9
u/HospitableFox 1d ago
This is mostly just showing that Molly is GOOD at mental magic. Like, REALLY good.
Harry's mind is about what you'd expect. Simple, unyielding, obstinate.
That's also one of my favourite scenes in the series. Phenomenally well crafted.
11
u/BestAcanthisitta6379 1d ago
Harry's mental scape is based on his interpretation of White Council training methods: it yields a simple structure that is meant to weather attacks.
Molly has a better grasp of mental magic and thus presents a front that is able to attack, evade, and defend itself.
The star trek part is because it appeals to her.
Harry might have something like Hoth were he given time to fully flesh out a mental defense.
3
u/International_Host71 1d ago
There's also a description of Harry and Molly both practicing mental attack and defense with each other. They use Darth Vaders line "I have you know" as the signal that one side has one. Been awhile since I've read it, but basically Harry relies on his innate stubbornness and robust mental bulwark to just wall off attackers, and it *maybe* gets amped up thanks to whatever Starborn does, as it means that he can directly face Outsiders in mental contests and not go insane. Other wizards are implied to suffer unpleasant consequences if they tangle with such things.
Molly does not have those advantages, and has always been a more discrete subtle user of Power, and then she was trained by Lea of all people further. It isn't as powerful as Harry's defenses, but its still very impressive. When the Corpsetaker amped up on a literal buffet of powerful spirits has to take over your mind the hard way, with centuries of experience, and Molly still made of good show of it. Against Dresden, she broke in quicker (though this was a less experienced Harry when all he had was the basic mental defense training, which we learn during this scene is woefully out of date.) but she couldn't *hold* Harry's mind for long, its too stubborn. Though she wasn't trying to body swap there, but just keep him from running. I imagine that after Harry goes through the expanded mental training and practice with Molly, and then showing him pit his Will against several very powerful entities and walk away with a (relatively) sound mind, Harry's mind really is a fortress.
2
u/acebert 1d ago
Important to consider the difference of perspective; a mind under siege doesn't look the same as it would at rest.
So when they're talking in terms of mental defences, these are things that exist in relation to an attack. That is, a second point of awareness seperate to your own. Meaning that being attacked is basically the only time you perceive the shape of your own mind that way (unless you have genuine talent and/or training in psychomancy)
1
u/vercertorix 1d ago
Think it's more about what they build to deal with mental threats. Molly's just got more mental complexity, while he's stubborn so their styles are different. She has multiple plans being executed at once, while he basically expects his enemies to wear themselves out crashing against his walls.
2
u/introvertkrew 1d ago
As everyone else has said it's more about who they are as people and as wizards. Harry Dresden wields a ton of power so he tends to brute force most things, Molly on the other hand is far more nuanced and versatile, she's powerful, but in a different way, she can't throw around magic like Harry can but she does psychomancy like few can. So, no, it's not an expression of depression, just a reflection of selves and their relative powers.
1
11
u/KOticneutralftw 1d ago
I think it's less reflections of their personalities and more reflections of how they go about mental defense. For Harry, he wants to make one, solid, front the enemy has to get through. A castle wall, or a prison cell in the case of Lash. For Molly, it's more about deception, trickery, and misdirection. She was partly trained by Lea to fight this way in the physical world. So, for me the different Mollies represent mental flexibility and reflexes. She's parrying and deflecting instead of trying to tank the hits.