Blog #2 Response

I find the development of the connection between Harry and Voldemort (*gasp!* I said his name!) fascinating. In Book 1, we are introduced to this poor sweet kid who has no idea that he is a wizard and quite famous. We then find out that his parents were killed by some mad-man wizard. Rowling sets it up to be so black and white, but it doesn't stay that way for too long. We see things about Harry that we don't like in book 5, but this does not make him less of the hero and survivor that he is. Rowling gives the readers glimpses into Voldemort's past, things that may explain his sociopath behavior, but this makes him no less of a villian. I think it was genius of Rowling to make them so alike in their upbringing, but have them turn out so different from one another. It all comes down to choice.

In Book 1, during the sorting process, Harry begs the hat not to put him in Slytherin. He chooses to make Ron Weasley his friend (though he is from a poor family) and shun Draco Malfoy (who hails from a prominent Wizarding family). These choices are the begining of Harry's future. Had he chosen differently, the entire story would undoubtedly go in a different direction.

In Book 6, we find out that Voldy (you can't be scared of someone if you give them a cute nickname) was raised as an orphan - just like Harry. Instead of being a humble and kind spirit, though, Voldy is a liar and thief from the start, unlike Harry, whose first inclanation is to share everything he has.

The major difference between Harry and Voldy is emotion, namely love. Love is what saved Harry. Voldy (as a bit of a sociopath) doesn't seem to have many emotions except for anger or happiness and those both have to do with whatever little plot he has going at the time. Harry, on the other hand, feels everything. Though his feelings cloud his judgement time and time again, it is ultimately his big heart that causes him to be so different than Voldy. In fact, in Book 5, Voldy posesses Harry for a brief time, but finds it impossible to stay too long because he has emotion and Voldy couldn't take it. The emotion of love saved Harry as a baby, when his mother protected him. It is likely that Voldy didn't plan for this because he forgot that it was an option (out of sight, out of mind, you know). Harry's emotional capacity it astounding. He hears about Voldy's mother abandoning him and feels empathy for him. That shows an amazing heart, that he could have a shred of sympathy for Voldy after losing his own parents at his hand. Harry and Voldemort are eachother's Yin and Yang.