Harry Potter is my favorite character in the Harry Potter series. Surprisingly, I find myself alone for the most part in my favoritism. Some people love Ron, some love Sirius, some Aragog...but a surprising number of fans do not count Harry Potter as their number one boy wizard. When talking to fans who are not fans of the character himself, I often hear things like "he's so pissy" or annoying of has a complex or something. To them I usually smile tightly and agree to disagree. But internally I am shouting, YES, SOMETIMES HE IS PISSY--HE'S A HUMAN CHARACTER AND THEREFOR INTRINSICALLY FLAWED!!
One of the things I love about the Boy who Lived is that he is NOT the archetypal hero. He's shortsighted, scrawny and small, often tactless, of average intelligence, and somewhat oblivious. He's not Aragorn or Hercules--HEROES & MANLY MEN OF STRENGTH. He's Harry Potter. Boy. But also, Hero.
Harry is actually a pretty mediocre person in many ways. He isn't particularly handsome or dashing. He is an average student--often leaving hedgehog quills in his transfigured pincushions and so on. He falls asleep in class, procrastinates...he isn't dull. He's a bright boy--but not bright enough to light up any palaces. (That's a weird idiom that I just made up.) He's great at Quidditch...does that make him a jock? Only at Hogwarts are the skinny awkward kids jocks. He's pretty awkward and tactless... ANYWAY--he's just a kid. Not very extraordinary in the way that most archetypal heros or wizards are. He's no Merlin. He's no Dumbledore. No Tom Riddle.
Harry is a wizard. In most fantasies/myths heroes are powerful because they hold great internal magical power or are highly skilled in wizardry and so on. But Harry is no lightning-wielding wizard. In fact, he can't even frikkin apparate when he goes on the quest to kill Voldemort! In that way it is rather underwhelming...that quest. They're just kids! Seventeen year-old with few clues and a tent. It's insane that the trio just sets off with little more than their wands in search of these magical vessles of bits of an evil wizard's soul. Crazy BRAVE. It's in keeping with all the books. They're kids. They're not going to evolve suddenly into Merlin. Sometimes they wield swords and fight monsters and are pretty epic. But not epic in the way that Epic High Fantasies are. These books are more about real people than about fantasy. Harry tells people again and again that his hero-ness comes not from intrinsic BAMFness or magical skill, but from luck and help from others.
Harry's true power lies in his bravery, loyalty, and his friends. Thank god for Hermione--who actually IS an abnormally gifted young witch. And Ron...he's the archetype of loyalty. Except for moments in book 4 and 7...But it is Harry's friends, bravery and CHOICES that make the boy the hero with the power to vanquish Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard of the age.
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
Wow this is super disorganized and weird. But that is sort of the point. Right now I am feeling freakin mediocre. In 10th grade Cassidy and I coined the terms Secret Genius, Shmuck, and Dummy Lady. Right now I feel like a Shmuck. Average. And sometimes I feel like there is nothing worse than being average. But hey, Harry Potter was average. If he wasn't thrust into the position of leadership he might have gone his life without bearing that mantle (damn successfully, I might add). Dumbledore mused that maybe it is people who do not seek leadership, but who find themselves forced into that position, and find they're good at it, are the people who are truly meant to lead. But really, Harry Potter was this ordinary bespectacled lil kid being bullied by fatties and he grew up in a few short years into nothing short of a hero. He didn't have many credentials for hero-ship. But he became one.
With friends, bravery, loyalty, love and selflessness, Harry Potter became the Chosen One. He was chosen--and thus he rose to the role of hero. But in many ways Harry is not the archetypal hero. He makes mistakes, he gets a little pissy circa book 5 (but hey, so would you if your godfather was murdered in front of you and then you were possessed by Voldemort. Not to mention all the other shit. Pissiness was a long time coming, if you ask me) and he has a bit of a "saving people thing." But you know what, Harry Potter, I embrace you with all your flaws. Harry is a flawed character who nevertheless destroyed the powerful dark wizard--not with greater magical skill, but with love and the help of his friends, and extreme bravery--and a little bit of luck. Harry Potter is my favorite person ever (in the literary realm)(and maybe real life too). He's my hero, even if he isn't perfect.
'Harry — you're a great wizard, you know.'
'I'm not as good as you,' said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.
'Me!' said Hermione. 'Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and —oh Harry do be careful!'
So, yeah. Number nine. Harry Potter himself!
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