Harry Potter and the Arrogant Mistake
It’s no secret that Harry Potter is arrogant. He’s been arrogant since he took it upon himself to go after the sorcerer’s stone. One of my biggest complaints about him from the very beginning is that he thinks he can do everything. He runs headlong into trouble whenever the opportunity presents itself, with seemingly little regard for his own wellbeing. It’s arrogant.
And it makes for a very interesting and complex leading character. I’ve come to appreciate his arrogance, because it’s so nicely balanced by Ron’s ineptitude and Hermione’s apprehensive nature. Also, in a lot of ways, Harry’s arrogance has lessened over the years. A few solid deaths have instilled a little fear and reverence in him – taken him down a few notches.
But he still calls He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named by the name which one must not (as is indicated therein). His fast and loose use of Voldemort has long placed him in a different league than his fellow wizards. He refuses to give the name power through fearing it’s usage. That’s noble. Good on him.
The problem being, when an honest consequence is associated with saying the name, saying it no longer robs it of its power – it simply enacts it.
It is clearly an habitual response, but Harry’s arrogance is what brings a whole world of hurt down on the trio in Chapter 23. Ron was very clear – don’t use Voldemort’s name. Voldemort’s name is bad. Voldemort’s name gets you tracked by Death Eaters. If you’ve been spending half-a-year trying not to be tracked by Death Eaters, it’s inadvisable to say the name. Just don’t do it. You won’t like the results. Voldemort? Never say that. Say something else. Call him V-Man, Snake-Eyes, Powder. Call him He-Who-Wasn’t-Loved-Enough-As-A-Child or He-Who-Has-Mommy-Issues. Just don’t call him Voldemort.
How hard is that?
I know, I know – don’t even say it. If Three’s Company hadn’t been captured by the Death Eaters, they wouldn’t have found Ollivander or Griphook, Harry wouldn’t have secured a way into the Lestrange’s vault (or even realized he should be trying to find a way into the Lestrange’s vault), they wouldn’t have obtained new wands by force, and they wouldn’t have learned the truth behind the Elder Wand.
You know, I can see the argument that Dumbledore set all this up, but there is NO WAY he could have guessed that Harry would say Voldemort’s name, be captured by the Death Eaters, make nice with a goblin, and learn all about wands. We call that pure luck. Vegas odds.
Luck and arrogance: it’s amazing what the two can do. They may be the only reason Harry has even survived this long.
Dumbledore encouraged people — including Harry — to use Voldemort’s name beginning in PS/SS, true. I don’t think that means that he foresaw everything that was to happen, and “knew” that someone would have to say Voldemort’s name in order for good things to happen. I think, as you do, that Harry was just being bleepin’ arrogant, refusing to pause when Ron started to protest because it was just “Ron being Ron,” the one who wasn’t courageous enough to say the name.
“Humbled” I think is a good term to use for Harry after this incident. Can’t help Harry’s mood that his best friend has a mouthful of blood because Harry wouldn’t listen to him.
Wasn’t “arrogant” also used to describe James Potter?
I always think that they should have started saying “Tom” or “Tom Riddle” …unless that name was also taboo. I never really felt like Harry was being arrogant, though I guess he has been. In SS I felt like he knew something that others didn’t. He caught clues. He was basically right most of the time, and his headstrong nature came -largely- from ignorance. He knew little of the magical world and still struggles to fully understand it. I think that that is where his arrogance comes in… in his inability to truly understand his new world over the years.
Yeh — why they couldn’t come up with a nickname I’ll never know. It seems like a childish/middle-school type thing to do, like coming up with a nickname for McGonagall when they wanted to say something nasty about her at Hogwarts, but weren’t really sure where she was.
The more I think about it, the more I agree (I think) with Jess’ point: it was pure arrogance on Harry’s part to use the name. He’s known since Hagrid couldn’t bring himself to say the name in PS/SS that it makes everyone uncomfortable, but uses it anyway as a sign that it doesn’t frighten him; he is continually called on it, and defends it by saying (I think in OotP) that “Dumbledore, Sirius, and Lupin all use it.”
Helloooo, Harry: you may have mad skillz on the Quidditch field, and a cool scar, but no one — repeat, NO ONE — would say you were as good a wizard as any of the three you name. I’m vaguely recalling someone (Snape?) saying something to him along the lines of “Well, you’re no Dumbledore,” but aside from that, he’s never told (1) it’s rude to make people that uncomfortable on purpose (also implies that you believe yourself to be brave, and anyone who doesn’t do as you do is a silly little coward — rude); and (2) you’re copying wizards whose skills you can only dream of, and maybe should wait until your skills are more developed to throw the name around so casually.
My 2 cents.
And now I’m actually going to counter my own point (though I agree with you, Laura).
If anyone needs to not be afraid of Voldemort, it’ Harry. He’s the one who has to face him. Maybe using the name is a way of psyching himself out.
I think that the use of the name started (in PS/SS) as a simple mistake — if you know someone’s name, you use it, and it’s a little weird to be calling someone “You Know Who” when you know their name.
As Harry develops as a wizard, he begins to use it (IMHO) as a badge of his own fearlessness and ability. I think he also feels connected to Voldemort from PS/SS, and that feeling of connection only grows through the series. From that perspective, he feels like he’s talking about an acquaintance (and someone he *does* know on a personal level, from GoF on). It could be viewed as a casual thing.
Problem I have with that is that he is continually called on it and sees people twitch when he uses the name, people he loves (including all the Weasleys). Hard to hide behind “casual” when he repeatedly sees others sweat when he uses the name.
Mmmmmmm. I’m going with arrogant.
I disagree, as dumbledore says, fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself and always use the proper name for proper things.
By saying Voldemort’s name he is defying Voldemort and not letting Volde dictate the terms. Shame on all those wizards who are such wusses who can’t use his name. Sirrius, Lupin, Kingsley, James, Lilly are all great wizards for using Volde’s names. I think Harry was very annoyed with having to use You Know Who and it was more of defiance than arrogance.
p.s. yes Harry is arrogant but he is also amazingly selfless and compassionate. It’s interesting that you are so hard on him and so easy on Draco
Prudence in all things, finallylost. While Dumbledore sets a tone, Harry has to follow up, and by following what Dumbledore says blindly, he stumbles. The prudence shown by Ron and Hermione would have saved them a trip to Malfoy Manor and some blood, although, as Jess points out, it would also have cost them a wand or two and the knowledge that they had to get into Gringotts.
Harry is arrogant. He is also kind and compassionate. He is his father’s son, and his *mother’s* son. I focus on arrogance here, because that is the topic of the post.
And don’t get me started on Draco: “pus-faced goober” who needs a punch in the nose isn’t good enough for you? I can’t stand the little twerp, but even so, will admit (albeit grudgingly) that his character shows some development — OVER SEVEN BOOKS.
And yes, I know you’re teasing.
Do you hate Harry, since you’re so hard on him?
Harry is not my favorite character, but I do have a great deal of admiration for him. When he called T. M. R. “Voldemort” it was in accordance with Dumbledore’s advice. I don’t think it was an act of rebellion or defiance against those who said “You-Know-Who” so much as a sign of respect for Dumbledore and conscious compliance with his instruction; after that, he was just true to his own decision.
I agree there seems to an awful lot of luck involved. Would the trio ever have thought to pay a clandestine visit to Malfoy Manor? Maybe, who know?
I would think they’d avoid the place like the plague. But who knows?
If Harry is as arrogant as I claim, then, assuming he found out or thought it likely that Voldemort was at the Malfoy Manor, he would (once the whole sticky Horcrux thing had been wrapped up) probably plan to go there, as they did with the Ministry to find the locket, to take the battle to Voldemort. I can’t think of a reason to go there otherwise.
I wouldn’t call Harry very arrogant at all, usually. Certainly not at the beginning of the series. “I’m just Harry.” He was amazingly accepting of being the “boy in the closet under the stairs.” He mostly seemed to try to cooperate with his bullies of relatives, and was as amazed as anyone when magic seemed to happen around him. He probably didn’t consciously feel loved, but Dumbledore put him with the Dursleys because they were family and some measure of love there. Dumbledore also didn’t want him raised by a wizarding family because he knew that growing up famous “for something he couldn’t even remember” would go to his head and he would become arrogant. I even dispute that you can be both arrogant and loving at the same time. Yes, he is headstrong, foolhardy at times, rash, and is just barely beginning to show some maturity but those things are not necessarily related to arrogance. Draco and his parents have been at the height of arrogance–until somewhat humbled by the king of arrogance, who I would call “moldy voldy.”
That doesn’t change that it was pure luck that got Harry in the situation with Bellatrix where she spilled the beans about “something important” in her vault.
There were other happenings by pure chance:
The goblins talking about the sword in the vault being a fake at the time when our trio could hear them.
Possibly even getting the clues about R.A.B. and talking to Kreatcher about the locket. Dumbledore didn’t know that the locket was a fake, but he “happened” to say something about being nicer to house-elves, and that helped.
Look, Laura and all of you who clearly doesn’t like Harry all that much. Harry is NOT arrogant! He is the symbol of the completely selfless person, who sacrifices himself (though he doesn’t die in the end, thank God), but he fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named all the time, for freedom, happiness and lives of people around him. If you say THAT is arrogant, then you are most likely out of your mind!! Remember that he has been through more than a normal life time, he lost his bloody parents before he could even walk and talk, for fucks sake;) He was bullied as a child, by Dudley and his gang, for being “weird and different”, but he somehow must’ve dealed with it (in the seventh book, i get under the impression that he sort of forgive Dudley). He wasn’t loved, and he was lied to, since Petunia told him that his parents died in a car crash! He is such a nice and amazing person, who does SO much for his friends and other people. He contains love, and is really, really, really likeable, if you ask me
Fourthermore, since he was never loved in his childhood, there was a natural lack of attention, which every child needs, so it’s more than understandable that he goes after the Sorcerer’s stone and other things, because he craves that people shows that he is worth it, he needs acknowledgement!! If a child in “real life” lacks attention, then it starts doing everything he/she can, to get people to notice, like screaming, making a scene, etc. That’s EXACTLY what Harry does!! Do try to understand, please. Harry has gone through so much, he is having a hard time constantly, struggling with his grieve, teenage hormones, and how to finish off good ol’ Voldy! ;D
Curiously, I just got notified last night of these things you posted almost two weeks ago! Does it always take that long?
Anyway, Anne, I really appreciate your views, and that you stand up for Harry.