As I read other people's responses to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, many claim that Harry is arrogant, self-centered, or even conceited. They claim that he has "too much pride" because he is the "chosen one." But is it truly arrogance that forces him to believe that he must be the one to defeat Voldemort? Or is there another force deep down that is his motivation to defeat Voldemort once and for all? Sacrifice.
Merriam-Webster defines sacrifice as destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else. Voldemort's main goal is to find Harry and kill him, for he is Voldemort's only threat. Voldemort will do whatever it takes. "I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there," says Harry. "That's Voldemort's job." (pg. 71) On a larger level, Voldemort not only wants to kill Harry, but take over the Muggle and Wizarding World. Harry knows that his life is not the only one on the line. He's always looking for a way to protect others and lead them to safety because his life matters just as much as anyone else's.
These acts of self-lessness and justice are similar to when Lily, Harry's mother, tried to sacrifice her own life for Harry. Dumbledore claimed that this type of "magic" was more powerful than any spell in the world. It is also similar to when Mad-Eye Moody, Hagrid, Lupin, and other aurors, along with Harry's friends, risked their lives to safely "escort" Harry to the Burrow. Some could even go as far to say that when Dumbledore drank the potion in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, he risked his life for the greater good.
Unless, people think that Harry is "showing an offensive attitude of superiority," Harry does not have the time to sit down and think things through. Sometimes, he must act on his own accord. He must take charge, despite what others might say. (People might mistake this for arrogance.) And whether he likes it or not, Harry was "selected" to be the "chosen one." The only way to defeat this obstacle is to assume his role of leadership. And even though he may pay a heavy price for being a leader, Harry is willing to do it for the greater good of society.
-Eleni Broadwell 811
I completely agreewith this. Harry doesn't often have a choice but to make these spur of the moment decisions and that doesn't make him arrogant at all.
ReplyDeleteEven though he isn't being arrogant, he is very angry! His pent-up anger will continue to accumulate.
DeleteOkay, I've commented on like three of your blog posts out of the four times we've had to comment but /whatever I like them.
ReplyDeleteMy point of view was that he was arrogant, but your writing definitely made me doubt it. I definitely agree with the fact that he doesn't have time to think things through properly. He's on the run from Voldemort and his brain is centered consistently around Horcruxes.
However, I think it's the little things he does that accumulate. Things he does, and we do ourselves, as a person that make up for your personality.
Harry is angry. His anger causes him to lash out every once and a while. But does that mean we should judge him for it? Deep down, we know that Harry has good intentions. :)
DeleteAnd btw, thanks!
Here's the thing, I still think Harry is arrogant. I think he truly believes that he doesn't need anybody's help to finish off Voldemort. Of course he has to be the one that finishes off Voldemort, according to the fifth book, but that doesn't mean he has to be the one that takes all the glory. He never even wanted Ron and Hermione to come along with him in the first place. When Harry first found out about the Deathly Hallows, he was so infatuated with them that he was no longer able to be a good leader. He invisioned himself as a conquerer of death. He stayed up all night think about the Hallows, without hardly even giving one thought to Luna, when he knew that she was captured. I believe that the only reason why Harry comes off as being this almost perfect person that you have so completely described is because this book is written in his point of view.
ReplyDeleteI must disagree! :P
DeleteFirst of all, Harry doesn't care about glory. He cares about saving the world and the people he loves. Glory is the last thing Harry has on his mind.
Second of all, he didn't want Ron and Hermione to come with him because he didn't want them to get hurt. He feels that his friends have done enough to help him. He's just trying to protect him. But I am glad that he allowed them to go with him.
Thirdly, Harry does NOT want to be the conqueror of death. He is trying to look at the situation from multiple perspectives, you could say. He's following his instincts in order to find the horcruxes, but the hallows shouldn't be cast aside.
Also, the book is written in Harry's point of view. In my opinion, Harry does not come off as a perfect person and doesn't try to be one. He is biased, but wouldn't any main character be biased in a book? For instance, if you wrote a book about yourself, wouldn't you be biased?
DeleteAlso, Harry is far from perfect!
DeleteQuite the contrary actually. I believe Harry just doesn't want other people to get hurt in the war. He would rather that he was the only one to fight Voldemort not because he thinks he's the only one capable but because he doesn't wish for any others to get hurt since he reasons that it's his fault. (Which, it really isn't.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Micah. He doesn't think he's the ONLY one who can defeat Voldemort. He feels that he owes something to his friends and will risk his life to show them.
ReplyDelete