Harry Potter: Lazy Slacker?

[lightofdaye]

At the moment I've been listening to Half blood Prince audio book, read by Stephen Fry on my mp3 player and it's very good, aside from poor Stephen having to attempt a variety of different accents and has to go especially far in the case of women. (poor Tonks and Demezla now have very thick accents) I've actually appreciated the story a bit more this time through. Still my favourite chapter is still the very first one with the poor prime minister.



I actually notice more stuff in the audio version. I think I have a terrible habit of skimming when I'm reading a book so I miss details but one of the things I did notice is that Hermione totally gets huffy when people hit on Ron even before he starts smooching on Lavender, never seen that before. I mean Ron acting up is totally obvious but Hermione was more subtle, lol.

But the other thing that seems endemic to the stuff is Harry succeeding purely by taking the easy way out and standing on the back of others work. This is obvious with the Prince's potions book and also when he gets the real potion from Slughorn using lucky potion.

I think I first noticed some of this when listening to the description of Voldemort getting the horcrux information out of Slughorn and Harry realising He must have buttered up /slughorn for ages whereas Harry gets the same effect with no effort at all: just see the luck potion and bam. Job done.

Likewise in potions he gets top marks for following Snape's revised instructions and yet Snape presumably compiled those changes to the net through trial and error and a great deal of work. Chance hands Harry the book and he uses at no effort to himself. (The book does point out that he doesn't understand the concepts involved but he gets through it by nerve and cheek. Admirable qualities we are to assume.)

So we're in the odd position where the villains of the piece apparently rose from humble origins through ingenuity and hard work. And the hero... gets it handed to him by the plot?


The other thing that comes to mind, is Hermione's rejection of the half-blood prince's instruction while adhering strictly to the 'official instructions'. Now its admirable not the crib someone else's work. But on the other hand this leads us the impression that Hermione gets to be 'the smartest witch in her age' by reading alot and slavish following instructions. Apparently that's all that is required not any great originality of though or adaptability or smartness of her own. Just read the books, memorise them and you get to be great. I mean this should stand her well on exam papers but she never seems to have an problem with the practical side either, so again read enough and apparently you cast spells with ease


I seem to have gone a little off track and more stream of consciousness here. Still thoughts?

Comments

[nevrafire.livejournal.com]

On Harry:

I personally think it's a bit of Both.
Yes, Harry got lucky and breezed through a lot of stuff-- but he did had to work hard at other stuff. (ex. learning the patronus) and we have seen him put actual work (the mentions of him doing his homework by himself in PoA, doing the work for care of magical creatures,etc,etc)

and yeah, he has some natural talents (ex. Flying, good fighter) - but doesn't everyone? (although-I'm sure having to run away from dudley and his gang throughout his childhood probably contributed to harry's quick reflexes)

as for nerve and cheek- well those developed as a result of his raised by the dursleys situation so why wouldn't the be predominant.

(but I personally think the nerve/cheek of harry are well balanced- sometimes they work (to save the day and stand up to antagonists/stand his grown) sometimes they dont (facing up umbridge and getting into so many detentions)


in regard to the potion book& slughorn-

I never really understood the whole Harry suddenly using the potion book to be better in class. I mean, he hates potions (because of snape), he doesn't really care to be top of the class (except maybe DADA) and at the beginning of the school year he thinks Slughorn is creepy and avoids him. I understand him trying to do everything possible to be in slughorn good graces after Dumbledore told him how imperative it was he got the memory, but not before.
(that's why I think he resorted to felix felicis- Harry can't manipulate someone as easily as Malfoy or Tom Riddle could-- so he had to find some other way to secure getting the memory- and felix felicis was 100 fool proof solution-so why not use it?)

but I never got the WHY using the book and getting hermione all pissed off pre-needing to get the memory from slughorn.
(I mean Harry always HATED getting praise for something he thinks he doesn't deserve- like in PS- with the whole Boy-Who-Lived "but i dont even remember doing that stuff!" so WHY would he suddenly do a 180 and use the book to be the best at potions? (PRE-needing the memory)

I personally can't figure it out- other than Rowling pulling a "I need character to go from point A to point B by any means necessary" aka plot trumps character development.

sidepoint- I also don't think Tom Riddle be a slick manipulative charmer be much ingenuity- but to each their own.

on Hermione

I personally think Hermione DOES understand/disect much of the stuff she reads. Ex. the logic puzzle in PS, and figuring out Prof. Lupin was a werewolf.

but as we seen her grown up there have been situations where just reading the stuff hasn't been enough- the prime example is in PoA with: A. her taking too many classes and having to resort to use the time turner to keep up with everything. B. Not being at her best in both Divination and DADA- divinations both because she doesn't believe in the subject & doing the whole "seeing beyond what's infront of you/explainable" and DADA with things like the practical exams (also with that little gem in PS of hermione having to get rid of the devil snare and being all like "there's no wood for the fire!")

and having to learn the Patronus definitely wasn't "spell it with ease" she struggled with it when Harry taught it to the DA and she struggled with it in a life-or-death situation (it was either in the DoM or in ministry in DH- don't remember)

so yeah those are my thoughts :)

[lightofdaye]

That's some good points Nevra. I'd forgotten about some of the logical stuff Hermione had done.

And I agree everything about the Half-Blood Prince book and mysterry was pretty much the weakest part of the book. Though the relationship drama sort of gave it a run for its money.

[nevrafire.livejournal.com]

I read the books so many times that pulling little details out into the light is so much fun. :P

yeah. HBP.
the only reason why I liked HBP was because of more quidditch, the memory quest, more dumbledore and ron and hermione finally being pushed towards couple-ness (albeit Horribly executed with the whole ginny tells ron about hermione/viktor ron gets jealous hermione too and PETTY PETTY FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT *eye roll*)

and we got More luna & harry/luna friendship.

oh! and tonks and remus (who okay i didn't saw comming and in retrospect the way they got together wasn't the best plotted- even if I can totally see it as realistic) and bill & fleur (YAY Fleur being fleshed out!)

and the "we'll go with you- don't argue-it's been settled since the beginning" ron and hermione to harry on his quest (YAY TRIO FRIENDSHIP!!)

and okay I also found romilda and cormac so stereotypically hilarious

but yeah. not the biggest fan of it otherwise.