaignant.livejournal.com]

RL is much more interesting than fandom anyway. :P

I do, however, wonder sometimes how you manage to deal with stuff the way you do *is referring to Bridget Jones-y type of stuff* You should send some of IT my way some time.

[coeursaignant.livejournal.com]

Also: Good to see you around again. :) I was thinking about 'poking' you (via a comment) only a couple of days ago..

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

fully agreeing with your opinion of Remus and Ginny, and the distinction between introvertion and shyness. ^^

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

Dead on with Remus--he interests me because he's genuinely compassionate, but that doesn't stop him from being a hard-ass when he really needs to.

I always liked Harry. No need to write a lot of him, since he's the POV character and we pretty much know his life, but I've been fond of him since the opening chapter, largely because JKR took what could have been a highly melodramatic situation--OMGPoorAbusedNeglected!Harry--and instead had him just being a sarcastic little snit who sees his spoiled cousin as looking like a pig in a wig and rolls his eyes at everything about his aunt and uncle. Maybe it's seeing one too many books where this sort of thing is Not To Be Taken Lightly, but JKR's nose-thumbing, via Harry, at the whole "problem novel" approach made me like him immediately. And yet, it also made it that much more earnest when what most delighted him about meeting Ron was having someone to share with for the first time, more than the fact that he had something to share. We know he's not mawkish, so when he expresses an emotion, it comes off as very real. Harry at the end of his tether and about to go crazy in OotP was also a very realistic response to his situation, as was his re-asserting control in HBP.

Ron, I liked because of his totally unconscious generosity. He won me totally when he got his mother to send Harry Christmas presents--just thought, on his own, to do that. The chess scene was just icing on the cake after that.

Hermione--meh. I like her (and as a bookish girl, can identify to some extent), but I never had any great attachment to her.

Draco, I like after HBP, but beforehand, my response to fandom was always, "Heh? What? The only thing we know about the little berk is that he's a racist and a snob. What's with the great fondness?" But the more we've learned about his family, added to his behavior in HBP, the more I find him an interesting character.

Sirius--I resented him for awhile for "stealing" Remus's place in Harry's life (me? Protective of Remus?), and felt like I was being directed to like him, but the minute I tried writing from his point of view and kind of felt the world as he feels it, I couldn't help but like him.

[amihan-811.livejournal.com]

Agree with the Ginny analysis. While initially I was baffled at her seemingly sudden transformation, on closer rereads, I realized that she has been gradually coming into her own. Her behavior is similar to Molly and Ron's in that she's loyal to those she sees as her own and like much of the Weasleys (and other typical Gryffindors), she tends to act first based on emotions, then think later. Not unlike Sirius and Harry in a way.