Oh, that is so true. It's always surprised me that people don't see this about Harry's upbringing--Dumbledore's explanations for why he was with the Dursleys were always so frightening to me: he thought he would get a swelled head if he was raised in the WW? Huh? That's ridiculous. Imagine if Harry had been raised knowing who he was but by perfectly responsible parents who taught him to value other things. Instead it seems like Dumbledore made sure he grew up ready to cling to the person who "rescued" him from the Dursleys. So now he's in the crazy positions of loving Dumbledore for not being the Dursleys and never seeming to make the connection that Dumbledore placed him there and kept him there and continues to keep him there for his own purposes.
It's influenced so much about him. Even his first meeting with Draco, for instance, is influenced by his upbringing. Had he grown up in the WW Draco might have come across as a kid trying to hard with flaws but not someone who made Harry so angry. Instead he hates him first for having parents who buy him things like Dudley, for making Harry feel silly for not knowing about the WW and for being harsh about Hagrid. Had Harry grown up in the WW he probably would have wound up talking about Quidditch and Draco might not have been so offensive so soon!
And yeah, I totally agree on how Harry's learned so far. He learns lessons that don't really challenge him. Dumbledore is a master at this too. He seems to be able to disavow responsibility for just about anything that makes him look bad. Harry's furious all summer at the Dursleys and at the end of OotP Dumbledore describes 11-year-old Harry as simply a little underfed and asks for sympathy.
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Date: 2004-11-01 06:58 pm (UTC)It's influenced so much about him. Even his first meeting with Draco, for instance, is influenced by his upbringing. Had he grown up in the WW Draco might have come across as a kid trying to hard with flaws but not someone who made Harry so angry. Instead he hates him first for having parents who buy him things like Dudley, for making Harry feel silly for not knowing about the WW and for being harsh about Hagrid. Had Harry grown up in the WW he probably would have wound up talking about Quidditch and Draco might not have been so offensive so soon!
And yeah, I totally agree on how Harry's learned so far. He learns lessons that don't really challenge him. Dumbledore is a master at this too. He seems to be able to disavow responsibility for just about anything that makes him look bad. Harry's furious all summer at the Dursleys and at the end of OotP Dumbledore describes 11-year-old Harry as simply a little underfed and asks for sympathy.