Grief: Defending Caps Lock Harry

[@thinker5288]

The boy has textbook PTSD. Hypervigilence, depression, rage, nightmares, the whole thing.

[@T-Bone99]

Snape: "let's do occlumency and relive some of those memories that are causing your PTSD...oh and also CLOSE YOUR MIND lol"

[@thinker5288]

@@T-Bone99 EXACTLY.

[@stqueue402]

Ouch :'(

[@samueldrejby9058]

@Paola Ramirez well som people are close minded. It's as simple as that.

[@derpyshark3305]

Yup

[@coziclair]

"THEN - I - DON'T - WANT - TO - BE - HUMAN! I DON'T CARE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END. I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" "You do care," said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it." wow i really need to reread these books, this is heartbreaking. dumbledore's trying to make me sob.

[@allisonfitzmaurice6948]

I re-read this scene after my grandmother died and it hit me so much differently.

[@smartwolfygirl1065]

That's me sometimes

[@candidlyopinionated19]

Allison F. I’m sorry for your loss ❤️

[@GeneseChannel]

This part makes me cry each time i hear it

[@overtone15]

And then you think after reading the series, maybe Dumbledore knew what Harry was feeling. Maybe his guilt and trauma over his sister and Grindelwald gave him that feeling, or something of that caliber to Dumbledore. It’s acknowledging that there are some who have been there, and for some people that can make all the difference. I think It shows insight into not only your protagonist’s journey, but the journey of others and how that experience can help the protagonist. Rowling has gone through a lot in her life, and the emotion and realism yet fantastic and magical world is what so captivates and inspires reader. Its earned some real respect from me

[@entertain7us148]

Also: what a BEAUTIFUL performance from Dan in this film.

[@Lauren_210]

This is definitely one of Daniel Radcliffe's best performances in the entire series.

[@Chuckakhan]

It was the horse fucking play.

[@caspeepeepoopoo]

Charlie huh?

[@ladywhistledown8024]

The only good performance he had in the entire series.

[@ApolloArden]

Grazi Souza that’s downplaying him a bit. he’s definitely not the greatest actor ever but for a kid who was picked up with next to no experience in acting for the series, he does fairly well

[@norasprooten8624]

i think its funny how the most overlooked character in Harry Potter is Harry Potter. Hes gone through more loss, trauma and abuse than any other character in the books. Yet he has so much love and good inside him. He found himself a new self chosen family that he cares so deeply about, and he is constantly battling his demons and trying to become a better person. I don’t get how anyone could call him boring or even a bad person just because of his anger in book 5.

[@janhavi1977]

Harry is one of the more underrated characters in the series. You hardly hear anyone say Harry is their favorite. It’s always Hermione, Neville, or Ron, or Snape, etc. But I actually think it’s pretty great how Rowling managed to create a Chosen One who wasn’t a perfect Mary Sue.

[@wpc456cpw]

Totally agreed. Harry is 100% my favourite character because of this. He’s so overlooked!

[@princessthyemis]

YES!!! I agree! Thank you!

[@kimberlyhaines107]

Lucky He’s in my favorites - I love Harry, Tom Riddle/Voldemort, Luna, Remus and Sirius, and Snape. I actually don’t particularly like Dumbledore though. Fortunately I’ve found others who understand and agree.

[@karenholl2489]

also in terms of his personality i actually love it, especially when we see sassy harry

[@samwisegamgees679]

Tbh Caps lock Harry never bothered me. It made him more human and I loved it.

[@purpleclaws202]

It was annoying

[@Arttective]

People who were turned off by Harry's extreme behavior need to understand it's a 15 year old kid who just witnessed the return of a dark wizard who wants to kill him, saw a fellow student get murdered and to make it worse, almost no one in the wizarding world believes him.

[@mojin7470]

You cannot persuade someone to like something, just by explaining why something is happening... I know that Harry's actions and reactions in this book are totally accurate and understandable, but that doesn't make his Character more likeable to me... I still hate every decision Harry makes in this book, because they are just hella stupid! Of course he is just 15 years old, but knowing that a certain decision is obviously stupid is just not very comfortable to read about. And sadly I don't recall even a single decision Harry made in the 5th book, that made me think "Wow, good Idea. Yes go for it Harry!" And this is the longest of all books. I really just can't get myself to like this book because it's just unpleasant to read...

[@Arttective]

Mojin Harry isn't a perfect character because he is... Uh... A human. And you wouldn't want to read stories if the characters always made the right decisions. That's how humans are. We are irrational and emotional. And Harry went through a lot so although you don't agree with his actions, it is still human.

[@sharonr.8840]

Mojin if harry always made the perfect decision you would have a much shorter and less interesting series. and rather than a 15 year old who makes mistakes your main character would be a gary stue

[@mojin7470]

@@sharonr.8840 I don't want him to be perfect...But does this automatically mean, that he must be my favourite Character? I think I already said this: I know that Harry has to make those wrong decisions, because they make his Character relatable and realistic, but I really don't get why this should mean that I have to love his Character? He is annoying... He is very well written and his Character fits the story perfectly BUT I DON'T LIKE HIM ON A PERSONAL LEVEL... Is this so fucking hard to understand?

[@mojin7470]

@@Arttective Alright let me try it this way: Is Umbridge an important part of this story? Yes of course! Is she well-written? Yes of course! Does this mean that I have to like her? No of course not, I hate her on an emotional level, because she's just a cruel bitch! So now let's do the same with Harry alright? Is Harry important to the story? Well, of course he is the protagonist! Is his Character well-written? Yes of course he is very realistic and relatable. Does this mean, that I have to like him? No of course fucking not! I don't like Harry on an emotional Level, because I don't like his way of thinking and making decisions! Do you get it now, or will you still try argueing with the same boring arguments like "But he went through a lot!" "He can't be perfect!" "He must not be a Mary Sue!" "He is only 15 years old!" I know all this shit, I agree with all of this shit and I don't fucking care about any of it, as it doesn't change my opinion on Harry and this Book: I don't like him and he makes the book very unpleasant to read for me!

[@ebisawkward]

Every time people are like "I hated the fifth book cuz Harry was so whiny" it drives me bonkers. Like, Harry has undergone insane amounts of trauma, he's allowed to be a little mad.

[@kritichaplot5025]

I'll downright admit that the order is my least favorite book. It is the longest with the plot going really slow. But the fact is that it pretty much represents what is going on with Harry at that time- the feeling of long dragged-out misery. The reason I don't go back to the order in my rereads is not because Harry is whiny, but because it is so downright depressing to read..

[@thecouch4702]

I dont like order because sirius died, but it had to be done.

[@laurafox8721]

i loved this book because of how mad he was getting coz he should have been even more mad in the other books and it was annoying me

[@thecouch4702]

@@laurafox8721 i like it more now because it sent harry on an emotional roller coaster. Also his attitude is representational of teens his age, with snappy comebacks and his anger always on the edge.

[@charnightt]

I always want to yell at those who say that the fifth book is the worst because if harry whining and yelling. This is what I want to yell, "Harry has gone through so much, his parents died, he sees into Voldemorts mind, umbridge abused him, the dursleys abused him, and last I checked he had a dark lord continuously trying to kill him, that only ended at the age of 17, I'm guessing you don't understand what harrys been through, or you have a dark lord trying to kill you that I don't know about."

[@ola3810]

Harry is an abused kid who is dealing with grief, voldemort playing with his mind, people blaming him and hating him for what happened the year before and is also going through puberty, if anything NOT having caps lock Harry would've been unrealistic and dishonest to the character..

[@princessthyemis]

you're totally right!

[@snailflowers]

I didn't understand "caps-lock Harry" until I got a little older and experienced true loss and grief myself. Harry's rage he felt in Dumbledore's office is so real it's almost painful to read. It also happens to be one of my favorite scenes in the entire series. Harry went through extreme trauma and then was forced almost immediately after to go to an abusive household, and the only people he felt he could talk to about it were severed from him by the closest thing to a father figure he had. Of course he was angry, of course he lashed out, of course this book is uncomfortable and unpleasant to read. And then for Harry to finally be back at Hogwarts, what he sees as his true home, only to be ridiculed and gaslit about the trauma he went through and suffer more mental and even physical abuse at the hands of Umbridge? All at the age of fifteen???? As an adult returning to Harry Potter I understand why my younger self didn't understand caps-lock Harry, but now I have nothing but empathy and understanding for him.

[@janhavi1977]

Yes exactly! When I was younger I would be exasperated with Harry, and now I just want to give him a hug! He's my favorite character and it kills me to hear people hate on him in this book and call him whiny! It completely trivializes all his trauma and everything he went through. Like he was bloody tortured! And is dealing with nightmares and people saying that his experiences are all lies! He would need to vent to someone obviously! And he trusts his friends to put up with him when he's at his worst. Ron and Hermione are both huge jerks in Half-Blood Prince due to hormones, and they don't have the excuse of PTSD. But they aren't criticized as much. I think because he's the main character, Harry is expected to be the righteous hero, and if he's not he's criticized very harshly for it. Also, I always felt people blew his behavior out of proportion. There's at most three moments where he loses his shit in an 870 page book. It's really not that much. It's not as if he was in a state of perpetual anger, lol.

[@makmart5298]

I absolutely agree too! When I was younger I just brushed it off as teenage angst but now I understand how alone and bottled up he was. It's a great reread and to know that I still relate

[@NankitaBR]

Honestly, if I were in Harry's shoes, I would have acted so much worse than he did... And I was the perfect example of the "good and well-behaved girl" in my teenage years.

[@jrjackson1616]

I totally forgot about the gaslighting when he got back to school! Just so much heaped on this poor boy and people (as readers) are oblivious as why he's so angry

[@katcarpenter8967]

This makes so much sense now ! Ive always loved caps-lock Harry and OOTP has been my fave book since I was young, but I had already experienced multiple losses from a young age .. no wonder I always loved it and couldn't understand why everyone else thought he was annoying !

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

Why wouldn’t Harry be like this? He watched Cedric be brutally murdered. He went through a series of contests after being forced to and being far too young to do so. His parents’ murderer came back more powerful than ever and can hurt him. Everyone is calling him a liar for experiencing that and has pushed into a corner where he’s forced to be alone. And I could keep going. The kid is traumatized and is grieving and is being pushed away and pushed in general. And he’s only 15 at this point. Leave him alone. Lol.

[@gillian1242]

Also everyone keeps turning on him, first in chamber of secrets when everyone thinks he is setting a snake lose to murder the students, then in goblet of fire when the school wears badges that say Potter stinks and no one is talking to him, and again in Order of the Phoenix when the entire school and kids parents think he is lying about Voldemort’s return and they call him attention seeking

[@issy8771]

@@gillian1242 and in the first book where he lost about 150 house points and nobody spoke to him until the exams / until he got all the points back at the house cup ceremony

[@delusionalunicorn5324]

Neville's interaction with his mother breaks my heart because I have experienced something similar. Wish it was added to the movie , thank you for appreciating it.

[@ariahazelwood3842]

💜💜💜💜💜 love you stranger, sorry to hear that

[@TropeAnatomy]

Sorry to hear you’ve experienced something similar 💙

[@delusionalunicorn5324]

@@TropeAnatomy Thanks ❤ I'm a big fan of yours.

[@delusionalunicorn5324]

@@ariahazelwood3842 that's sweet of you, stranger ❤

[@sarah4hp]

I am so sorry to hear that you have experienced something similar. And yes, it should really have been included in the movie as it is such an important and relevant thing... so sad that they kind of glossed over it. But at least the books dealt with it in a really good way.

[@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791]

I never noticed or thought the shift to caps lock Harry was bad. As someone also from a not so nice household, my younger self maybe found it quite cathartic

[@philosusphie]

Yes, I did!

[@deinodinosuchus]

agreed!

[@ChristmasCarolyn]

I think it's also because not many would've gone through this much suffering normally. I found it as cathartic too because I experienced rather traumatic events in my childhood that has lasted till adulthood. The anger at the injustice of this much suffering upon people who don't deserve it, be it upon you or those you love, while still trying to keep your moral compass and be a decent person is a battle not many can understand. Keep in mind that Rowling herself went through much suffering by the time she wrote her series, so her intimate experience with trauma and grief is evident in her writing.

[@katierasburn9571]

yes! i'd love to see anyone go through a fraction of what harry did and NOT be an angry raving lunatic, his whole life was basically people trying to hurt and kill and mock and discredit him and eventually the weight of all that unfairness has to break the camels back so to speak

[@Lake420H]

THISSSS and same

[@merchantarthurn]

One of the things I hate about the "he was an accidental horcrux" twist (it makes sense and is consistent, so I can't hate it MUCH but I do for this) was how easy it is to excuse Harry's consistent anger as "the voldemort coming out" as it happens in the later films. No!! Survivors guilt, and the continual loss that Harry suffers his whole life... anger is natural. The films do an awful job of separating Harry and the realistic grief and loss and anger with his connection to Voldemort strengthening.

[@jaschabull2365]

Yeah, not to mention, not only is this used to excuse how Harry acts, I've heard people say it's the real reason the Dursleys were so nasty, as having him around was the equivalent to having the locket around in The Deathly Hallows. Though at least that's a bit easier to debunk, as the Dursleys shut Harry up in a stairwell and tried to keep him as out of their way as possible, in Deathly Hallows, Harry et al were wearing the horcrux 24/7 between themselves, giving them genuine exposure.

[@chsparkle]

@@jaschabull2365 there's also the fact Harry and his friends intended to destroy the Horcrux, so it acted in self defence. I doubt it did anything to Umbridge because she thought it a normal locket and the point of the Horcrux is to remain safe and hidden.

[@princessthyemis]

Hmmm good point!

[@princessthyemis]

The more I think about this, the more I realize you are right! SUCH A GOOD POINT.

[@Xehanort10]

The people who say "Harry has anger issues because of the Horcrux" are as annoying as the "Snape only acts like an asshole to keep his cover as a double agent" types. His parents were murdered by Voldemort, his friend's sister and his future girlfriend and wife was possessed and manipulated by a part of Voldemort's soul into killing Hagrid's roosters and writing threatening messages on the walls in their blood. Poor Ginny kept ending up in random places not knowing how she got there or what she'd done before she did. Harry's godfather Sirius was framed for betraying Lily and James to Voldemort by his former friend Peter Pettigrew who then proceeded to also frame him for the murders of some Muggles then Pettigrew cut his hand off, turned into a rat and crawled into a sewer to make it look like Sirius had murdered him. Sirius then spent 12 years in Azkaban having every happy memory sucked out of him by the Dementors and probably barely being fed and watered until he managed to escape. But in the chaos of Lupin turning into a werewolf Pettigrew escaped so they couldn't prove Sirius's innocence forcing him to go on the run where he had to live in a cave and eat rats to survive. And even though Sirius brought the Order of the Phoenix back together on Dumbledore's orders Dumbledore told him to stay in Grimmauld Place probably because since that's how Albus, his parents and his brother Aberforth protected his sister Ariana he probably thought that was the best way to protect him. Then Sirius ends up being killed by his cousin Bellatrix. A fellow student was murdered in front of Harry then he had his arm slashed with a knife by Wormtail and his blood was used in a ritual to bring Voldemort back. So no wonder he's pissed quite a bit.

[@lizziehastings4792]

Actually, caps lock Harry is what made me completely fall in love with his character... For the first time, Harry experiences grief and guilt for someone’s death (he didn’t really see his parents dying, so that makes Cedric the first person Harry fully had to grieve). And, as someone who felt responsible for someone else’s death, I must say that when I read OOTP I never related more to a character’s feelings...

[@JumpdeArt]

Yeah, this also was the book that made me appreciate Harry. I’m sorry you’ve went through similar guilt, I hope you’re doing alright

[@jhonj5702]

Wait, people generally disliked the Order of the Phoenix? I do admit that Harry is incredibly volatile in the book, but isn't that the point? As put in the video, the kid pretty much started and finished with traumatic experiences through the book. I suppose it was just too uncomfortable seeing him so angry for some, or something.

[@steffi725]

I am one of the "Haters". I hate the fact that Harry is so in his head and is so stupid the whole time. Like Sirius gave him the magical mirror and he never unpacks it. This could have saved Sirius and I am not able to get over this.

[@Konoronn]

I just think the book is unpleasant and not very fun to read.

[@janhavi1977]

@@steffi725 He didn't know it was a mirror or how it worked when Sirius had given it to him. He was afraid Sirius would get into trouble if he used it. And yes he made a huge mistake by forgetting about it, but he's just a kid. He was terrified that his closest relative was about to die, so he panicked and wasn't thinking clearly. Also, Kreacher literally told him that Sirius had been taken by Voldemort. Harry's made mistakes, but so have a lot of other characters, and I feel Harry is very harshly and unfairly criticized far more often than other characters. And Harry is in his head because it's not exactly easy to just get over things like trauma and PTSD. It's easy to say harder to do.

[@suedeciviii7142]

I think it's a good book but it always did have a certain... reputation among the later books. It's the longest in the series by over 100 pages, and the combination of it being drawn out and the dark, difficult subject matter rubs people the wrong way. Often it feels miserable for the sake of being miserable, like the mirror reveal at the end, and suffering through Umbridge. Depending how old you were when you first read it, it might have been a challenge to read too. That being said, I think there's so much great content, and so many cool passages in the book that I could never dislike it.

[@cookedfennel]

i’ve always loved this book, luna is a massive part of that and i’ve always enjoyed the depth we get to neville. i think something that those in the world of hp and those reading forget is that harry, aside from the tragic backstory and world resting on his shoulders, he’s a regular teenage boy, and i don’t know if you’ve met any of those but they can be idiots because, shock horror they’re human, and they’re fucking kids

[@valeriasantillan849]

I didnt know people hated him I always wanted to hug him so tight :( sirius was my last straw too bruh, I was angry with him

[@valeriasantillan849]

him I mean caps lock harry not overall harry ofc

[@Error_-ct2vp]

@@valeriasantillan849 nah he’s a terrible protagonist

[@Chris-sw3zd]

@@Error_-ct2vpWhat are you trying to do by butting your opinion when someone’s expressing their own then presenting it like it’s “fact”. It just makes you seem like an asshole to me

[@HayStellEm]

I think this is clear to anyone who has experienced grief. Like Harry - and Luna - you don't see the Thestrals until you've witnessed/experienced death. It's an experience others can only try to understand, but not truly see. I love the book for that reason. Sometimes we appreciate and understand things better only after experiencing them ourselves. Fantastic analysis as always!

[@HayStellEm]

To add, it's difficult to explain to people who haven't experienced it, the rage that can often coincide or replace sadness when grieving. "How can people carry on? How does the world keep on as normal even though nothing feels normal anymore? Why them? Why me? It's not fair. It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense. Make it go away." I think JK portrayed this beautifully.

[@JemRochelle]

This is so true. I have been thinking about this a lot since my mother died a few months ago. I just never really "got" grief until now.

[@Cancoillotteman]

@@HayStellEm Well you see, that is why i actually always "feared" the fifth book rather than loved or hated it. It is indeed very well written, and I feel this time too much close to Harry on those moments, that the pain gets real for me. I just remember my own. And also there is a final part to Harry's emotions and journey in this book : he shuts himself off the world and everyone else. You can see it so many times, where he just wants to avoid company, and falls further into his anger. Man do I get that....

[@janhavi1977]

Woah...the Thestrals being a metaphor for grief is something I never realized. That's so true! I agree grief and trauma was so well-handled in this book. Harry's character was brilliantly written in this book. So many YA books just gloss over trauma, but Rowling did not shy away from showing the ugly side of Harry's nightmarish "adventures." I'm so glad a video like this finally exists. The only thing I disagree with him was Harry being a blank slate. Even in the earlier books he had personality, he was so witty and sassy! And his personality plays off others, and lets others shine. Because Harry is street smart and intelligent, but not a genius, Hermione's brains and book-smarts are highlighted. Because Harry has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor, Ron's goofiness becomes more lovable. Books 1-4 Harry might not be the most complex character, but he's still underrated and definitely not a Bella Swan type blank slate.

[@HayStellEm]

@@Cancoillotteman That certainly makes a lot of sense to me. I often fear rewatching fantastically written tv episodes or films about grief for the same reason (one in Buffy, Doctor Who) because it throws that memory and experience into sharp focus again, even if that experience is ultimately cathartic. A Monster Calls is another that utterly broke me.

[@irrevocablytired3713]

I didn't know people were that turned off by his behavior. I liked it because Harry wasn't presented as an easily likable protagonist anymore. You explained it beautifully: he really becomes his own person and isn't just a vessel for readers to project themselves onto. I don't think I would be friends with Harry, but his anger and hotheadedness in the last few books is entirely understandable. He's gone through SO much...was he just meant to take it all without complaining?

[@deaddhianna]

I didn't need to cry about Neville and his mother at 8am. I didn't need to cry as Harry yelled at Dumbledore and trashed his office and Dumbledore read him so accurately. Why are all the best Harry Potter videos ones that make me bawl like a little baby.

[@Xehanort10]

And when Harry and Dumbledore talk about Dumbledore making Sirius stay in Grimmauld Place and Harry says "People don't like being locked up. You did it to me all last summer" Dumbledore puts his head in his hands and he's probably thinking about his sister Ariana who he, his brother Aberforth and their parents Kendra and Percival had to keep hidden in their house in Godric's Hollow after she was attacked by the 3 Muggle boys after they got scared of the magic she was doing which permanently traumatised her and left her unable to control her magical powers which burst out of her in random fits of rage, one of which she accidentally killed her mother in. And then Ariana herself was killed trying to stop the duel between Albus, Aberforth and Grindlewald which started when Grindlewald used Crucio on Aberforth for standing up to him and trying to talk sense into Albus and make him see that Ariana was too unstable for her to go with them when they went to look for the Deathly Hallows. That's why Dumbledore thought Harry was safest at Privet Drive despite the Dursleys abuse as well. It's how he was taught to protect his sister so he thinks it's the best way to protect everyone.

[@stinebot33]

I’m literally fighting back tears right now why am I like this 😭

[@Lol-vm1ee]

Liz Dhianna LITERALLY IM SAT HERE WEEPING

[@idkutellme-rp9qe]

ItsOnly Ellie same

[@meh23p]

People who didn't sympathize with Harry in book five know nothing about life.

[@blah7983]

Or read it prepubertu

[@andrejmarkusov5500]

@@blah7983 I read it when I was nine, and not to brag, but I didn't think Caps Lock Harry was whiny or annoying. I thought his reaction was pretty reasonable, given what he's going through.

[@wolftownesque]

This might be a good thing honestly. It might mean that they’ve never undergone any traumatic or tragic problems in their life. I empathized and cried for Harry because I could relate. I understood his frustration and confusion. May children and teenagers never have to go through similar circumstances in their young lives.

[@queenjeski591]

wolf town my thoughts exactly! it’s good that they don’t understand it fully, because it means that they’ve never gone through something similar!

[@angelictrash]

@@andrejmarkusov5500 Me too! Although I didn't understand trauma and grief as a kid, I the very least understood his frustration and that he was "feeling bad" (an understatement) because of being isolated, losing a friend to Voldemort, nobody believeing him and Dumbledore ignoring him. There's plenty of reasons to be able to sympathize with Harry, even if you don't understand PTSD.

[@aliciadonadio2597]

"it cheapens all the traumatic events Harry has gone through" That is such an ample way of putting this into words. My problem with many, many books is that characters go through heaps of traumatic events without being more affected by it. I understand that as an author, it is difficult describing someone's authentic reaction to traumatic events, because having a character go through months or years of grief or otherwise struggling can be boring or haltens the story. I think that Rowling did a really good job in plausibly portraying someone's reaction to trauma, while also making it so that the plot progresses. I personally also like Harry having a few edges. Protagonists who are perfect angels who carry all the burden with a Jesus-like temper are kind of lame to be honest. I'm reading the Expanse series right now and this is one of my largest grievances with the protagonist, Holden.

[@sharkofjoy]

Give the Expanse a chance :) This aspect of Holden's personality is not as uncomplicated as it first seems, and I like how they confront it eventually.

[@jaquitavulpix3418]

If you're into anime I'd highly recommend watching 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and 'Hunter X Hunter'. Both kinda deconstruct the 'protagonist who should be traumatized but is just to badass to care because they are the hero'-trope very beautifully - and both are incredibly awesome for it (HxH's viewing experience might be better if you're at least a bit familiar with anime and shonen tropes in general because it relies on subverting those tropes; but NGE doesn't really need any context).

[@Handz-kun]

Love the Expanse! another fan right here!

[@mrplatink]

Say his name: "Harry Potter." Even his name is ordinary, boring, a blank slate - "JUST HARRY" is as khakis bland as you can get. Compare his name to everyone, EVERYONE else's: Draco Malfoy, all the Weasley's, even Tom MARVOLO Riddle is curious...Dumbledore...Sirius, Severus, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Hermione, Hagrid, Hedwig...the only boring "H" name is your protagonist. She knew that; as much as you can criticize Rowling, she knew what she was doing, she knew SOUNDS and the aural effect of "DUD-ley" has or "voldeMORT" and how simple "Harry" disappears into the pool of colorful and "characteristic" naming...it's masterful and inspired character building. As if by magic.

[@sen894]

Couldn’t have put it better

[@princessthyemis]

Same thing with the first sentence of Peter Rabbit. All his sisters have "fantastical" names like Cottontail and Flopsy, but Peter sounds normal; we know we're supposed to relate to him.

[@Win090949]

Kinda like "Wow! There's so many ppl with cool unique abilities! And then there's Harry."

[@CedarvilleOhio]

Keep in mind Rowling pronounces his name as VoldeMOR with a silent T

[@idkutellme-rp9qe]

Matthew B Welkie ik but mort means death in French, that’s where the name came from I’m pretty sure

[@Snakie747]

I NEVER got the criticism for Harry in Book 5. I can understand people finding the book too long and taking other issues with it- it's not my favorite book in the series or anything, but I always found the "Harry is such a douche in Order" comments strange. The kid is recovering from trauma and most of the world thinks he's a fraud and a joke because of what he experienced. I found him super sympathetic in this book. And yes, Neville coming across Harry and Ron while he's visiting his parents is the most heart-wrenching scene in the entire series. I don't remember immediately identifying it as such when I first read it as a kid, but as an adult, wow. I realize they can't show everything in the books in the films, but that was a terrible cut.

[@princessthyemis]

Me too! I never understood those comments.

[@maris337]

I was just mad about Sirius dieing not the book as a whole

[@azzahrahanamayindra7253]

Same!!! The people who critic Harry in the book means they dont understand grief and trauma or they are just childish

[@mkk3984]

Right? When you think about the actual book, Harry is actually the opposite of some “angsty teen.” His biggest outbreaks are after someone died-Cedric or Sirius. Personally, if I watched someone die AND blamed myself for Cedric’s death, do you expect me to shrug it off? Honestly, most people would give up on life, but Harry barely lashes out during the middle of the book. He has endured so much utter BS, and he barely expresses any emotions. It’s unhealthy and unrealistic to keep them bottled up during his entire stay at Hogwarts.

[@Chuckakhan]

This was the first book where I took Daniel Radcliffe seriously as an actor, he was wonderful in this movie conveying the impotent rage that people who’ve gone through severe trauma. I also think the fact that I can’t watch anything with Imelda Strauton as Dolores umbridge even to this day shows how great she was in this filn

[@thenarglesdidit1]

Honestly, even without the background of abuse by the Dursleys and the trauma of watching Cedric die Harry had every right to be furious about being left in the dark over the summer. Excluding those two very traumatic factors, imagine watching a crazed, powerful dark wizard come to life before your eyes and barely escape with your life, knowing he wants to kill you in particular. And now you have to go back to a place where you cannot use magic, the only thing you would be able to protect yourself with. You don't know Dumbledore has wizards watching over you to keep you safe, and your friends are obviously keeping stuff from you. You have no reason to trust in the adults who are supposed to be your caretakers because they either hate you or they are not even honestly communicating with you. How are you not supposed to be completely on edge for a whole month? And then you find out you were supposed to be kept safe but someone messed up. And now you might lose the ability to go to Hogwarts, the only place you enjoy, because literally every adult in the wizarding world either thinks you're crazy and a liar, thinks you are too young to know the truth about something that directly affects your life and wellbeing more than anyone else's, or is obeying direct orders from Dumbledore to not tell you too much about the whole situation. This all without mentioning that the place you are staying at for this month is an abusive household and you watched a friend only a few years older than you be murdered for existing. You're telling me you wouldn't absolutely tear into your friends because you're furious? They don't deserve it, no, but it had been held in way too long. And you don't even know yet that it will get worse with a teacher who is physically abusive to you especially and makes your life hell, and the dark wizard will literally invade your mind and make everything worse. Hate the book for being depressing or slow paced if you want. But screw anyone who thinks Harry "just needed to calm down he's so annoying and angsty in this one."

[@janhavi1977]

Amen to that and especially your last sentence! I don't think Harry was really angry with Ron and Hermione. So much of his grief and frustration had been bottled up for so long. He hadn't been allowed to talk to anyone or come to terms with what had happened to him. So when he meets the two people he is actually emotionally close to and trusts, he has himself a good rant. Ron and Hermione are two of the very few people Harry is comfortable ranting to. All of the kids make mistakes, there are plenty of moments when Ron and Hermione have also been unkind or rude, but Harry is always the one more harshly judged than others :(

[@longangrysausage3495]

absolutely agreed. he went through so much and didn't only not have anyone to rely on or talk about things, and also was constantly fearing for his life. the portrayal of his emotions were amazing and beautiful but it also teaches us how to help and understand people like that.

[@idkutellme-rp9qe]

He was pretty angsty ngl but just being a teen on top of everything else u said, contributes to it. I feel really bad for him, despite the fact that he’s not real.

[@queenjeski591]

idk u tell me i think that calling him ”angsty” trivializes his feelings of immense loss, trauma and pain

[@idkutellme-rp9qe]

queen jeski ..... not what I was tryna do it’s just true the *angst*

[@bianca-ns5fq]

The ending of this book is so beautifully written. His anger and Dumbledore's sadness felt so real. It was even hard to read the first time. Not many books can do that, unfortunately.

[@charlottej6074]

Honestly the reason I didn't like the book as much as the others is because I felt his anger too much. I spent so much of the book angry at his friends and I know I have reacted similarly as Harry in those positions. When I first read the book I wanted Harry to react even more, scream more, be even more spiteful, exude more toxic reactions as that's how I would have reacted - Caps lock Harry validated my own anger at the time.

[@TheKirschbaumfee]

thats exactly how i felt about harry! i was angry of them all but i liked the book alot anyway :D

[@kritichaplot5025]

Yes.. I see now in retrospect that I have gone through the capslock mode myself for a few good years. In some ways HP has influenced my personality.

[@OpDownfall93]

OMG literally same, there were more than a few parts, not even just in this book, where I wanted Harry to rip out Hermione's hair especially. She would constantly treat Harry like a little baby and belittle him for things going wrong that were almost completely out of his control, or else blow things way out of proportion. Ron was in a similar boat, but not near as bad as Hermione. Funny, cause she was my favorite character on my first readthrough years ago.

[@alienillusi0n]

ME TOO! But I loved the book all the same. It's my favorite for this reason.

[@lolloblue9646]

@@OpDownfall93 I mean, Hermione's sort of an expert at belittling others. It's kinda what some insecure people do to make themselves feel better. Perfectly fits her know-it-all attitude

[@lostschedule51]

Why people don't direct their hate to the adults in the book? I feel Harry's pain. How the people complaining about him would feel in his situation? He saw a friend dying and the return of the most powerful dark wizard. He spent a month in an abusing household and his friends didn't tell him what was going on outside. He went to Hogwarts, suddenly a more hostile place. He was called a liar by the Ministry and his mentor ignored him (instead, he had classes with Snape). I agreed with Harry - everybody was stupid. Hermione and Ron ignored countless rules and that summer they were good. If readers can believe in revolutions made by teenagers, surely the adulds could behave less foolish and more understanding. That's why I hate Order of Phoenix.

[@virusguy5611]

Oddly enough, I never was angry with Caps Lock Harry when I read it. Maybe because I was a pre-teen and frustrated with people I couldn't deal with, but I was totally on Harry's side when I was a kid. The thing is I can't really re-read Order of the Pheonix b/c I sympathize with Harry's anguish a bit too much. I couldn't get why, I was just so frustrated with the author for putting Harry through this ringer, but now I think I get why she put him through this... Thanks Trop Anatomy.

[@IzukuMidoriya-kh4jz]

virusguy5611 👌

[@azzahrahanamayindra7253]

Same- Caps lock Harry was never an issue, but it was just rather painful because i feel him in a spiritual level

[@skzanarchist]

I've never understood how people don't seem to show harry the slightest sympathy for he went through in the Goblet of fire. here is a boy who witnessed the death of a close person, the return of a dark wizard, was closed up and isolated in an abusive household with nothing but his traumatic ordeals. It is uncomfortable for some people BECAUSE IT IS MEANT TO BE like that.

[@Claffattack]

Damn son, I never thought that I'd suddenly want to read The Order Of The Pheonix and just that book alone, as badly as I do right now. Great job.

[@VioletEmerald]

It was always my favorite and I'm very glad Daniel Radcliffe also thought book 5 was his favorite. (In time i think the 7th book surpassed it and 5th book is my second favorite).

[@TropeAnatomy]

Thank you!

[@hailey_the_ace_of_hearts4127]

I’ve been rereading the series, and I’m on this book right now. I haven’t read the series in years, and as a kid I always thought he was just being dramatic and rude. Now I’m much older and gone through many things so I completely understand Harry’s angry. Anyway, it’s probably one of my favorites in the whole series now

[@katarinas6012]

@@TropeAnatomy im not crying, you are!

[@Ninjamanhammer]

Reading through the books again. Halfway through goblet currently. Very excited to get to Order.

[@eldueno6593]

When I first read the Order of the Phoenix, it was alot to take in at a young age. Fudge was calling Harry a liar, the Order hiding information from Harry, and Dumbledore straight up avoiding Harry. It felt like the first time adults in our lives weren't the paragons of honestly and fortitude, a naive child like me thought. After everything that happened at the end of Goblet, this is arguably one of the worst ways to treat Harry it's a very formative year of his life. I've always been a staunch supporter of Order because it shows that growing up(through puberty, and society) can be a very hard thing. Harry did the best he could with whoever was left by his side.

[@esmeb3e]

I was always so mad when people criticised Harry for being so angry in the fifth book, I always felt terrible for him, like of course he was about to be angry?

[@THEAP1995]

Reasons Caps Lock Harry didn't bother me. 1. He's 15. Still going through puberty and as anyone who has gone through puberty will tell you, you can switch from calm to angry at the drop of a hat for seemingly no reason. 2. Harry is under immense stress in this book. Constant nightmares, Increasingly strict regulations from Umbridge. Essentially being tortured during detention, no one believing him that Voldemort has returned, and Dumbledore seemingly ignoring him. It seems as though nothing is going right. I think I'd be extremely short tempered as well. 3. People telling you not to be angry has the exact opposite effect. You can't just stop being angry at something or someone. This is especially true during a grieving process. If you're sad, angry, or frustrated, you can't just shut it off and you want to punch people who tell you to relax or calm down because they don't know what you're going through and that you can't just switch off your emotions.

[@mariomp4754]

After having watched all the movies multiple times throughout my life, last year i read all the HP books and Order of the Phoenix was by far my favorite, I can't believe some people skip it or place it as the worst one, it goes in so much depth about the complex deteriorating mental states and relationships of Harry Potter and Sirius Black, so much more than in the movies, making the ending so much more heartbreaking

[@IzukuMidoriya-kh4jz]

Robot_ Tangerine Ikr, The Order of the Phoenix was and is my favourite book. It baffles me how under rated this book is within the HP community.

[@kaenachoo4783]

It’s also my favorite book. I don’t know how people like Movieflame say it’s the worst in the series and Harry is too whiny and edgy.

[@seagullokapi]

Saaaaame. Order is my favorite and Harry is my favorite character

[@azzahrahanamayindra7253]

Emma McCarry sameee!!!!

[@idkutellme-rp9qe]

I would never skip it, bc the series just isn’t the same without it, but instead I’ll just hold off reading the actual series sometimes bc of it, not cuz it’s bad, it’s great actually, or just brings u all my emotions that I always keep bottled up, and that really hurts me.

[@alisC]

As someone who experienced grief at a very young age, I can easily say that the Order of the Phoenix depicts perfectly what it feels like to grief someone while being in your most "fun'" age. It is such a frustrating experience to have all your close friends enjoying life at its fullest while you're dealing with so much pain and anger. The way J.K. Rowling shows (and that's the keyword, shows) what is going on in Harry's head made me feel more understood. What probably triggers the readers is that instead of showing what Harry would look like to others, she illustrates what he's feeling and that's why the Order of the Phoenix is my favorite book.

[@jijlwj]

As someone who struggled immensely through my teenage years with mental illnesses that I never really understood and consistently tried to stamp down, Harry in this book and movie were incredibly valuable to me. It was the only time I felt like I had found someone who felt what I felt; I saw myself in Harry, and seeing him express his grief felt like I was expressing and working through my own in a way that I never could normally.

[@daniel15yearsago66]

This is compeltely and exactly what rowling was looking for and did perfectly. I guess people who haven't experienced something like that wouldnt really understand his grief

[@IzukuMidoriya-kh4jz]

I can agree with this.

[@DarkHeartRebel]

Same :(

[@spacecloud6979]

I watched my mum die in an accident when I was 7. Seeing Harry get so angry and going through grief here reminds me so much of myself. I was so angry, all the time, I was angry at the situation, at myself and I took it out on my family and friends all while blaming myself for what happened, even though I knew that it wasn't my fault. It's like I felt so much anguish inside that it would bubble over and spew out in hurtful words without my control. I questioned my whole world, everything I believed in for a while. And I get Harry yelling that he didn't care and was fed up because I've done that too. And what's true in this video is that you do care, even if you claim not to, you care so much it feels like you're going crazy from how much it hurts. It's only made worse when he's forced into a situation of isolation from people who care for him, trapped with an abusive/neglectful family. Despite wishing he didn't have to go through all that pain, I think it's really good and so important that Harry was shown going through that realistically. It can get annoying to see people writing it off as Harry just being angsty or whiny, it can seem a little unsympathetic at times, but honestly, I'm just glad that those people haven't been through the kind of trauma and grief that would let them understand (not to say that it's impossible to properly empathise with the character and story unless you've experienced grief).

[@gettinjinxy9804]

Me: *has never read or watched Harry Potter* Also me: YEAH TELL IT TO ‘EM TA! 😤👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@TropeAnatomy]

😂😂😂

[@a.neko.77]

Read it Watch it Your life will be changed When I was younger I refused to read Harry Potter But then one day I forced myself to read it I got to the first quidditch match and fell in love with it immediately My life has been changed permanently, for the better. That’s why I get angry when one certain person who is in my class says “Harry Potter is boring and stupid.” I get mad and I say Have you ever even tried She says “no, it’s boring”

[@longangrysausage3495]

SAME HAHAHAHHAHA

[@queenjeski591]

how can you have gone through life and not seen the movies at least?

[@gulsenemtoylymyradova517]

U can either read the books or listen to the audio versions by Stephen Fry. 5yrs ago I felt too lazy to read the books so I started the audio one n finished all the 7books + Cursed Child in a month. If i was still a university student guess I’d have finished the series even before. But I promise u won’t regret

[@idfsg533]

It shows how Harry feels in the book. Harry is pissed off. Alone. And ignored. He wants answers.

[@KiryuuYoshiya]

order of the phoenix made me feel a lot of things honestly. harrys been through so much his entire life, hes still grieving for cedric, hes trapped in an awful place. his connection to voldemort keeps getting stronger, manipulating him, the adults hes supposed to trust refuse to properly communicate with him (dangit dumbledore why are you like this), hes also just a teenager, you know? it doesnt excuse his behavior in that moment, because its not great, but it makes sense, and i get it, because its what he needs to heal. anyway, great video! im also still upset to this day about sirius lmao

[@kimberlyhaines107]

I get so angry when people shit on Anakin in the prequels and Harry in this book. Saying they were being emo - Anakin grew up a slave, is practically a slave to the Jedi, loses his mother, and frustrated with some of the Jedi’s outdated rules. He’s almost made a child soldier more than any other younglings or padawans. And in this book I always argue he has to deal with Cedric’s death, he finally gets his first girlfriend who almost ONLY wants to talk about Cedric and being too stupid to understand why Harry can’t just yet (and for her to go off on him on Valentines Day in that tea shop he hated) and should understand that it’s harder for him to talk to about it because he ACTUALLY saw it. Add Dumbledore ignoring him without giving a reason (even coded), almost losing Arthur and thinking he was inhabiting Nagini and nearly killed someone, losing Sirius...Harry has every right to be angry in that book.

[@Xehanort10]

I think the problem with prequel Anakin is some of the awful dialogue George Lucas gave Hayden Christensen to say. Matt Lanter does a better pre Vader Anakin voicing him in the Clone Wars show.

[@kimberlyhaines107]

Xehanort10 I always wondered if any people from the movies voiced their animated characters - I keep meaning to watch the shows, including what’s available on Disney+ . But I’ve always liked the prequels, and Hayden - who I’ve seen in other movies, and is a fairly good actor - as Anakin, though I do recognize that sometimes he was given subpar dialogue.

[@emmaelizabeth3373]

“I’ve done a complete 180 on this book.” Dude, same. Although my issues with it were less about Caps Lock Harry and more about the slow pacing and Umbridge, lol. Still, I’ve now come to appreciate how many amazing character moments this book has, with Harry, Neville, Luna, and so many others. It really is heartbreakingly beautiful :)

[@jrjackson1616]

Just curious: What's your issue with Umbridge? I only ask because I'm sensing your dislike of her is something other than "she's an objectively horrid person"

[@ilivefortodoroki2259]

@@jrjackson1616 Um she physically abused her students including Harry and she made sure that his in Hogwarts was miserable.

[@jrjackson1616]

@@ilivefortodoroki2259 That's covered by the "Umbridge is an objectively horrid person" (which is totally valid). I just read your original comment and thought you might have disliked her for technical reasons like "She doesn't do anything to advance the plot." Or "Her character is so one dimensional. She's evil just for the sake of being evil"

[@ladyscarlette6289]

@@jrjackson1616 I dislike Umbridge because she's a horrible human being, and I dislike her because she's a flat character (evil for the sake of evil, purposefully sadistic, provoking reactions from children so she can punish them), and I dislike her because I know a person just like her and it makes me sick to my stomach.

[@emmaelizabeth3373]

Jr Jackson My issue was that I was 10 and I could barely handle how angry she made me 😂

[@stephaniep5458]

As someone who lost a parent as a child I found Harry very relatable. I know people hated seeing him how he was in the fifth book but I always recognised him as being in tremendous emotional pain, especially in Dumbledore's office which makes me cry every time - I know people thought it was a crappy thing to do to someone else's stuff and it was. But I thought it did justice to what Harry was feeling. Later on in life I lost a sibling and developed PTSD, and although I don't go around yelling at people, the emotions Harry experiences in the fifth book made me feel..like what I was going through was normal under the circumstances. It made me feel not as lonely

[@liabe18]

I read this book as a quite angry teenager and i empazised with Harry so much.. I loved it and it cemented my love for the series even more. Its the most emotional intense book of the series in my opinion. The later ones are more subtle, books 6 and 7 dont show Harry's inner life as much, his greif and depression is much more subtle. But that's growing up for you :)

[@janthran]

this is the first time i've heard that people hated OotP- it was always my favorite of the books. if you guys agree and haven't read Airman by eoin colfer then you should get on that

[@thatfangirl1145]

I remember reading caps lock harry when I was 11/12 and *cheering*. The kid had gone through so much and finally snapped; got angry, demanded support. I loved it and still love it now, at 26. It's part of the reason why TOotP is my favorite book. And when people tell me is their least favorite, is always bc of this and the fact that he's not as humble as they liked their heros to be. Psh... gotta love some depth and flaws in charas. And Harry is a great example of that. This book is golden.

[@Myranoctis]

Thank you for this great video. Grief is messy. Beïng a teenager is messy. So it makes sense that Harry shows some of his worst sides in the order of the phoenix book/movie. And it's not in an unrealistic way, especially grief can make a person behave in unrecognisable ways.

[@missavund3286]

The chapter about Neville really stuck with me too. After a dark chapter of contemplating death and not knowing if mr Weasly would survive, we get to see he is alright. (Also Lockhart) Everything is fine and dandy again! Then we meet Nevill and his family and how death isn't the only terrible thing that can happen to your loved ones. It is so real and frightening!

[@princessthyemis]

well said!

[@maevereynolds6344]

The 3rd & 5th are my favorites. I was always puzzled at why people disliked the 5th so much. Harry had always been pretty emotionally passive, he'd get frustrated or occasionally hotheaded at specific people but nothing that seemed appropriate for the deep anger & sadness that couldn't _not_ be there from everything he'd been/he goes through. Book 5 is cathartic for me bc it made the true & unavoidable effects of Harry's trauma real/actualized. it felt like Harry finally realized he is entitled to the feelings & emotions that he'd been pushing off for so long. Then you have the beauty of his friends withstanding the brunt of his volatile emotions while still trying to help as best they can in spite of understanding that they can't understand what he has been/is going through. Great vid!

[@bridgetbaker109]

I’ve never understood why people hate this book! It’s always been one of my very favorites! It was always difficult for me to read, not because I hated the book or because I hated caps lock Harry, but because the emotions were so powerful that it was overwhelming.

[@purplemind93]

This makes me spill tears... so sad that harry was abused, and then so happy that he could have the right people he could be allowed to scream at because they love him.

[@bellamaz1972]

Say what you will about JKR, and I agree with criticisms of her understanding and empathy about certain marginalized groups, but as someone who’s worked with children and youth I’ve always admired her understanding of adolescent psychology.

[@IndianaJonas96]

Im so conflicted with JK.... i wish she wouldnt be so controversial because her books saved me and i wish i could support her :^(

[@sjeggy6]

@@IndianaJonas96 I think for some reason the controversy come from her trying to patch up all the holes she left in the story, as well as trying to appear ahead of her time with wokeness, which, both are sad

[@queenjeski591]

VIBuddy you can like the books without liking her. the story isn’t hers anymore, it’s all of ours who read it and loved it.

[@Mona-kg6hy]

@@queenjeski591 I mean, I think it's kinda dumb to say that the author doesn't "own" the story anymore, but there's just the simple fact that y'all probably already own your own copies of the books and movies, so there should be no problem with just reading them or watching them again. Doing so obviously won't put more money in her pockets if you care about that sort of thing.

[@deinodinosuchus]

man, order of the phoenix has always been my favorite along with POA. i didn’t realize people didn’t like OOTP so much so they skip it on their rereads! i’ve always loved the scene where harry screams, “LOOK AT ME!” when no one is telling him what’s going on. it feels so cathartic in lifting off that weight of hopelessness when you aren’t informed and everyone else is.

[@janet5427]

Yes love that scene so much!!!

[@evamarkovic203]

Grief creeps upon people and many time is not articulated but hidden in many other behaviors. Harry is expressing it the right way even though its hard to handle reading those parts. Still, he finds comfort in friends and companionship. Thanks for pointing that out. 🤗

[@MFBloosh]

Dan screaming "Look at me!" to Dumbledore is one of the best moments of the entire series. It's all of the emotion pent up over 5 years culminated with Dumbledore ignoring Harry the entire year to protect him. This moment in the movies is when you realize that Harry isn't a child anymore. Young, yes, but not a child. After that outburst, Dumbledore drops the whole "I'm going to stay away from Harry for his own good" thing and sends him to train with Snape straight away. And with that said, the guy was tasked with taking down the darkest, most powerful wizard in the world, and the man who murdered his family, all while having a part of that darkness inside of him the entire time. I think Harry was entitled to a few outbursts.

[@partycrumbs]

Order of the Pheonix was and still is my favorite Harry Potter books since I read the series as a kid. I remember it being one of the first times that a book made me really empathize with the character. I felt all of Harry's frustrations and grief as well as the support his friends were trying to give to him. This video just reminded me of all the reasons I liked the book in the first place. Well done!

[@Lily_James]

Couldn't agree more, it has been my most favourite book since I first read it when I was 11. There is so much going on and such wonderful character development. I was shocked to see how many people dislike it and Harry in it specifically, because he has never been more human and relatable than in this book imo. Over the years PoA has climbed on the top spot along OotP for me but OotP will always have a very special place in my heart.

[@wpc456cpw]

Loved the “emotional range of a teaspoon” clip at the end. Nice touch.

[@dersps5905]

I don't dislike any of the 7 books. I'm a simple person.

[@a.neko.77]

Same While there are books that I look forward to on my rereads My personal favourites Are chamber of secrets and deathly hallows But I never dislike a book I am constantly enjoying the books but there are some moments where I just become so happy and exited

[@esthercho6249]

I KNOW RIGHT!! A simple person would realize that every single one of those seven books were masterpieces.

[@cuturtimeshort1450]

I don't even remember the books. I just remember the fact that I read them all at one point. That's it.

[@idkutellme-rp9qe]

Correction: a *normal* person

[@fissilewhistle]

I don’t know how you could. Even the worst Harry Potter book is still great.

[@jk-rg5fn]

while reading the book again, i was really pissed at harry, he really annoyed me. but now after finishing the series again i realised he has every right to feel the way he did, theres so much trauma he went through and he was??only??15?? that thought just makes me feel so sad cause this guy has been through so much shit he felt so alone and he was literally depressed to the point of thinking of d*ath,,, he deserved to feel those emotions and it was good to see he has friends who didnt try to shut him out as well.

[@debdyutichakraborty2475]

Oder of the Phoenix is my favorite book of the series and that's because Harry seemed way more real than he did in the previous books. But I could never put into words how or why it seemed so, but this video just explains it to the T. Thanks.

[@t.r.s.5129]

Honestly, whoever says that they have never, ever been in the same emotional state as Harry was in this book and lashed out at friends and family for something they didn't do, they're lying. For some reason, though, I've always felt that the movie doesn't have enough time for us to see him go through those five stages. That final montage lasts three minutes, more or less, which is not enough because we, the audience, are still reeling from our own shock and grief for a character we loved. Not only that, but we were looking forward to Harry living being and growing with Sirius so we also grieve for what could never be, just like Harry is.

[@coxsara2016]

okay I guess this is as good a time as any to sob uncontrollably at this video

[@TropeAnatomy]

😂

[@dianevierra781]

I cried a little, listening to this. the interesting thing is that order pf the phoenix was the first book in the series I had ever read, because I had started with the films up until that point. I don't think I did hate Caps Lock Harry but you broke down his character and this aspect the book very well. So thank you!

[@paradigmings]

as someone who used to hate the book as a kid- I think the transition of ootp from the bottom of your favorite list to the top is the universal potter fan representation of growing up.

[@FirstNameLastName-mb5qs]

My favorite scene in the book is after Sirius dies and Harry completely loses it. The way he snaps and can’t take it anymore is extremely relatable.

[@backpackingtomars]

yessss this is what i needed right now

[@rando_webb8704]

Harry's personality in the first 2 books, where a result of his raising by the Dursleys. If Harry stood out in any way it was met with disapproval. Its is true it was far subtler than other students. Because he was simpally taking everything in. Infact it resulted In His insatiable curiosity. Being thrust into a situation where he was allowed to ask questions he took the opportunity to ask as many as possible. He is incredibly analytical, and can read into most situations with surprising alacrity. Brave, intelligent, curious, a surprisingly strong moral compass, and a good ability to read people.

[@happychaosofthenorth]

Order Of The Phoenix is one of my favourite books in the series, maybe even my favourite, though I think I'd have to reread them again as it's been years. I don't know, maybe it's because I lost a lot of people in my life, including my parents, and been abused, so I could empathize better with Harry's grief and state of mind, so his behaviour never bothered me. It felt authentic and relatable.

[@princessthyemis]

I'm so sorry you lost your parents that's awful :(

[@jakeflemming]

I read this book right after my sister passed away from cancer and have always felt close to Caps Lock Harry as a result. This book gave me a way of understanding my own grief.

[@liyah211]

As someone who read the series for the first time in my early/mid twenties, grieving Harry/caps lock Harry was the Harry I started to like. Like you mentioned, I never really felt a connection to him in the first few books. The Order of the Phoenix was my least favourite film. I think this partly because I watched it when I was much younger, but I also think that Harry's grief was portrayed in a very two dimensional way. Then I read the book and my opinion changed completely. His grief is portrayed beautifully. This book broke my heart, but it made me love Harry.

[@cameroncaws5959]

Order of the Phoenix Harry was when I found him the most interesting. He went from the generic chosen one trop to the guy who had had enough of everyone's shit.

[@honeydew75]

I've always felt for Harry in The Order of the Phoenix, he was clearly dealing with a lot and I related to how big and explosive his anger and grief were and the way he was dealing with trauma and how he had to go through grief again and just the whole thing with Sirius I completely got him and I saw myself in that and his pain, and it was heartbreaking to read about when I was reading the books in elementary. and I loved the Harry-Neville connection and developing Neville's character

[@firstnamelastname3201]

Harry James Potter is and will always be my favorite character. He is so brave, selfish, loving and on top of that - funny. He is so savage and great at coming up with one-liners.

[@sandraa4051]

"Hauntingly beautiful" is the perfect way to describe this book! It's always been my favorite, and I'm surprised that a lot of people disliked it, but I think your analysis is spot on! As I've grown up, I've come to appreciate it (and the movie) even more, it makes Harry so much more relatable to me and gives him so much necessary depth.

[@yeetskeet4224]

I kinda like when harry get upset or defensive about thing simply because it shows he has emotions and ptsd. The boy has been through so much trauma

[@BeaPolits]

i was honestly surprised to hear that ppl usually think of order of the phoenix as one of their least favorites... it's been my fav since i first read it, to a point that i would challenge myself to read it again and again, faster and faster each time lmao (i managed to read thru all of it in one single day once!) harry's anger and frustration always felt pretty justified to me. and i think understanding harry and his grief and trauma made me appreciate luna a lot more too. as a traumatized kid (who back then couldn't figure out where all these horrible and confusing emotions were coming from), it meant a lot to me to see these characters going through it. all in all, thank you for making this video! great job :)

[@kyb3rcrystals]

i wasn’t even aware that harry’s actions was annoying to some people until i listened to the podcast potterless. book 5 has always been one of my favorites since i first read it in like 2nd or 3rd grade. maybe i was just an angry kid but i always very much backed up harry’s anger. i even wanted him to yell at everyone more. i know i sure as hell would have. i didn’t understand the concept of the trauma at that age, but the whole everything being kept secret and nobody telling harry anything made me mad for him. as i’ve got older, i’ve felt he’s even more justified after everything he’s gone through.

[@aolson1111]

I don't have my finger on the pulse of the HP fandom these days, but I remember, back in the day, people hating the road trip half of Deathly Hallows, I guess because it was slow compared to the wizard war half. I loved the whole thing. I read it the summer after I graduated high school, and I emphasized with the characters' fears and frustrations.

[@leilyn8287]

Same! I really loved the trip before the Second Wizarding Battle because it really polished the three's characters. I love how human they were. Three children, suddenly thrown out in the wild with the responsibility of saving millions. Especially that chapter in the Ministry where they tried to retrieve Slytherin's locket from Umbridge. It really encapsulates and further emphasized that they are children, awkward children who were forced to grow up, especially Harry. 😔 Oh, and also the encounter at the Lovegoods' house as well as when Ron left and returned. I'm so sorry for rambling, I was just really excited when you brought it up for it was my personal favorite as well. 😅

[@Adelina-fg8qn]

I think it really shows the bond of friendship the three have, when Harry yells at Ron and Hermione and they just silently let him get it out and encourage him to let it all out, because I sure as hell can't imagine a lot of 15 year olds that would be this mature to be able to let someone do that and I think it's really important to note that.

[@teodoraslozoraitis7409]

honestly, ,,caps lock'' harry never bothered me in the book, i thought that after all the shit he had to go through up to that point and then being completely disregarded during vacation... The reaction is completely natural. If anyone still thinks harry was being a dick, well, i'd like to see them go through what he has and see how they feel.

[@phoenixfriend]

I think sometimes people get thrown off when characters react to situations the way real people actually would instead of the more aspirational way characters usually do. They also have little patience for how pain can make real people act. Harry is a 15 year old boy, with normal hormones making him more inclined to anger anyway, going through grief and PTSD. On top of that most people around him have turned on and ostracized him, he's got Umbridge at school and Voldemort outside, and the constant worry about what's going to happen. Then throw in the fact that apart from Ron and Hermione, who genuinely try their best, no one else in his usual support system is really helping. And finally, on top of all this, he has a work load he struggles to keep on top of and a horcrux inside him that's going to take everything he's feeling and magnify it the same way the locket did, causing him more problems. I'm thinking most people would be angry in his situation. Or hiding under the covers and refusing to come out.

[@BereniceAllanPoe]

I think you have to have experienced grief, pain, and a great deal of suffering to understand Harry in that book. Unfortunately (since I was still a little girl when it came out as I was 10 at the time) I already had at that point. And so, I understood Harry all too well, even though I was never able to manifest my pain and anger so openly. I envied him for that.

[@tjkim1999]

I guess you all just haven't felt like Harry, feeling beaten down by life, not having family to turn to, friends seeming to be ignoring him. He's been abused for 15 years! I guess that's why I always did identify more with Harry than the average reader.

[@charliebirnie8052]

I’ve always really connected to Harry as a character, and loves order of the Phoenix because I related to some of his traumas. OoTP describes the grief of losing a loved one in such a way that i had never heard before.

[@udbhavseth799]

Just 7 minutes in and you've already eradicated the biggest complaint I had of the series as a whole: Harry was just way too dull. He was too blank a slate. Thank you. I will literally take a look at the whole series once again in an entirely new way.

[@zukodark]

The fifth book was always my favorite. It's just so dense, so full of both plot and character. Perhaps its too long and hard to get through, but personally I love it for what it is.

[@amelie-qf7yl]

i don't know how i would have reacted to caps locks harry when i was younger because i'd only ever obessively rewatched the movies until recently but i can say when i finally read order of the phoenix it felt like it came at the perfect time, i think i had been fighting my own version of caps lock harry for some time. Never actually fully letting go so i couldn't move on. So the book was actually, kind of like you said, incredibly cathartic for me whilst also being the slap in the face i defintely needed. I knew no matter how justified i felt in my anger, after years of convincing myself it straight up didn't exist in myself, that it could hurt people back and it was already in truth and the book just took that feeling to a level of uncomfortablness that i could no longer ignore it. So as ugly as it was to see, and i can totally understand why people could hate it because of that. For me it was so increadibly refreshing because it was and always love it and now Harry for that. I get its hard to squeeze whole books into an 1h and a half movie but I am disappointed you don't see it more anyway in the film because it's like the whole feeling of that book and i genuiely think it went a long way into helping me heal. It's the main reason i'm sitting here and typing this all out, even though i know nobody really cares, because i feel like i owe it something. My feelings about the series are now very conflicted but it will always be something precious to me, to a point it does start to feel a bit insane to me but also no because i do think personally its weirdly justified. it has always been a beautiful, hopeful, magical escapism for me. But it was just that and for the longest time mostly on rewatch i would barely go past the third film, the darkest parts at that point was something i mostly wanted to shut away. Which was ahaha forshadowing and like exactly the problem but yeaah the books and this one in particular really helped me realise that and now i can find beauty and comfort not in spite of but because of those moments and i will be eternally grateful for that as well. Anyway after this long long ramble I just want to thank you for talking about this, it's a beautiful topic and i wish anyone who somehow stumbled across this a wonderful day!!

[@Haedox]

love your content I agree with this soooo hard

[@greenmachine9]

I swear I’ve seen you before

[@ayanna6327]

"Order of the Phoenix" was always one of my favorites of the novels. It just felt so...real. And I know that sounds strange for a fantasy book about wizards and witches, but it's emotionally potent in a way the four before it weren't. Caps Lock Harry honestly felt like a natural progression from "Goblet of Fire." I had no idea people didn't like the book until recently lol.

[@clicky4665]

Oh, that's weird, I really love the fifth book and I absolutely hate the fourth that I know it tends to be the favorite of most fans but I tend to be attracted to darker stories and oppressive atmospheres, so that's probably why

[@charliey.everhart-westwood3000]

same here

[@facundogonzalez5453]

I do preffer the combo honestly. Fourth book is kindo f the height of Harry's life. But it slowly goes down, until it completely crashes in the worst possible way. And fifth book it is not just the aftermath of it. It is Harry slowly letting all the grief from his miserable life out.

[@taggigtrep]

People love the fourth book? I always found it the weakest in the series while loving the third and fifth book. It is interesting how different people perceive it.

[@CM-pf1xc]

Book 4 is pretty dark still! Uncertainty. Impersonation of moody. Murder of crouch by his own son. Then Of course return of v and murder of Cedric, but more than that the true hate of “normal” ppl in the death eaters both in beginning. And In graveyard scene. I just reread 4 and it’s so much darker than I realized.

[@gabygodard7836]

You're putting words on why this book has always been my favorite of the series!

[@raneemalotaibi8873]

i mean he literally just fought Voldemort and saw cedric get killed infront of him . he was left at the durselys were he was mentally and sometimes physically abused and left in the dark . he even experiences voldemorts emotions and voldemorts not a very calm guy . Dumbledore was avoiding him and wouldnt even look at him . it was to much for 15 year old to handle

[@breezter]

My favorite part in the movie is when Harry screams "Look at me!" It just encapsulates everything he's felt - alone in his grief and anger, ignored by the only "family" he's got, and then once again left out by the people he does consider family. I read the series for the first time when I was 20, so I understood Harry's actions in the fifth book, and though I couldn't empathize, I really appreciated Rowling for characterizing Harry as... human.

[@artloveranimation]

You say that the movie handled Harry’s anger differently from the book but I think they actually did a good job. The book just has more detail getting inside his head

[@OpDownfall93]

Okay so, hear me out. "Blank Slate Harry" doesn't just function as a useful plot device to immerse the readers in the world and help them identify with him. As some other comments have mentioned, Harry Potter is one traumatized kid. He lived with the Dursleys his entire life, being forced to act as a punching bag for everyone in the family for eleven years. That would mess with anyone's mental state of being, let alone if you were born and raised into it, being conditioned to be a door mat and, get this, not have much personality, primarily as a defense mechanism. The less personality you have, the less there is for your abusers to attack. Speaking as a survivor of trauma myself, if you're in the trauma, you don't really realize that's what it is. You might get the feeling that something's off, but to you that's just how life is. Now, Harry's situation is a bit more black and white but the point still stands. Harry became accustomed to a certain way of being, to minimize damage to himself; that of being a blank slate. That's why he seems so dull in comparison to those around him. He never had a chance before now to be himself. I'd say that his development as a character in the later books could most likely be chalked up to him finding himself as his connection to Hogwarts deepens and his time away from the Dursleys lengthens. And he's also going through puberty. It seems like a one-two punch that would cause anyone, especially someone as traumatized and gaslit as Harry to change and grow, emerging from his shell and finding new ways of expressing himself.

[@wpc456cpw]

Incredibly well put!!!! Good points about trauma impacting personality/identity development.

[@princessthyemis]

very well said!!!

[@CM-pf1xc]

Good point, but also i just reread these and noted several times when Harry spoke out against Dursley’s even in book 1. It’s again the dumb movies that show and exacerbate “blank state Harry” and we fans forget what actually happened bc of the power of visuals of movies.

[@ulysseh4598]

Great video. Two things I would add though are the weight of social exclusion and fear. Never before, even if he got a taste of it in the 2nd and 4th books, was Harry so hated by his schoolmates, some even from his own house, for something he had no power on. It's not even just his schoolmates who whisper nasty things when he walks by, the damn NATIONAL NEWSPAPER is attacking him. That's an amount of viciousness that would drive most teenagers completely crazy. Moreover, another element that contributed to fuel his anger during the summer was that not only was he feeling abandoned and recluse with the Dursleys, the boy was also terrified and anxious. He just escaped from the Lord of darkness' trap and expected him to attack him at any moment. Stressful as a word doesn't even come close to describe how tense the situation he was in was. Worried for him, but also for his friends, digging up muggles' newspapers waiting to see at any moment massive murders of muggles that would indicate a deatheater attack... This is as far as a peace of mind that you can imagine. Now actually getting ATTACKED, all alone, without any help, then almost immediately after fired from the only refuge he knew... And I'm not even talking about the hormones and natural feelings of him growing up and starting to question authority. I mean, I think I would have actually found it unrealistic if he didn't reach his breaking point after all of that. I was quite young when reading it the book the first time, but it's always been one of my favorites. I didn't even know people disliked it or called Harry "caps-lock Harry" lol. I actually loved these passages. JK Rowling captured emotions particularly well, especially in that one.

[@lachlantaylor1225]

God I love Stephen Fry’s narration, it’s what has kept me passively listening and engaged the books over and over for years now

[@ethanlee8307]

Kid's been through shit man, he's had a very very rough childhood, he killed a man at the wee age of twelve, and he's holding the weight of his legacy and a prophecy on his back. If he didn't crack under the pressure I'd be concerned. I always found his anger justified. His outrage is more than just "being whiny", it's the culmination of all the animosity he receives and the circumstances he was thrust into which he has no control over.

[@havendidit]

As someone who is currently going through my own "caps lock Harry" period, this was actually really important for me to hear that what I'm going through is normal and I'm not a terrible person for struggling to deal with everything. I just wish I had friends like Harry's.