DotW - Harry, A Marty Sue?

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Discussion of the Week. Please add in your views and thoughts.

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If you've an avid fanfiction reader, you know what a Mary Sue is. They're one of those perfect OCs in a fanfiction (often resembling the author). But if you don't know what a Mary Sue is, read the text in italics.

What is a Mary Sue?

A Mary Sue described an original (non-canon) female character who had a romantic liaison with an established canon character, particularly if she possessed unrealistic or unlikely (and often exotic) traits above and beyond those expected of a character in that particular series. Marty Sues are male equvilents.

-Wikipedia

So is Harry a Marty Sue? He seems to be perfect in every way. Wandless magic, only one to beat Volemort, Quidditch cap., Triwizard champion, what else?

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I think Harry is a Mary Sue, or atleast that's how he's portrayed throughout the series. What do you think?

i also think the same! 😊

Hey nice idea! But I weren't male Mary Sues called as Gary Stu's??? 😕

Anyways...I hardly think Harry's a Marty Sue or Gary Stu or whatever. The reason is Order of the phoenix...

You just have to read one chapter of the book to know about Harry's temper, his saving people complex as Hermione says, Harry being a bit cruel towards Hermione when she tried to help him...and his impatience. I was just re-reading OotP 😉

There is also the fact that, even though he knows Hermione's right, he hardly ever listens to her, he takes his anger about the wizarding world on his best friends...and blah blah blah.

Not just in OotP, even in the previous 4 books and in HBP, JKR has shown Harry's faults and short-comings extremely well. She has also sown his teenager-ish feelings quite nicely like his crush on Cho, his rather unfavorable feelings about Cedric coz Cho liked him more than Harry.

Then again, Harry's not such a brilliant student is he? Excepting Defense, he's almost as bad (or as good) as Ron and he doesen't exactly make any effort to improve his marks, does he? Also, Harry tends to be a lil more leinient towards Ron and during the cat vs. rat fight(ie Hermione ron fighting abt Scabbers) he took Ron's side and ignored Hermione. But when Ron was behaving like a prat, he only half-heartedly tried to scold Ron about Lav-lav 😉

OotP was Harry's breaking point ofcourse but JKR has subtly shown his flaws as well. She has shown hm accurately as a teenager apart from his 'Boy-who-lived' status that sets him apart.

And reading through any of th books(which are from Harry's POV) you can see Harry's insecurities in almost all the chapters and you don't find that he succeeds in everything he does.
So hardly find Harry as a Gary Stu...otherwise I would have groaned and chucked the book down. 😉 (well I dun think thts possible but well...) 😉

Hmmm...
A Mary-sue..
Well yea, i was just reading GoF..and its like he's perfect, in everyway....but at the same time, he wouldnt be anywhere wwithout his friends...like in the first book, he couldnt have gone through if Ron hadn't won the chess game, and hermoine hadnt helped him figure out hte potions. In the second...
Oh man i have to go..ill write more later...
😃

~~~Mahak~~~

nice DOTW!

i agree with marauder... JKR has shown harry's flaws in the books... he's
not perfect in every way... i mean, he even admitted in GOF that he wasnt
really good at anything but quidditch when "moody" was trying to help
him figure out how to get past the dragon... moody told him to play to his
strengths and he said he doesnt really have any... or atleast that's what i
remember...

harry has been incredibly lucky too... and on top of that, he has had great
help from the people around him... as for his flaws, there are many... his
short temper, his being impulsive...

and like marauder mentioned, harry isnt exactly an A+ student... he's
probably only good at DADA and that's it... i havent read about harry
successfully transfiguring anything and brewing a potion without help...
he is probably just an average student...

i think that just goes to show that harry isnt a marty sue...

😉 I agree with Harshu and Rashmi-Harry isn't a Mary-Sue-hge's a total flesh and blood character like everyone of us-the only difference is that he is a wizard and that's not a speciality in the wizaring world! He has his own abilities but he also has weaknesses.

You may argue about the huge number of girls who seem to be attracted to him throughout the last books. Well...it was bcos he seemed like a hero cos he had to do all those tasks to defend voldemort. But....that's the basis of the whole series-IF there was NO Voldemort there would be no story huh? I's only NATURAL for the girls tto be attracted to harry-like the lot of us are to Daniel, Tom, SRK, Abishek etc etc etc.

Plus Harry is the only one who can beat Voldy notr because any special ability of his, but Because it is his DESTINY! Like I said b4-if there wasn't that part of the storyt there would be no story!!!

And wandless magic-that's not special to Harry-all witches and wizards can do it when they reach a high pitch of their emotions-look in the first book where Neville says in the train thathe was able to perform wandless magic.

Triwizard champion-Again it was his destiny. He didnt put hius name in and he won cos of Moody(the false one), Hermione's and Ron's help.

Harry isn't PERFECT-he has many flaws which to me makes him a flesh and blood character than a Mary-Sue!

I rest my case!

P.S> I think it would be nice if more ppl participated in this discussion. The HP Dev team are doing their best in making this a interesting section and creating useful discussions. And we should help them, right? Cos it's all for US!!! 😉 😉

nice topic! 👏
n ya...even i dont think harrys a mary sue...he COMPLETELY human jus like u or me....n Jos proven dis more den a million times....

wen harrys not able 2 do well in sum of his xams...if he was mary sue..he'd be topping in all of dem....
harry can beat voldy..not coz hes nething like "xtra special" but bcoz hes been destined 2 do so..his landing up in hogwarts was agn his destiny..he dint jus becum a wizard, he was BORN one..

wen voldy culdnt touch him in d first book, it wasnt coz he had used ne special magical charm...he was agn NATURALLY protected by his mothers love...

also...while trying 2 get 2 voldy in d first book, harry wuldnt hav got thru d chess game or d potins test if ron n hermione hadn't helped him..

as 4 girls falling over him, well...hes bin glorified ever since he was BABY, so obviousely all wtches wuld hav heard heroic tales bout ever since DEY were babies..so, its a pretty natural reaction 2 fall over him... 😛
from all dese facts, i conclude dat harry is NOT amary sue... 😃

don't see much of a debate on this since everyone is agreeing more or less. harry is like the usual great characters who got a few sidekicks(or friends) who'd cover for his occasional weaknesses. but harry have shown enough proofs for his being a powerful wizard: such as, solving mirror of erised, killing a basilisk, corporal patronas etc etc

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