Patterns and Plot-Craft in HPB, Why Jo Included the Scenes She Did Options

[anguinea]

Upon listening to the audio version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince today, I began to consider the incidents JKR included early in the story and how she set up patterns that repeat as we arrive at the climax. More than the series of "clues hidden in plain sight", the author builds the book with themes and events that mirror each other so that the finished book more like symphonic piece of music!

Since several of us are budding writers, I thought it might be interesting to discuss the actual craft behind the tale and examine why Jo included the scenes she did.

For example, Parallel and Contrast

The scene on the train where Harry hides under his Invisibility Cloak to spy on Draco and then is struck with a Petrificus Totalus curse only to topple helplessly off the luggage rack, be confronted and have his nose smashed. The scene not only lets us all spy on Draco for clues about possible Death Eater connections and hear how little he now cares about his Hogwart's career, but it also parallels the powerful Tower scene.

In that climactic scene, Harry was similarly helpless, petrified under the cloak, forced hear Draco confront Dumbledore, reveal his true Death Eater plans and witness Dumbledore's destruction and helpless toppling from the tower. Unlike the train scene, however, Draco is not motivated by anger and vengeance, but by fear and in the end, cannot commit the violent act. This contrast reveals much about Draco's true character and limitations.

Expound on this thought, or offer up any you have on things have noticed about the construction of HBP.
I am looking to learn!

[bemused]

Interesting thought. I'd never noticed the parallels between those two scenes but you're right.
And once you start looking there's another very clear pair of scenes balancing the beginning and end of the book:

In 'Spinners End' Bellatrix taunts Snape with cowardice, challenging him on almost every part of his career since Voldemort fell and he's completely in command - he even plays along a bit, painting himself as someone who's glad of an easy life (how far from the truth was that?!!!) We're allowed to see him falter a little at the third part of the vow, to kill DD, but crucially we're given no clue at all as to why he falters, we just see him make the promise.

In 'Flight of the Prince' Harry taunts him with cowardice and at first he is as untouched by it as he was by Bellatrix; then Harry touches a deeper nerve than he knows and Snape loses control completely. Put the two scenes together and it should have been obvious that the one is a man playing a part, the other a man in real internal torment. It was a pretty hefty clue to where the heart of the story would be.

But it's subtle as well. There's real skill in the way JKR wove the clues in and kept the uncertainty and the suspense going. I'd contrast it with something like 'The Da Vinci Code' where the clues are so screamingly obvious that you have the whole plot in the first few chapters, there's really no point in reading further.

[anguinea]

Good one, bemused!

Another parallel that struck me was Harry's arrival at Hogwarts and the climax scenes:

At the arrival, Tonks gathers Harry and takes him to the gate of the castle grounds after sending a Patronus-message to Hagrid. They wait, discussing the difficulty of penetrating Hogwart's defenses and the necessity of having someone let them enter from the inside. Instead of Hagrid, however, Severus Snape arrives, having intercepted the message and taken it upon himself to take action. He allows Harry in and accompanies him all the way to the castle, enjoying the chance to needle Harry while he could do nothing but get angry. They cross the grounds together and enter the castle and the Great Hall.

On the other side of the tale, we have learned that yes, someone did indeed need to let the Death Eaters in from the inside: Draco. Snape again gets a message that there is need for help, taking it upon himself to take action (knocking out the messenger, Flitwick, in the process). After the deed is done, we see the contrast of Snape running off the grounds "accompanied" by Harry in hot pursuit. Instead of Snape's sly insults, it is Harry verbally and physically attacking Snape.

In the first scene, we see Snape as a cool and powerful authority figure. In the parallel scene, Snape is still powerful, but now running, losing his cool and finally, being chased off the grounds in a humiliating way by Hagrid's buddy, Buckbeak.
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Also, I was struck by Narcissa's very dramatic plea to Snape for help. Her love and fear for her only son, Draco, is so great, she is willing to risk her life, hoping to protect him. She gets onto her knees and begs. Although earlier Snape avoided looking at her, now does: "His black eyes were fixed upon Narcissa's tear-filled blue ones as she continued to clutch his hand."

Notice the parallel of Narcissa begging for Draco's life and Lily begging for Harry to be spared.

Beyond whatever other strategies might have been in play, JKR shows us Snape is personally moved by this. He agrees to put his life at risk to keep Narcissa's "only son" safe. Although there is a great deal of theater in this chapter, the description of this eye to eye contact is Jo's way to cue the reader that the emotions and actions are honest. At the end of HBP, we have the scene where Snape interferes with the Death Eaters to protect and preserve Harry in what was another contract with Snape's true heart: to continually risk his life to keep Harry, Lily's only son, safe.

Of course, this scene also reminds me of Snape asking Harry to look into his eyes.
When JKR wants us to "see through the mask to the heart", she has characters look eyeball to eyeball.

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I do have a question though...

In the scene at the Burrow, when Harry is explaining to Ron and Hermoine that he IS in fact, the chosen one and will need to defeat the Dark Lord according to the Prophecy, why in the world is that scene interrupted with Hermoine getting a black eye from that punching telescope? It ruins the mood and that bruising just doesn't seem important enough! They go right back to the heavy subject after that...so why?

What was that black eye all about?

[anguinea]

Listening to HBP today, I heard a line that supported my theory that Dumbledore actually did more than just talk Snape out of a wanting to die: He saved his life from a suicide attempt. The following line stood out from the scene of Dumbledore cutting himself as a "sacrifice" to the spell in the cave entrance:

"You are very kind, Harry," said Dumbledore, now passing the tip of his wand over the deep cut he had made in his own arm so that it healed instantly, just as Snape healed Malfoy's wounds, "but your blood is worth more than mine."

Out of the blue, we are taken to an image of Snape, the image of Snape healing Draco with an unknown spell. Not only is that a parallel, but i suggest that it is also a parallel to a scene we never actually see, but would fit well into the dramatic grief and remorse we witness in Snape's final memories: A scene where Snape learned that healing spell. After all, it doesn't seem like a very Snapish spell, but it would fit well with Dumbledore and Phoenix magic (song and healing). Because JKR sets up so many parallels in HBP, I am convinced that Snape learned that spell from Dumbledore when he saved him from using sectumsempre on himself in a suicide attempt after the Lily Potter's death.

The thing I have always loved about the Potter series is how JKR used parallels not only as structure to make for a satisfying novel, but to get us to trust that there are ARE parallels throughout . She then uses our trust to suggest clues and unseen drama that is affecting the current drama. Wonderful!

(This same line, of course, also cues us in that Dumbledore will be a blood sacrifice. LOL! Sometimes I overlook the forest for that Snape-tree!)


From my the intro I have used since I entered the fandom:

HP Stuff: I am a Snapeophilic Slytherin who is convinced that the books, in spite of being choked with superfluous references to someone named Potter, are in fact, about Snape.

[bemused]

That's a really interesting thought and one to mull over...

You're right, I suppose, that the healing and music wasn't very Snape-ish - not, at least, as people generally think of him. But I've always loved that scene with Snape's healing magic as an earlier instance of the same thing I see in the silver doe: it's a sign that whatever the man might appear to be on the outside, the inside is beautiful, and capable of producing beautiful and good things. Maybe also an indication of what he might have been if his life had been kinder...

I do so agree with your last comment!