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August 1, 2015 at 7:56 pm in reply to: Harry Potter Reread: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone #306757JosephineParticipant
Double post
[adrotate group="5"]Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
August 1, 2015 at 7:51 pm in reply to: Harry Potter Reread: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone #306756JosephineParticipantCHAPTER 2: THE VANISHING GLASS
Summary:
Ten years have passed since Harry Potter was left on the Dursleys’ doorstep. Privet drive is much the same except for the photos depicting Dudley Dursley’s growth through the years from spoiled baby to a large spoiled boy. Despite there being no sign of Harry in the house, he does still live there. Our chapter opens on Mrs. Dursley, his aunt, awakening Harry from his bed in a cupboard under the staircase to mind the breakfast as she’s getting everything ready for Dudley’s birthday. Harry has grown to be a very scrawny, small boy with broken glasses who is often the target of his cousin’s bullying.When Dudley comes down to see thirty-six presents on the table, he throws a fit because it’s two less than the previous year. After Mrs. Dursley reminds him that he didn’t count the present from his Aunt Marge and promises to buy two more in an effort to placate him, Dudley calms down. However, bad news strikes again when they discover the babysitter they had arranged, Mrs. Figg, cannot not watch Harry for the day. Every year, Dudley and a friend went somewhere fun with his parents. Harry was never permitted to go and had to stay with a babysitter whose house smelled of cabbage and cats. Harry, excited to not have to go to Mrs. Figg’s and eager to have the house to himself to do all the things he was never permitted, pleads with his relatives to let him stay behind.
The Dursley’s fear of leaving Harry alone, though, eclipses their dislike of his presence so they bring him along on the trip. Mr. Dursley warns Harry not to make any ‘funny business’. Harry never means for things to happen, they just do. His wild hair grows rapidly when cut, clothes he hated shrunk mysteriously as his aunt tried to force them on him, and he once was able to escape Dudley and his gang by inexplicably landing on the roof of the school.
Despite the warning, Harry has a good time at the zoo. He is never allowed anywhere but school and it’s a treat for him. His fun, however, was about to come to an end as they visited the reptile house after lunch. Dudley and his friend were quickly bored by the unmoving snakes and walked away. Harry, finding much in common with the encaged animal begins talking to it, commiserating with it’s captivity. Surprisingly, the snake responds back. Dudley and his friends notice the interaction and push Harry away and pound on the glass, harassing the boa constrictor. Somehow the glass just disappears and the snake slithers away and Harry could swear it told him thanks.
Harry is blamed for the mishap at the zoo and is banished back to his cupboard under the stairs with no meal. Alone in the cupboard, he thinks about his life. He has visions of a blinding flash of green light but doesn’t know what it means. He can’t remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle refuse to talk about them and there are no pictures of them at all in the house. He dreams of some unknown relative coming and taking him away. He also sometimes gets the feeling that strangers on the street know him. Very odd people approach him and then disappear. And at school he has no friends for nobody wants to go against Dudley and his gang.
Analysis:
Harry Potter is not a Dursley. If nothing else, this chapter drives home this concept again and again. When we last saw Harry, he was a baby swaddled in a basket and sitting on the Dursleys’ doorstep. However, this chapter begins with a time jump. It’s ten years later when we next meet this family and little has changed on Privet Drive. It’s when you start to look deeper, behind the façade of normality, that we see how unusual the Dursley household actually has become. Two boys of the same age reside in the house, yet only one’s pictures grace the mantelpiece–and it is not Harry’s. When we finally meet the young boy the extraordinary baby has turned into, it is with Mrs. Dursley yelling at him to wake up from his ‘bedroom’ which is revealed to be a dark cupboard under the stairs. He is ordered to finish breakfast, reduced to role of a servant, a trope often used in fairytales. Meanwhile his ungrateful cousin Dudley is lavished with presents for his birthday and indulged in activities of amusement and fun:
Every year on Dudley’s birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. He hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she’d ever owned.
–Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, U.S. edition, p.22
It’s quickly illustrated that the two boys are not treated equally. In other households, two children in this situation would be raised as siblings, yet it’s painfully obvious that both boys know their place in the hierarchy of the family. Even when Harry gets to go to the zoo with the others for Dudley’s birthday, it’s not because they want him there but because their distrust of him being alone supersedes their dislike of bringing him along.
The differences between Harry and his family also extend to the physical. Where as Dudley is described as a large boy who was “very fat and hated exercise”, Harry is the opposite:
Perhaps it had something to do with living in the dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley’s, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.
–Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, U.S. edition, p. 20
Even Harry’s black unruly hair is a counterpoint to Dudley’s own blondness. His bright green eyes are covered by a pair of glasses that are only held together by tape, another sign of his neglect, and the only thing Harry actually liked about his appearance is a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead that he was told was put there in the car crash that killed his parents.
With all these inequalities foisted upon Harry, one would think he would be resentful, depressed, or even hateful. But it appears as if he is a normal boy. The abuse at the hands of his family, and even at school, does not appear to have adversely affected him. That doesn’t mean he is happy. He is extremely lonely as illustrated by this passage:
When he was younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family.
–Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, U.S. edition, p.30
He yearns for something else and even imagines that strangers sometimes seem to know him. Not only does the neglect happen at home, but because of Dudley’s bullying, nobody at school wants to be friends with him. Not necessarily because of Harry, himself, but because the other kids don’t want to be targets of Dudley and his gang themselves.
One last point is that even J. K. Rowling’s nomenclature in the book further illustrates the differences between Harry and others. Harry, who is destined to be this great figure, has a perfectly ordinary name. Nothing unusual or eye-catching about it. And yet the family that is obsessed with normality is given the name Dursley. An uncommon, harsh sounding name that tells readers immediately that they are probably not people to like or trust. Even the glimpses we have into the magical world show that wizarding names like Albus or Daedalus from the previous chapter have a whimsical quality. And, yet, Harry Potter, who has a “perfectly normal” name is turning out to be by no means perfectly normal.
Foreshadowing:
–Talking to snakes. Harry was able to communicate with the snake at the zoo, an ability to look out for
–Mrs. Figg and Aunt Marge. Names are not usually brought up unless they are important to the story and come up at a later point.
–Latent magical ability. Although Harry doesn’t know it. The strange things like the vanishing glass will make sense soon.
Discussion Questions:
1. Could one or multiple people be watching over Harry through his childhood?
2. How would Harry have turned out if the Dursleys had treated him fairly and like a family member as he was growing up and not like an outcast?
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
JosephineParticipantShipping in any version of Authorian legend is not wise. It may be a “romantic tale” in the classical literary definition, but that doesn’t mean it’s a romantic love, happily-ever-after tale. So much adultery, treachery, death, etc. I have learned to never ship with it. Just makes life easier.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
July 28, 2015 at 9:05 pm in reply to: Harry Potter Reread: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone #306638JosephineParticipantI always wondered about a baby being left on the doorstep overnight, too. Even in towns raccoons, possums and rats are known to ramble around at night (at least in my region). Maybe Dumbledore placed some sort of enchantment over the basket or set people to watch over the baby to make sure he was taken in. Or he could have even waited it out himself. (Flashforward fact: He doesn’t need a cloak to make himself invisible. 😛 )
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
July 27, 2015 at 11:00 pm in reply to: Harry Potter Reread: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone #306623JosephineParticipantDumbledore makes it out like Harry would be spoiled and have his head turned by living with any wizarding family. But…this can’t really be true. I mean small jump here, but imagine if Harry grew up with the Weasleys.
This is something you just don’t know. It’s all a crap shoot. You can be fantastic parents and raise horrid children sometimes. Or be terrible parents and your child goes on to do fantastic things. It’s a gamble for any family so it’s hard to imagine how Harry would end up with another family.
As for the Arthurian legend aspect, that’s a really great parallel. I always thought of Dumbledore as a Merlin-type but I don’t know that I associated Harry with the “Wart” role, but it fits. To go even further, he even married Ginny, whose full name Ginevra is the Italian form of Guinevere. Then temporarily flashing ahead for a second, there is the fact that the patriarch of the Weasley family, who rules wisely, is named Arthur and has a son named Percy. Perhaps a callback to one of Arthur’s knights Percival.
Since this is a Once forum, it will be interesting to compare and contrast Harry’s quest with Emma Swan’s as we go forth in the story. Like you mentioned The Hero’s Journey is something everyone can recognize, even if you don’t know the academic background behind it.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
July 27, 2015 at 1:12 pm in reply to: Harry Potter Reread: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone #306614JosephineParticipantIt’s interesting that a book titled “Harry Potter” begins by focusing on a family called the Dursleys. Is it a gamble to start a story without the title character being mentioned until the end of the chapter? Evidently not, but it is intriguing.
From the beginning I got the feeling Vernon knew immediately what was behind all the strange goings-on. He tried to rationalize them away and ignore them. He might not know what is actually happening, but he does know something crucial that the audience knows nothing about.
But what begins as the observations of Vernon Dursley ends with us finally meeting this title character. He appears to be a normal baby with no outstanding qualities that set him apart from other babies. Despite all the chaos going on, this little boy was oblivious to it all. Yet, he’s destined for greatness whether he wants it or not. This last sentence of the chapter confirms it:
He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter–the boy who lived!”
Possible Foreshadowing:
–The mention of Daedalas Diggle. We don’t have much information about this “world” but another specific name to add to the list.–Ted the newscaster gave his report of the mysterious owls and activities with a grin. Does he know what’s really going on? Or just a jovial reporter.
–The note Dumbledore left with the Dursleys. What is actually in that thing? Something powerful enough to make them keep a baby they want nothing to do with, but is there something in there that is crucial to the future?
Discussion Questions:
1. How do you feel about the Dursleys?
The Dursleys are set up to be those neighbors you hate. There is nothing evil revealed about them, but they aren’t likable. They are status obsessed. The very definition of “Keeping up with the Jones’s”. Their normality is more important to them than anything. Just a few pages into the story and you know you will never love this family. There is a Roald Dahl-eqsue quality to them. I devoured Dahl as a child. So it was a delightful discovery that his influence was present in the story. (I’ll probably reference him again next chapter in my review.) Originally reading the series in my twenties and not being the supposed target audience, I wasn’t expecting much I admit. This connection to books of my youth convinced me I needed to continue reading.2. How do you feel about Dumbledore and McGonagall?
Just in the few pages of mysterious conversation we get of them, we can recognize they are the antithesis of the Dursleys. You know they’re belonging to the group that is causing all the mysterious goings-on about town, but we’re not privy to the particulars. As readers we have to make assumptions and form headcanon based on what they say. McGonagall, who we meet as a cat, transforms into a prim and proper mature woman. She has slicked back hair in a severe bun and glasses. She is referred to as “Professor” so we assume she has some role in education. I remember imagining her as the stereotypical schoolmarm. Dumbledore, meanwhile, is reminiscent of a new age hippie. He seems flamboyant, but authoritative. I immediately got a flashback to Disney’s “The Sword and the Stone” version of Merlin. What’s interesting is we don’t yet know Dumbledore’s role, but he’s definitely in a position of leadership. We later learn he’s a Headmaster yet at no point in this chapter is this mentioned. He’s not even referred to as “Professor”. We are lead to believe they are the “good guys” and have only the best interests of the Potters and their son at heart.
3. Did Dumbledore make the right choice in leaving Harry Potter with the Dursleys?
I was pondering this the other day. What would the outcome be if Harry was raised by someone else? It was quite a gamble for Dumbledore to leave him to the custody (I won’t say care) of these two. I can understand his conviction that the boy, famous for something beyond his control, should be raised apart from it. Just look at celebrities’ children. Countless offspring grow up to be famous for no accomplishments or talent. Reality shows are filled with them. They are materialistic, entitled and spoiled. This could have very well happen to Harry if he grows up in the world to which he was born.We don’t know much about Dumbledore yet but can surmise he was close to the baby’s parents. He must have know that there was a chasm between the sisters and yet he’s assured the note he left will ensure that couple will accede to wishes. What we don’t know is exactly what is in that note. It had to be something powerful to make a couple, who would have nothing to do with this branch of the family, make an about face and raise their orphaned nephew. And we don’t know how they will raise Harry. We already see that Petunia dotes on her little Dudley and he’s a spoiled baby. What’s to say she won’t do the same to Harry? However, when it comes down to brass tacks it was really the only choice with the sparse information we, the reader, have been given that Dumbledore could have made.
Additional thoughts:
There was one topic I wanted to talk about. Rereading I was confused about the timeline of the events after the Potters’ deaths. Mr. Dursley was heading to work in the morning when strange things began happening and these odd groups of people were celebrating. So you can surmise that the Potters were killed early in the day. Yet it is late at night when the baby was brought to the Dursley’s doorstep. Sometime after the Potter’s death Dumbledore tasked Hagrid with obtaining custody of the baby and bring him to the Dursleys. Somewhere in this time period Hagrid informs McGonagall that Dumbledore will be at this address but doesn’t inform her why. Add to that the following dialogue:
“No problems, were there?”
“No, sir–house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin’ around. He fell asleep as we was flyin’ over Bristol.”
My confusion is who actually reported the death and was first on the scene after the fact? If Hagrid is the first to the house, then how did anyone report the deaths earlier? How did Dumbledore know? If Hagrid wasn’t the first to the house, why was a baby left all alone? Now I know we’ve all read the books, and information will be revealed as we continue our reread, but it’s been a while since I read the books and I no longer remember every minutiae of the series.
I will take on the next chapter’s analysis.
Come on Potterheads, jump in and discuss the chapter.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
July 25, 2015 at 11:56 pm in reply to: New Disney TV Movie: "Descendants", about the kids of Disney characters #306595JosephineParticipantBlue Fairy is Belle. I don’t know what to do.
You can tell which children are “bad” because they wear leather and have sexy dance moves!
This song….lol, no.
DANCE BREAK! VILLAINS ALWAYS HAVE WELL CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE SCENES TO PROVE THEIR VILLAINY.
Omg I have to watch this live. This deserves my snark.
Oh, our SYTTD night will have to take a backseat on Friday. But this shall be a fun diversion. 😆
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
July 25, 2015 at 10:43 pm in reply to: Harry Potter Reread: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone #306588JosephineParticipantSo we’re going through with the reread. If anyone wants to join us, please do. This is open to all. Guidelines soon to follow.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
JosephineParticipantI hate to admit it but RG’s theory makes a lot of sense. It’s the only thing I’ve read so far that fits with the spoilers.
Oh, the fun (headache) with SQers if this shall come to pass.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
JosephineParticipantOooh, they are tiny teacup tassies. How adorable…and heartbreaking.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
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