Goblet of Fire - Part One (the fluffy stuff)

Location: Goblet of Fire, page 534

Pages read: 1619, 2481 pages to go

I’m behind because I just spent 2 days in Illinois w/ family for the 4th -- very fun! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday. I have loved every page of this book so far. I can actually remember my first time reading this one, and how I felt.

This post is mostly about fluffy stuff – character development, Jo’s writing abilities, and why I love these books – so, even though I’ve already found some more interesting, theory-type stuff, I’ll save it for an awesome Part 2 GoF post.

First of all, this is for you, Josh. Page 223: “Hermione raised her eyebrows.” It’s in the book! Emma was just playing the character!! xD

General things about the book:

• By the time Jo wrote this book, the series had taken off spectacularly; she sold it with the first three, and now she really lets herself go, finally showing us the extent of her writing abilities. The additional detail allows her to bring you further into the emotions of the characters. Examples: When Harry’s name comes out of the Goblet, I get butterflies in my stomach every time; it’s like I can feel the tension in the Great Hall because it’s written so well. I always feel super nervous when I read about the first task, and anxious when Harry can’t figure out a way to do the 2^nd task… and so frustrated along with them about Rita Skeeter. In the first 3, it was like she cut it as short as possible, only including things vital to the plot and character development. Now there are subplots that aren’t *vital* to the series’ overall plot but that make it such a joy to read.
• The movie KILLS this book. There’s no way they could have captured it all, but they didn’t even do justice to the stuff they *did* include. That, and the fact that SO much was left out, makes this even more fun to read.
• I love the way that, even though we return to the same characters and world in each book, there are ALWAYS a slew of new characters for each book, even book 7. In this we get Bill and Charlie, Bagman and Crouch, Karkaroff and Maxime… Just when you thought you were well-acquainted with Jo’s world, she takes you even further.
• Halloween hubbub again…this time, it’s the night that the Goblet of Fire reveals the champions’ names…and Harry’s name comes out.

Character stuff:

• While frustrated with Fred and George, Mrs. Weasley says, “I don’t know where we went wrong with them.” This is an interesting insight on parenting. Fred and George aren’t the ones she should be worried about – they end up successful, they’re happy, and they have their priorities in order. The one they should be worried about is, ironically, the one they've never seen as a problem, whom they’re encouraging as his priorities grow further out of whack – Percy.
• Jo ages these kids very realistically. They’re 14, like freshmen in high school! Jo subtly and gracefully transitions the characters into starting to like the opposite sex. The Yule Ball is super awkward for them – and it should be! They’re still figuring out who they are. Ron and Hermione…oh my gosh. How were there EVER Harry/Hermione shippers?? O_o I'll let Dawn cover this in detail. :)
• Knowing that “Moody” is actually Crouch Jr. makes this one really fun to read, because you see past the surface into what he's actually doing and thinking, but one part still sickens me – the way he makes the Cruciatus Curse last a little longer than necessary in front of Neville, whose parents he helped torture. And then he pretends comforts him, just to try and give him a book to help Harry. Disgusting, heartless…ugh. Sometimes some characters in this series seem even more detestable than Voldemort…I’ll say more on this when we get to Umbridge. xD
• More on Hermione. (If you can’t tell, she’s probably my favorite character in this series.) Between her research to defend Buckbeak in book 3, and all of her S.P.E.W. planning (short-term and long-term goals about Elf representation and changing laws), it’s clear that she was meant for a job in law, which she eventually gets. Also – Hermione is not only intelligent but also incredibly perceptive…she understands people really well, and she’s very tactful. She goes about the Harry-Ron fight very maturely – refusing to send messages, helping Harry see Ron’s side…but despite her maturity, when they’re done fighting, she bawls, yells, and hugs them; it’s clear that she’s still a 14-yo girl who was upset because her best friends were fighting. She also handles Rita Skeeter’s bashing very well; she doesn’t get embarrassed by the Slytherins. She’s already shown that she’s not afraid to stand up for herself, but this time, instead of just lashing out angrily as she did with Malfoy in book 3 (*smack*), she calculates her revenge. Jo balances her growing confidence and maturity with her diminishing emotional vulnerability VERY realistically, IMO. Other than Harry, I’d say Herm-o-ninny is Jo’s most fleshed-out character.
• Speaking of Harry… The following quote, which I’ve never really noticed before, is now one of my all-time JK Rowling favorites. While writing to Sirius: “He had an urge to say something about the large weight of anxiety that seemed to have settled inside his chest since last night, but he couldn’t think how to translate this into words…” AWW. I can TOTALLY relate to this, and y’all prolly can too – when want to tell someone how we feel, we want to release something we’re dealing with, but we’re not sure how. What’s more, Harry has never had a parent-figure to trust with emotional things like this, and now that he has one, he has to sneak around just to briefly talk to him face-to-face. Poor Harry.
• “There was much less laughter and a lot more hanging around in the library when Hermione was your best friend.” There’s Ron’s role! He’s the glue, the comic relief, the reason the trio can exist as it does.
• Some WISE words from Sirius. "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." 

I forgot how fun this one is to read. Can't wait to finish it and start OotP tomorrow!