From: Andrea Johnson <ajohnson>
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 11:36:02 -0600

Well, he's won the lottery of life, in some ways, since he finds out he's possibly the greatest wizard that ever lived, and his parents left him lots of money. But, in the words of Spiderman (I think), "With great power comes great responsibility." Some of the things Harry is faced with are definitely not burdens I'd willingly put on an 11-year-old. And what about the fact that his parents were murdered? And they were murdered protecting
*him* -- what a burden of guilt for a kid to carry! What about the fact that he's forced to live with the Dursleys, who not only don't love him, and abuse him, but also rub in his face how much better it could be for him by making him watch how they spoil Dudley? Sure, maybe these new discoveries of magical powers and lots of money seem unfairly positive, but surely Harry was way overdue for some good luck for a change. And he still has to go home to the Dursleys every summer, where they treat him even worse than before because they hold his magic against him. And, as we discover in book
#3, being the greatest wizard that ever lived isn't all good -- fame has its dark side as well.

Andrea Johnson ajohnson at cooklib.org Children's Librarian * Cook Memorial Library * Libertyville, IL
Received on Wed 10 Nov 1999 11:36:02 AM CST