Anyone Else Surprised or Disappointed That Harry

[StrayDog]

Still, I said before that Harry is a lousy friend, specially with Ivy. He only needed to write her a not every month or so and things would have been completely different.

On this point I whole heartedly agree!!! The list of examples is very long.

[Mira]

On this point I whole heartedly agree!!! The list of examples is very long.

Yes, but he was in a coma for six months, then dealing with Maeve, then confined to Demonreach for the next year where Mab practically kept him incommunicado, I think he only got a couple of visits from Thomas and Murphy and those stopped because of the vibes the island was putting off.. Then the events from Skin Game, Maggie coming to live with him, his romance with Murphy, and still trying to manage the mantle.  So not saying you are wrong, but at the same time it is understandable as to why he wasn't jotting a note off to Ivy.

He could guess but he was too busy with himself. It is one of his problems.

So for a year and a half, he couldn't communicate even if he wanted to.  Then there was that little crisis with Maeve, the one that could have blown up Chicago and beyond, and the events of Skin Game and learning to live with a ten year old child you really don't know.  I guess you could say he was too busy with himself..

[Arjan]

Yes, but he was in a coma for six months, then dealing with Maeve, then confined to Demonreach for the next year where Mab practically kept him incommunicado, I think he only got a couple of visits from Thomas and Murphy and those stopped because of the vibes the island was putting off.. Then the events from Skin Game, Maggie coming to live with him, his romance with Murphy, and still trying to manage the mantle.  So not saying you are wrong, but at the same time it is understandable as to why he wasn't jotting a note off to Ivy.

So for a year and a half, he couldn't communicate even if he wanted to.  Then there was that little crisis with Maeve, the one that could have blown up Chicago and beyond, and the events of Skin Game and learning to live with a ten year old child you really don't know.  I guess you could say he was too busy with himself..

He could have written sorry in the sand for Ivy.

[StrayDog]

Yes, but he was in a coma for six months, then dealing with Maeve, then confined to Demonreach for the next year where Mab practically kept him incommunicado, I think he only got a couple of visits from Thomas and Murphy and those stopped because of the vibes the island was putting off.. Then the events from Skin Game, Maggie coming to live with him, his romance with Murphy, and still trying to manage the mantle.  So not saying you are wrong, but at the same time it is understandable as to why he wasn't jotting a note off to Ivy.

So for a year and a half, he couldn't communicate even if he wanted to.  Then there was that little crisis with Maeve, the one that could have blown up Chicago and beyond, and the events of Skin Game and learning to live with a ten year old child you really don't know.  I guess you could say he was too busy with himself..

A couple of counter points:
Thomas puts this into prospective on the Blue Beetle, Harry could have found a way even from the NeverNever.
People dedicate time to things they want or the reverse, people can find any excuse to avoid things they don't want to do.
All of those things you listed are only excuses and we all know about excuses.

[Arjan]

Some are and some are not. Mab really isolated him on that island and he was dead for a while. He was outsmarted by Mab.

But he could have send a message to Ivy and he had some time after cold days to contact people. His emotional state was not helping him though.

But now as a knight in a castle he has to try salvaging what is left of his contacts.

[Mira]

   If he wasn't contacting either Murphy or Thomas much when he was on the island, says he wasn't. He was also trying to understand the system, and had this thing in his head that caused him lots of pain to the point of passing out.  So a lot of reasons, for him not to contact her, when she ignored him, he seemed to understand, and from then on he simply called her the Archive.


 

[Bad Alias]

I can only think of a few reasons for him to have not contacted her.

1. He didn't consider his actions impact on her.
2. He did and was avoiding owning up to it.
3. He assumed she knew he was alive because she's the Archive and didn't think he needed to say anything.

I don't think any of these reflect well on Harry. I don't think that his plate was full was an excuse. He had plenty of time to write her a quick note. I do understand why he would avoid it. Shame is a powerful emotion.

[Mira]

I can only think of a few reasons for him to have not contacted her.

1. He didn't consider his actions impact on her.
2. He did and was avoiding owning up to it.
3. He assumed she knew he was alive because she's the Archive and didn't think he needed to say anything.

I don't think any of these reflect well on Harry. I don't think that his plate was full was an excuse. He had plenty of time to write her a quick note. I do understand why he would avoid it. Shame is a powerful emotion.

I don't think it ever occurred to him that he meant that much to Ivy. However if you believe Luccio, the fact that Harry didn't write to her, which could be called distancing himself, would be the best for Ivy.  Also in the settings they were in, the Archive is seen and must be seen as a neutral force, so even saying "hi" to Harry could be misinterpreted as favoritism by other Accord members.

[Dina]

Your English is better than mine and English is my first language!  Suicides are unaware of the pain they cause others, just their own pain.  Harry was isolated from Chicago for a year when Mab would not let him contact anyone, and he was pretty busy the rest of the time, Ivy isn't someone he saw every day, nor Kincaid, so how would he know?

Not true, but thank you 
That is what I meant, Mira. Of course he has not way to know unless he called her or something. I just meant that he does not know what happened between I and K, not that he did not care or anything. Only that he did not know.

But about the rest of the comments, I may understand Harry being isolated of some friends but Ivy is the worse case. I see no reason not to write her a note every few weeks. I mean, it is true that perhaps he did not realize how that would be important for Ivy, but that makes him well, not very bright, and frankly insensitive.

[Bad Alias]

I don't think it ever occurred to him that he meant that much to Ivy.

I think SmF says otherwise.

However if you believe Luccio, the fact that Harry didn't write to her, which could be called distancing himself, would be the best for Ivy.

Again, I think SmF shows Harry disagrees.

Also in the settings they were in, the Archive is seen and must be seen as a neutral force, so even saying "hi" to Harry could be misinterpreted as favoritism by other Accord members.

I'm not talking about them interacting at the peace talks. I'm talking about Harry never saying anything to her after he came back from the dead.

[The_Sibelis]

I think Harry's just being his usual big ol dumb self and not thinking about it. He doesn't truly see the consequences of his actions... Part of why he's going to go through the MM world story wise I think.

[Dina]

*crosses fingers*

[Bad Alias]

@The_Sibelis: Yeah.

[StrayDog]

But about the rest of the comments, I may understand Harry being isolated of some friends but Ivy is the worse case. I see no reason not to write her a note every few weeks. I mean, it is true that perhaps he did not realize how that would be important for Ivy, but that makes him well, not very bright, and frankly insensitive.

This is something that I have also felt. More so with the last two books. My desire each time I dig into a DF book is that this is the one Harry will have that epiphany which grows him out of what I hope is immatureness and into .... well better. We are 17 books into his character development and JB is closer to writing a narcissistic villain than a flawed Batman/Spiderman type hero.

[Mira]

This is something that I have also felt. More so with the last two books. My desire each time I dig into a DF book is that this is the one Harry will have that epiphany which grows him out of what I hope is immatureness and into .... well better. We are 17 books into his character development and JB is closer to writing a narcissistic villain than a flawed Batman/Spiderman type hero.

I don't think that will happen, simply because Harry is a parent now.  He wants to be a good parent, he also has Michael mentoring him on that subject.  A good parent cannot be immature nor narcissistic.  Reread Christmas Eve.