The character of
Luna Lovegood initially seems to have the sole purpose of adding comic relief
to the brevity of the many serious themes of the series, which she does
brilliantly. However, the fact that Rowling gave Luna a title chapter indicates that she is to become much more significant indeed. Rowling develops
Luna into an intriguing character with the important role of developing empathy
in the coming of age of Harry Potter. While he is not quite sure of Luna
initially, she becomes a friend in which he can relate due to their shared
experience of the death of a loved one.
We first meet Luna
Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of
the Phoenix as she is introduced as an odd-ball character that is the
object of many jokes. She is referred to by many as ‘Loony’ Lovegood due to her
eccentric appearance, which includes earrings made out of radishes and a
butterbeer cap necklace, and her belief in the many ridiculous stories
published in her father’s tabloid magazine, “The Quibbler.” She likely believes
her father’s quirky stories because she, like many, has adopted her parent’s
beliefs but she does seem to genuinely believe them and is not likely to change
her views when she is older. Luna is an honest person who has become
comfortable with her identity at a much younger age than most. Because she is
not afraid to be herself, she does not fit in with her peers who are still developing
their own identities. This makes many of her classmates uncomfortable around
her and she does not have any real friends. Although she sees the world from a
different perspective than most, and is very willing to share these views with
others, she accepts that people make fun of her for it. “I think they think I’m
a bit odd. Some people call me ‘Loony’ Lovegood, actually” (862; ch. 38).
Even Harry, who
tends to see the best in most people,
or is at least willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, is initially put
off by Luna and is not quite sure what to make of her. “She had … protuberant
eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look…. The girl gave off an aura of
distinct dottiness…. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal
humans. She stared and stared at Harry” (185; ch. 10)… Although Harry is quite
used to people staring at him by this point of the series, he has never been
comfortable with it and Luna’s habit of looking at people rather intently and
her bluntness of saying exactly what she is thinking at the time makes him
extraordinarily uncomfortable in her presence. To add to his wryness of Luna,
Harry discovers that she too can see the mysterious horse-like creatures which
are now pulling the school carriages, which no one other than Harry seems to be
able to see. Luna assures Harry that they have always been there and that she
can see them too. Her addition of “You’re not going mad or anything….Don’t
worry. You’re just as sane as I am” (199; ch.10), is not at all comforting to
Harry as he does not yet know how he feels about her or indeed her sanity.
After the death of
Sirius, Harry finds that he cannot talk to anyone about his loss. While his
friends can offer him sympathy they do not understand how he feels as none of
them has ever lost someone so close to them. Although he does not realize it,
what Harry needs is someone to empathize with him, he needs someone who
understands exactly what he is feeling because they have experienced the same
feelings too. He unexpectedly finds what he needs in Luna when he happens upon
her while trying his best to avoid everyone. While talking to her he remembers
that she too can see thestrals, the horse-like creatures that none of his other
friends can see- which he has since learned can only be seen by those who have
seen death. He discovers that Luna seen her mother die when she nine-years-old
but is not overwhelmed with her loss because she believes that she will see her
again someday. “You heard them, just behind the veil ... In that room with the
archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that’s all” (863; ch.38). While
Harry finds that he feels sorry for Luna it is in fact his empathy for her, his
understanding of her loss, which enables him to accept her rather simplified view
of death as oddly comforting, “…he found that the terrible weight in his
stomach seemed to have lessened slightly’ (864; ch. 38).
I feel as though Luna is one of the few characters that stay very much the same through most of the Harry Potter series. The sort of misty, daydream attitude that she has about her is what makes her so different from any other character. We rarely see her lose her temper or have anything but positive comments to add. She is so nonchalant with most of what she says but much of it is very helpful to the people around her. She kindly adds things, like being able to see the thestrals, so Harry doesn’t feel even more singled out than he already does. She is a character that is essential to any misfit band of heroes.
ReplyDelete