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Originally Posted by Nukerjsr

I think everyone here has a really good idea on how Haruhi thinks. It's kind of strange really to me that we can't fully understand what her true thoughts are being the pure antagonist for the show. The only thing that I really wanna push is that I do not believe that Haruhi is a character who we can feel sympathetic about and I hope some of her personal issues are handled well in the light novels or anime.

The only thing that feels absurd to me about the whole issue is the "John Smith" thing. Honestly, there are many things wrong with the mentality of the whole issue. Why would she be so concerned about a guy that she knew for one day and treated him like crap the entire time. Not to mention, that the time-span was only 3 years and even in that period of time, she should be able to know who Kyon is by then.

I would suspect that her concern for John Smith is threefold.
First, John Smith willingly helped her out in her act of grand vandalism. Any other random North High student who spotted her after hours wouldn't have been impressed with her egotism and she'd have been brought home to her parents in the back of a squad car. Imagine how the series would've turned out if that happened.

Second, there is the little conversation she and John Smith had after their successful vandalism of school grounds. They talked about weird and strange things. Conveniently she meets and talks to this strange man right after she made this huge Tanabata wish.

Spoiler:

It also helps that she heard him, or someone shout out to her on the way home to 'take care of John Smith.' This is revealed in Disappearance and is explained fully later on.

Third, John Smith completely disappears after that special night. It's the first truly weird and out-of-this-world thing Haruhi witnesses. (The whole stranger turns up in the nick of time, willingly helps her, talks to her about weird things, and then is never seen ever again thing. If Kyon had gone back to the future right in front of Haruhi's eyes, it probably would've blown her mind. And the rest of the world as a direct result.)

Spoiler:

Don't think she didn't look for him either. With typical Haruhi audacity, she infiltrated North High to search for John Smith.

She doesn't quite equate Kyon to John Smith because it has been three years, and she's come to the very logical conclusion that John Smith must've graduated high school by the time she started. Though there seems to be something about this 'Kyon' guy . . .