Youth Quotes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Page 3
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
| Quote #7 The Dementors placed each of the four people in the four chairs with chained arms that now stood on the dungeon floor [... There was] a boy in his late teens, who looked nothing short of petrified. He was shivering, his straw-colored hair all over his face, his freckled skin milk-white. The wispy little witch beside Crouch began to rock backward and forward in her seat, whimpering into her handkerchief. |
Here, we see the trial of Barty Crouch, Jr. by Barty Crouch, Sr. (Conflict of interest, much?) Barty Crouch, Jr. has been convicted of torturing Alice and Frank Longbottom to insanity. He now stands before his father, begging to be released. In terms of public relations, Barty Crouch, Jr.'s youth is working for him: he's so young that his conviction damages his father's reputation forever. But, as we know from the conclusion of Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch, Jr. is a true Death Eater and a vicious murderer, no matter how young he was when he got started. On the other hand, being in Azkaban probably didn't inspire the guy to reform. Are there crimes for which young people – or even children – should be tried as adults? Are there crimes that are so awful that they show a child cannot grow up to be good? Or does every kid deserve a second chance, legally speaking?
| Quote #8 [Cedric] stepped over the spider's tangled legs to join Harry, who stared at him. Cedric was serious. He was walking away from the sort of glory Hufflepuff House hadn't had in centuries. |
In any other young adult novel, this would be a clear coming-of-age moment. Both Harry and Cedric are overcoming serious temptation – especially Cedric, whose house at Hogwarts has gotten very little glory over the centuries. But, instead of giving in to their "shining" visions, the two boys decide to compromise. But one of the things that we love about the Harry Potter series is that, while it's set in a school and deals with plenty of coming-of-age business, it also has much bigger fish to fry. The ordinary milestones of growing up do happen in the series, but they get overshadowed or derailed by much more serious events that keep intruding into Harry Potter's life.
| Quote #9 The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you, Potter, and he so wanted to [...] Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him – the thing he needed above all to regenerate – and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter ... closer than a son ... (35.81). |
Aside from the general insanity of Barty Crouch, Jr.'s ramblings, what strikes us about this passage is the terms in which he expresses his love for Voldemort. He imagines that he will "be honored beyond" all the others, that he will be "closer than a son" to Voldemort. Daddy issues, much? We can't help but remember Professor Dumbledore's memory of Mr. Crouch, Sr.'s harsh public repudiation of his son at his trial. It sounds to us like Barty Crouch, Jr. is looking for a new, better father in the form of Voldemort. Either this is proof of exactly how bad a father Mr. Crouch is, that Voldemort would look better in comparison. Or (and we think this is more likely), this is proof of how loony Barty Crouch, Jr. is, that he would seek a father figure in the least paternal wizard ever: Voldemort.
