Kevin's Watch

This chapter is basically a review chapter of events and people from the first book through Harry's musings. The chapter also sets the reader up for events to come. It starts out on Harry's birthday which has been completely ignored by the Dursleys. They are having breakfast and Uncle Vernon yells at Harry about Hedwig being noisy. Dudley wants more bacon and is apparently even fatter than the was in the first book. Harry accidentally uses the M word, magic and much yelling ensues. We then find out that the Dursley's are having dinner guests and that Uncle Vernon is hoping to make a huge sale of drills. Harry is supposed to stay in his room and be silent. After breakfast Harry goes outside to stay out of his Aunt's way while she cleans the house. Dudley comes outside and taunts Harry about his birthday being forgotten and then Harry retaliates by pretending to do magic. Dudley is terrified and runs to his mother and Harry is subsequently punished with many unpleasant chores. When the time for the dinner guests to arrive comes around Harry is sent to his room only to find that someone is sitting on his bed.

Some important things to note in this chapter is that Harry is doubting his friendships because he hasn't heard from anyone so far that summer. Dudley picks up on this and taunts Harry showing a truly mean streak. Also Vernon at this point exhibits quite a bit of control over Harry at this point but we also see the first weakening of this in that Harry has not told anyone that he isn't allowed to do magic outside of school. He is beginning to empower himself which is something that develops more and more throughout the series.

Good kick off Jenn.
The "what has gone before" in the chapter seems to be a current thread until the later books. Realizing that these books were (initially) written for grade-to jr. high school kids that a synopsis of the last book helps recall who's who and what's what.

Here we do see Harry still being oppressed but not quite brow-beaten as he was before his experience/adventure at Hogwarts. There is still much that he has to learn but already one can see Harry is a bit empowered by his knowledge of magic.

Interesting note that none-other than Rubis J. Hagrid helps set Harry off on a path that'll parallels his father's in that the secret of not telling anyone (muggles) that he's not allowed to do magic outside of school... a very mischievous thing to do. Here and throughout we see Harry using that to his advantage.

One of the things that strikes me about this chapter is the "tone," which heralds back to storytelling in the oral sense. One can easily imagine a parent reading it aloud to a child. It has that feeling. And of course, the neat little cliffhanger at the end!

Jenn, that was solid. I remember being struck by how freaking horrible the Durlseys were - even a year later, a year away, a year to reflect - they're still just unconscionably mean.

I hope to be contributing in the next chapter or 5 - minding the rules, of course.

Thanks for starting us off, Jenn.
I still need to read the chapter before I comment.
But I will read it with these points in mind.

I would like to participate with comment on this thread if thats a ok with youguys .This chapter to me when I read it a few years back just added to your loathing of the Dursley family and I found it funny and cool when Harry pretended to use magic on Dudley -Whey to go Harry sock it to them-You also start to feel sorry for Harry that no one has been in touch with him over the whole summer and wonder when Harry will be free of these people(Dursley) whom find him a hinderance and be happier if he didnt live under the same roof as them.

Cleburne wrote:I would like to participate with comment on this thread if thats a ok with youguys .

It's a okay with me. I'm a sure it's a okay with everyone else. Welcome and feel free to put in your two cents or more.
It's open to anyone basically.

"And you, boy?"

"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there..."

I imagine if the Dursleys had their druthers, this is how they would prefer Harry to be all the time. The fact that he is still as curious and gallant towards others, even Dudley when danger threatens in later books, speaks volumes of the character we have yet to come to know deeply. And the fact that he is agreeable to do this causes me to think of other children who live in similar situations on a daily basis, and who have no Hogwarts to escape to...

There is a lot that happens in this chapter, and Jenn did a great job relating it all to us. But the verbal and emotional abuse shown here in these two lines is, to me, the heart of this chapter.

Menolly wrote:"And you, boy?"

"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there..."

I imagine if the Dursleys had their druthers, this is how they would prefer Harry to be all the time. The fact that he is still as curious and gallant towards others, even Dudley when danger threatens in later books, speaks volumes of the character we have yet to come to know deeply. And the fact that he is agreeable to do this causes me to think of other children who live in similar situations on a daily basis, and who have no Hogwarts to escape to...

There is a lot that happens in this chapter, and Jenn did a great job relating it all to us. But the verbal and emotional abuse shown here in these two lines is, to me, the heart of this chapter.

I'll quote Vernon (from the movie with the same scene)... "Too right you are!"

Yes, the abuse is still rampant and yet it doesn't hold the same sway over Harry. He has already begun to take his own power and yes I think the abuse may be worse on some levels because Vernon needs to take the power back from Harry but he just can't. Harry knows on some level that at this point he will soon have power that Vernon and his ilk will NEVER know. Power that can't be denied Harry and that he just has to suffer through the next six years and he will NEVER have to suffer the Dursley's again. In this I think the film and Daniel Radcliff did a great job of portraying this fact. His responses are very like, "yeah ok whatever." Harry is pretty much resigned to just dealing with the Dursley's as little as possible until his time is up.

It must be so hard for Harry after losing both parents it’s just his Aunt ~ his mums sister who should have loved him and raised him as her own.

But she hated Harry’s mum for being special ~ the kind of special she will never be.

Petty definitely ~ and she allows that to colour how she sees her nephew.

Sad

She must elevate Dudley above Harry in everything ~ her special boy.

I love that Dudley comes to view Harry later in the books as a cousin.