Just a collection of my various essays on Harry Potter characters, my opinions on them, perhaps a few rants. Check the Table of Contents if there is anything that might interest you!
Most of these essays will revolve around the Marauders Era, since...
This character analysis will include the following sections:
1. THE BULLYING
2. FRIENDSHIP
3. LILY EVANS
4. THE ARROGANCE
5. FIGHTING VOLDEMORT
_____________________________________________
Was James Potter good or bad?
Easily one of the most controversial topics in the Harry Potter fandom.
If you ask any Snape Apologist, the answer is going to be very simple: HE WAS A DISGUSTING, ARROGANT BULLYING TOERAG, WHO HARASSED LILY AND TORMENTED POOR SEV!
But I am not a Snape Apologist.
Reading the books, I always liked James Potter, I liked his character – he was a real character. Aside from the bullying, his heart was in the right place. He put his friends and family first, he was fun and he was willing to risk his life fighting Voldemort.
***
Over the years I have seen many posts, saying awful things about James, and I would just like to point out a few:
- He was a sadistic jerk.
- 'James Potter was the kind of school bully that abuses children 'just because they exist', until they kill themselves.'
- 'And that's exactly what James and Sirius were: Rich, spoiled, bullies, that only got slaps on the wrists, even after they nearly killed a student'.
- He was manipulative and lying.
- 'They sadistically tortured Snape, while roaring with laughter.'
- 'James Potter is no better than Voldemort – he is worse, because he has far less excuse.'
- He sexually assaulted Snape.
These accusations make my internal organs clench together. Yes, James Potter was flawed, but he wasn't any of those things – James Potter was not evil.
***
James Potter is, in my opinion, one of the most misunderstood characters in the Harry Potter series and I kind of understand why:
1. Almost everything we learn about James is presented to us from Snape's point of view.
2. We never got to actually know him, since he is dead throughout the series.
3. He grew up behind the scenes. What we see from the books is: James showing the school Snape's underwear – a 6-year gap – James facing Voldemort (wandless), to give Lily and Harry a chance to escape.
4. Some people have only seen the movies (or only read the books once and watched the movies 50 times after reading them), and the movies didn't really do much for James in the whole James vs Snape battle, did they?
So, in this character essay, I will try and gather as much information from the books, to defend James Potter, while still pointing out his flaws. I will try and show you that he was more than what Snape's memory portrayed him to be, that he was much more than just a bully.
JAMES POTTER: MORE THAN JUST A BULLY
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
