One of the biggest plot holes left behind in the wake of Deathly Hallows was, for me, James Potter. In the first book, we're told that James and Lily were great wizards and wonderful people. As the series continues, we get precious few clues about Harry's parents until the Three Broomsticks scene in Prisoner of Azkaban. Here we find out about the friendship of those we will come to know as the Marauders, and the betrayal of one of them. By the end of the book, we know James was an animagus, a bit reckless, a bit mischevious, but a loyal friend. We also know that he saved Snape's neck, which at the time is why we think Snape hates his guts. And then we don't advance our knowledge about James and Lily much again (despite their appearance during Priori Incantatum) until Snape's Worst Memory in Order of the Phoenix. And this tidbit of James is disconcerting - a bullying, conceited showoff willing to humiliate for sport.
Unfortunately for us, that's right where Rowling leaves him. We never see the James that shifts toward a softer, kinder person. We never see a moment of nobility from him. And after we see Snape's memories in the pensieve, we realize that we never see a moment that proves that he deserved Lily. Lily is by far the most flawless of Rowling's characters, and it sits unwell to think that she was married to a preening git. Plus, I think the series has alluded to an enormous importance for James and Lily, and while Lily's significance pans out, James recedes into a 15-year-old's memory as a guy we would've hoped to avoid in high school. I'm a bit sad that James was never more than he seemed, that his bloodline leading to Ignotus Peverell is the best thing he contributes to the end of the story.
yah james was a let down completely- also i find it difficult that according to her math james and lily were only what? like 21 when they died? how was that a mark of great wizardry and all the rest? in my head they shouldve died much older.
I agree that we never got to see the best of James. It is too bad. But I know that Lily wouldn't have married the "arrogant toerag" we did see, so I believe in the change.
(what is a toerag? Or does that belong in the mysteries thread?)
James definitely doesn't seem to deserve Lily.
Maybe he was like Harry in that he could be seen as an arrogant ass if you only looked at brief snippets but was a nice guy on the whole?
I didn't feel too disappointed by James. I mean, he was so young - so young. They both were. And just as Harry is the "arrogant" brother (as in the fable of the brave brother, the arrogant brother and the smart brother), so was his father. And for that matter, so was Dumbledore. I think there's a strong theme running through about arrogance, or perhaps a better term would be egoism. Harry has to learn that there's a difference between being self-reliant and self-absorbed, and in many ways he's tempted by self-absorption in his quest, as he has been in the past. He doesn't listen to authority well, and he certainly doesn't listen to R & H well. Harry wants what Harry wants. I was so pleased with him after Dobby's death, when he got out of his "clueless Frodo/hero with smarter friends wandering about aimlessly feeling sorry for himself" spell and started leading....and following D's advice re: horcruxes rather than hallows. So good! Overall, I think this was a great book but a bit ambitious for her. It's so internal, I mean Rawlings wants this one to be about internal struggles more than external, whereas in the other books i thought it was more of a 70/30 split in favor of external struggles. And those scenes that rely less on plot and more on emotions are hard for her. She resorts to ellipses alot, as in "Harry thought about his mother and father dying and leaving him.......Just as Dumbledore and Sirius had left him.....Cold and alone and in the forest...." (paraphrased, obviously!). I think she really struggles with that. The moments that I get emotional when reading JKR are at excellent plot points, her specialty, but not at those internal moments. Anyway, I thought that despite a slow middle, it finished so wonderfully well!
geez, I suppose I needed to ramble on. Thanks for listening!
I also would have liked to see the other side of James, but I agree with Megs that the fact that Lily somehow came around to him was enough to convince me that he turned out to be worthy of her in the end. Still, it would have been nice to have seen more of his finer moments and just to know more about Harry's dad in general.