This Is Only In Your Head, Harry, Dreams and Their Significance |
 Feb 23 2009, 11:37 AM
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Grand Pooh-Bah of the Poking Sticks Emporium  Posts: 6,771 Joined: 3:53pm January 4, 2008 Location: Fine-tuning her Spambot Magnet   |
This Is Only In Your Head, Harry Dreams and Their Significance  Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures One of the themes in Harry Potter that becomes a crucial part of the plot from this point forth in Goblet of Fire, and which continues through to the end of the series are Harry's dreams. Harry's first dreams in Philosopher's Stone are rather vague, with Harry witnessing a bright green light, to yet another dream of Quirrell and his turban. These dreams seem innocuous enough, and Harry doesn't pay much heed to these dreams at the time. As readers, we too may have not put too much importance on Harry's dreams either. However, in Goblet of Fire, Harry's dreams seem to take on a very different element. They undergo an evolution of sorts, from being hazy and obscure snippets, to becoming very real and intense, first person experiences associated with pain in his scar. Here are some questions to get the discussions underway: 1) When Harry was first awakened by the burning pain in his scar and his vivid nightmare in chapter two, what were your initial thoughts? 2) Was this dream different than any of his previous dreams? 3) Did this particular dream hold any significance to you as a reader? 4) How was Harry's own reaction to this dream different than his previous ones? Feel free to discuss the questions given above, and you are more than welcome and encouraged to pose questions of your own  We look forward to everyone's wonderful and thoughtful insights. Most of all, have fun and happy posting 
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Feb 23 2009, 08:47 PM
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Perusing the Magical Menagerie  Posts: 92 Joined: 9:32pm February 2, 2009 |
This is the first time that Harry has a dream about what's happening with LV's. Its the first dream where he sees things as they are happening. His previous dreams had been of things that had happened to him - the flash of green light, Hagrid's motorcycle...
We see his dream is changing, but as readers we might not realize the importance of it. I don't think the first time I read the book I realized that this meant that there was a strong connection between Harry and LV. The first time I realized this I think was sometime in OotP. |
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Feb 23 2009, 11:27 PM
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Buying a Half-Kneazle Posts: 502 Joined: 7:56pm December 28, 2008 Location: Quidditch Pitch, team practice  |
The first time i read it I defiantly didnot see the importance of this dream (but then again I believe I was in third grade so I wasn't too good at analyzing things). Though now reading it again, this dream is very important because this is a dream that is not Harry's memory. Before his dreams were of his own vague memories, but now they are the memories of LV showing that the connection between the two is strong, and will be very important.
-------------------- "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry,
but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" |
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Feb 24 2009, 07:16 AM
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Buying a Half-Kneazle  Posts: 532 Joined: 1:08pm May 15, 2008 Location: In the rehearsal studio. |
The thing that initially struck me about this dream was not that it was about LV but that Harry woke with his scar hurting. Like Harry, I wondered if LV was somewhere nearby. Harry's scar burning had never been a good sign, so that made me very anxious for him. Plus, Harry has this dream as the events are happening (I didn't make the direct connection to LV at first). The whole thing left me feeling nervous.
--------------------  thanks fw00per |
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Feb 24 2009, 07:42 AM
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Cauldron Bottom Measurer Posts: 139 Joined: 9:48am December 19, 2006 Location: Wales, UK |
1) When Harry was first awakened by the burning pain in his scar and his vivid nightmare in chapter two, what were your initial thoughts?
I was just wondering how he was managing to see the events that were obviously happening. Was he seeing like a psychic or what? 2) Was this dream different than any of his previous dreams? It seemed obvious to me that his ‘visions’ were getting stronger, that they were becoming more … coherent. 3) Did this particular dream hold any significance to you as a reader? I thought there was great significance to this dream. As I said it was obvious that Harry was seeing actual events and that made what he was seeing very important and very very dangerous. 4) How was Harry's own reaction to this dream different than his previous ones? Harry is nobody’s fool, he knew that what he saw was something that should not be happening to him, that it had to have something to do with LV. I thought it was rather stupid of him to not say something to DD, which would have been the very first thing I’d have done. -------------------- They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. - Poe
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Feb 24 2009, 09:35 PM
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Gambol and Japes' Research Department Posts: 1,396 Joined: 9:09am July 15, 2005 Location: behind one of the revolving doors |
When I first read it was Harry's dream, I thought it would turn into something important but didn't think much of it at first. I think I thought he might just be having a nightmare which would make sense with all that he has been through in the last few years.
What I think is interesting about his dreams, is how little Harry shares them with anyone. He does bits and pieces but neve the whole thing. I wonder if that has to do with many people not putting much stock in dreams. How many of us have dreams and we don't think anything of them. So I wonder if Harry tries to discount them by not telling anyone the whole thing. Imagine if he had told DD from the beginning, and DD told Harry what they could mean. That is very scarey to deal with at any age and especially his. I almost see Harry leaving out parts as partial denial of the possibility of importance. --------------------  Thanks Mokey thanks fwooper |
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Feb 24 2009, 10:53 PM
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Buying a Half-Kneazle Posts: 502 Joined: 7:56pm December 28, 2008 Location: Quidditch Pitch, team practice |
QUOTE(phoenix42 @ Feb 25 2009, 12:35 AM)  What I think is interesting about his dreams, is how little Harry shares them with anyone. He does bits and pieces but neve the whole thing. I wonder if that has to do with many people not putting much stock in dreams. How many of us have dreams and we don't think anything of them. So I wonder if Harry tries to discount them by not telling anyone the whole thing. Imagine if he had told DD from the beginning, and DD told Harry what they could mean. That is very scarey to deal with at any age and especially his. I almost see Harry leaving out parts as partial denial of the possibility of importance. I think he doesn't want to share to the world his whole dreams because he is scared of what they would think. Everyone freaked out when they learned he could talk to snakes in CoS even Hermione and Ron were somewhat frightened and worried by that fact. Imagine if he told people that he had dreams of Voldemort with some followers, and killing some guy. I think he didn't want a repeat of CoS, and then later in OoP he gets worried that he is becoming more like Voldemort because of his visions and his anger. This dream is the start of Harry beggining to question himself. -------------------- "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry,
but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" |
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Mar 15 2009, 10:53 AM
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Hitchhiker's Guide of Harry's Alchemical Journeys Posts: 2,872 Joined: 9:08pm March 20, 2006 Location: In the Alchemy Lab |
Popping in From the Hall Of Champions! I just found this thread buried in your room! I had to reply as I think Harry's Dreams are pretty interesting. I always thought that Harry should have listened to Trelawney more than he did. He should have been sharing some of these dreams with her - honestly it would have gotten him to Dumbledore quicker than he did, because she would have known that these dreams were very significant.
Anyway, symbols that Harry remembers in his first dream/vision: Darkened room, the snake, the small man -Wormtail, LV, the old man, the awful vision of what/who sat in the chair. Soooo, two, we know, were people that Harry knew - Voldemort and Wormtail. From 10,00 Dreams Interpreted by Pamela Ball QUOTE A snake twisting about a body indicates some type of bondage or being enslaved Being aware of size such as small indicates how we feel in relationship to that person - someone 'less than' ourselves. When we dream of old people it suggests wisdom arising from experience. When we are aware that there is someone else in the House (room) it suggests that the dreamer maybe threatened by some aspect of his own personality. As far as being awakened by the sight of what was in the chair - well, I think we all know that when a dream becomes something so horrible that our subconscious self can't handle it - we flee by awakening. Here's another quote from Ms Ball's book: QUOTE Some nightmares are centered around an apparent sense of foreboding. Whether these come under the tide of precognitive dreams is not decided. What does seem true is that the human being is capable of picking up information on a subliminal level, without being able to understand the information. Now when we look back on this dream we can see the significance of all these symbols! Hope you all have fun with the other dreams that Harry has! And thanks for the opportunity to take part in this interesting discussion! -------------------- Sorting begins soon for HBP!  Follow the Lily and Stag on twitter, too! Thanks twiddlethosedials for the Siggy! |
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Mar 19 2009, 09:07 AM
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Gambol and Japes' Research Department Posts: 1,396 Joined: 9:09am July 15, 2005 Location: behind one of the revolving doors |
I too have been frustrated with Harry not sharing more of his dreams as he would have gotten more information more quickly. Harry still isn't sure that his dreams and issues with his scar are important enough to bother others. When he does share it with Sirius, Sirius decides to come back and that alarms Harry. I think one he really doesn't want to be responsible for something happening to Sirius by coming back and two it means there is more to his scar hurting than he wants to admit. I think he was hoping Sirius would have a different thought that would be reassuring. This is when, I think, Harry realizes the importance of this scar and that it actually means something.
As for telling Trelwaney, I think that is her own fault. If she weren't so out there and questionable, he might have seen her as someone to ask these types of questions. Harry sees her as a fraud though. -------------------- Thanks Mokey thanks fwooper |
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Apr 10 2009, 03:44 PM
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Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 5 Joined: 1:53pm April 10, 2009 |
Trelawney was a bit loopy and possibly not all there in the head; but I wonder why Harry didn't pursue her about her real prophecys? I know he thought she was a fraud (and she was at the best of times) but there have been rare occasions when the true Seer came out e.g In prisoner of Azkaban her prophecy about Wormtail returning to Voldemort?
If I would have been in his shoes I would have questioned her, without the fear of her telling people if he did. Who would believe her? This post has been edited by Miss_Mears: Apr 10 2009, 05:17 PM -------------------- Made By Meeeeeeee  |
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