論 Harry Potter (3)

Harry Potter

Harry, Harry, what to say about him?  For one, I have always thought he is...for lack of better words, average. He is not the best student in school. He is not particularly well-behaved and his only talent is flying and Quidditch – great help if he is going to fight Voldemort!

Then why does the author pick such a boy to be the hero of the story, the one to fight You-Know-Who?  For one thing, he has courage.  No doubt about it. Time and time again, he has shown great courage when facing Voldemort (Harry is one of the few who can call him by his name).  Second, ordinary people can achieve great things too – something the author reminds us by using Harry as an example.  One interesting thing to note is that his father is supposed to be the most talented wizard in his day, and yet he, by trusting the wrong friend, ends up dying in the dark lord's hands, so talent is not everything.  Harry has moral courage, and that alone is a powerful feeling.

Harry also picks the right friends. He has Ron for a male companion, and Hermione to help out with more advanced magic.  And if Harry does something wrong, Ron and Hermione are not afraid to tell him so – something his father's friends have had trouble doing when Harry's father misbehaves.  Harry does not choose friends who “admire” him.  Colin Creevey has followed him all around in the second year and all Harry does is avoid him. Smart move, considering that his father is betrayed by someone who is a bit of a "follower".

All Harry wants is to be normal, and given the fact that he could have chosen to be a conceited little kid, his humility endears him to all his readers.

Who says normal and average isn't great?