Analysis of Major Characters
Harry Potter
Harry's defining traits, as they have been throughout
the series, are bravery, determination, and self-sacrifice. A true
Gryffindor, Harry responds to every crisis with courage and resolve.
It would simply never occur to Harry to abandon his quest or to
choose some other life. Not that he has any viable alternatives.
He has no home and no family to go to, he's wanted by the Ministry,
and he can't go back to Hogwarts. But more important than these
considerations, his destiny—to be the boy who defeats Voldemort—is
so ingrained in his identity that he can't imagine trying to avoid
it.
However, Harry is not the most focused or relentless hero,
at least not until later in the book. His tendency to stray from
his quest is not literal or physical, but mental and emotional.
When there are no clear leads and nothing to do, Harry cannot command
the sort of focus that Hermione can, digging around in books for
clues, racking her brains until something occurs to her. At these
moments, Harry tends to lose focus and drift, following his emotions.
This happens most dangerously in Godric's Hollow, when Harry leads
them into a trap, his real reasons for going there having nothing
to do with the quest and everything to do with his grief and doubt
concerning Dumbledore.
This doubt is what leads him astray in his quest. Harry
is first concerned that Dumbledore was not forthcoming about his
own life, and now cannot ask him about it. Then he thinks that Dumbledore
didn't tell him enough to help with the quest, and questions his motives.
Finally, he comes to believe that Dumbledore didn't love him, and
that Dumbledore didn't deserve his love. Harry's journey is an emotional
one, in which he learns to come to terms with the dead, and learns
to believe in Dumbledore again so he can complete his quest without
his doubts getting in the way.
Severus Snape
Chapter Thirty-Three brings us the long-awaited truth
about Snape, beginning with his childhood and stretching almost
to his death. After reading his life story, we see the explanations
of many of the mysteries and enigmas that have surrounded this character,
and yet he remains full of intriguing contradictions.
As a child he both is and is not an appealing and likable
character. We want to take his side, because he has a father who
doesn't love him and a mother who dresses him, to his humiliation,
in ugly rags. Also appealing is his obvious devotion to Lily, his
urgent desire to make her his friend. And yet he has already developed
unattractive qualities out of his reaction to the obstacles he faces.
He is secretive and closed to most people, and resentful of most
of the world. He wants to be special, and wants to have a special
friend in Lily, scorning her Muggle sister. And in his secretiveness
and desire to be special, he is somewhat sneaky, opening Petunia's
letter and telling Lily about it.
These contradictions continue during his school years
at Hogwarts, and come between him and Lily. He continues to adore
her and stay loyal to her, but his contempt for the Muggles who
mistreated him and his desire to be special lead him into pureblood views
that are offensive to Lily, and lead him to associate with other Slytherins
who see themselves as special and superior. His need to cling to
Lily, which is the downside of his loyalty to her, leads him to jealously
resent James Potter. He develops a mixture of bad qualities partially
redeemed by his loyalty and love.
After Lily tells him that they're no longer friends, Snape
joins Voldemort and becomes a Death Eater. The one unforgivable
thing he does is to tell Voldemort about Professor Trelawney's prediction regarding
the boy who can destroy Voldemort, unwittingly putting Lily Potter's
life in jeopardy. Yet Dumbledore offers him a chance to redeem himself,
and Snape remains true to his promise even after Lily dies, staying
faithful to her by protecting her son. Thereafter, the mixture of
bad and good qualities is more a matter of surface appearance. On
the surface, Snape appears to be greasy, sinister, and vindictive,
but he is in reality the bravest and most reliable of Dumbledore's
supporters.
Ron Weasley
Ron is tested and forced to evolve in this book in a way
that Hermione is not. His abandonment of Harry and Hermione in the
forest is an act that we really don't expect from him, and in order
for us to forgive him and accept his return, we need to see, as
with Harry, the visible proof of what his struggle really is.
Part of the reason for Ron's departure (aside from the
negative influence of the Horcrux, which only exacerbates problems
that are already there) seems to be simple immaturity. Ron has always
been well fed, both at home and at school, and is quite greedy about
food. When they're on their own, he expects Hermione to feed him
and take care of him, showing that he's still basically a child.
The same dynamic applies to the quest. Ron is brave and loyal enough
when he's along for the ride on one of Harry's adventures, but the
idea that Harry doesn't know what he's doing makes him very uncomfortable,
because Ron needs to be told what to do.
When Ron comes back, however, and we see his fears manifested by
the Horcrux before Ron destroys it, we see that his problem runs deeper.
Always playing second fiddle to Harry, Ron does not believe that
he could actually be loved—not by his girlfriend, not even by his
own mother. When he accepts that he is loved, he
is able to grow up and take responsibility for his part in the quest,
no longer needing others to prove their love by coddling him.
