(Also liked the way Percy feels imprisoned by that hex on the door -- and the way he traces the cracks on the ceiling with his eyes comes across as a habit he might have picked up in Azkaban. Maybe. Um) Just seems so resigned, though -- as if he's capable of marking time for years doing that.
You really caught onto something there. Yes, exactly. Percy reverted immediately to his "cell behaviour" without even noticing it.
but really intrigued at the subtle changes that Askaban has made in Percy's personality!
Yes, Azkeban has done a few things to Percy.
1) He lives more in the moment. No more five- and ten-year plans. The thought of looking ahead to 730 days of prison was just something he couldn't compass. Also he's recognized that life is beyond his control, largely because this situation seems entirely unfair: he was doing his job, what was right, and he got punished for it. (Which is a pretty solid piece of denial.) So he's developed that concentration of his, unintentionally, that used to be focused on the distant future goals to focus on the physical present. And he endures.
2) He's lost all sense of hope. He's not depressed or bleak, mind you, he just doesn't hope for anything better than his current situation. So even the least comfort or kindness shines gloriously now, while brutality and cruelty is merely expected. His standards are so low that nearly anyone can meet and exceed them. Including Snape.
3) He still sets goals, but very small, achievable ones. His drive for perfection is there as ever, but as a habit rather than stemming from any desire for success and recognition.
4) He has abandoned the need for recognition because, oh, where he was you were faaar better off ignored. It's the same drive for approval in a sense: he found that getting attention in his circumstances only drew a very negative sort of attention. His need for approval has not recovered though it does still exist.
5) Percy has always used his physical appearance to facilitate his aims, dressing for success, etc. Now he's developed the opposite without realizing it, as a defense mechanism: he is dirty and unkempt. His appearance is not a high priority right now, but he doesn't realize that he feels safer when people shift their eyes away to avoid looking at him.
Yes, Percy has changed a great deal. A lot of it is unhealthy however.
no subject
You really caught onto something there. Yes, exactly. Percy reverted immediately to his "cell behaviour" without even noticing it.
but really intrigued at the subtle changes that Askaban has made in Percy's personality!
Yes, Azkeban has done a few things to Percy.
1) He lives more in the moment. No more five- and ten-year plans. The thought of looking ahead to 730 days of prison was just something he couldn't compass. Also he's recognized that life is beyond his control, largely because this situation seems entirely unfair: he was doing his job, what was right, and he got punished for it. (Which is a pretty solid piece of denial.) So he's developed that concentration of his, unintentionally, that used to be focused on the distant future goals to focus on the physical present. And he endures.
2) He's lost all sense of hope. He's not depressed or bleak, mind you, he just doesn't hope for anything better than his current situation. So even the least comfort or kindness shines gloriously now, while brutality and cruelty is merely expected. His standards are so low that nearly anyone can meet and exceed them. Including Snape.
3) He still sets goals, but very small, achievable ones. His drive for perfection is there as ever, but as a habit rather than stemming from any desire for success and recognition.
4) He has abandoned the need for recognition because, oh, where he was you were faaar better off ignored. It's the same drive for approval in a sense: he found that getting attention in his circumstances only drew a very negative sort of attention. His need for approval has not recovered though it does still exist.
5) Percy has always used his physical appearance to facilitate his aims, dressing for success, etc. Now he's developed the opposite without realizing it, as a defense mechanism: he is dirty and unkempt. His appearance is not a high priority right now, but he doesn't realize that he feels safer when people shift their eyes away to avoid looking at him.
Yes, Percy has changed a great deal. A lot of it is unhealthy however.
Icarus