I had to stop reading HP3 after only 30 pages (and they might have been the fastest 30 pages I have ever read).
My main question so far is whether or not there is anything resembling protective child services in England. Harry Potter's uncle threatens him with physical violence if he doesn't lie to a family friend. Physical violence. Towards a minor. In his custody.
Hasn't Harry mentioned any of this to his school councilors at Hogwarts? Don't they have a legal or at least moral responsibility to take him out of this abuse-ridden domicile?
And what's the deal with Harry's uncle anyway? He's an overweight, industrial capitalist suffering from homophobia...er...magi-phobia. I assume he is opposed to environmentalism because he runs a drill company (would I be wrong to assume these are mining drills rather than Black&Deckers?). He advocates the death penalty and harsh corporal punishments to criminals.
He reads like a bad, left-wing caricature of conservatives...or the typical villain in an episode of Captain Planet. He's an implausible, hyper-inflated cartoon character--and his implausibility dismantles my suspension of disbelief along with any sympathy for Harry.
I think I'd have found this conflict more compelling if Harry's uncle was less concerned about British manners alone and instead hypocritically tried to exploit Harry's powers while at the same time crying out against magic. Maybe it's just a British cultural thing that I'm not quite getting.
Comments