Free Will

[Peg Kerr]

No: HPFGUIDX 1288

Observation du jour: free will.

It all comes back to one of the seminal statements in the series,
something that Dumbledore
says in Book 2: "It is our choices, Harry, that make us who we are, much
more than our
abilities." Voldemort's followers try to diminish free will (everything
from the Imperius curse
down to the leg locker spell Draco puts on Neville). Barty Crouch Jr.
and Sr. were both
intimately involved with the Imperius curse. The point of Voldemort's
dark mark was to
COMPEL his followers to apparate to his side instantly whenever he
touched it on anyone of
them--and then do whatever he bid them. They follow him out of fear AND
out of the desire
for power over others.

Whatever motivates Harry and his friends, it isn't power, and isn't the
desire to be controlled,
nor to control others. Harry is growing up and coming into his own by
learning when to "go
along" with the rules--but understanding that there are times he may
have to break the rules to
do what is right. (i.e, going through the trap door in book 1, rescuing
Buckbeak to save Sirius
in Book 3). And as he grows further, he must learn to fight attempts to
control and manipulate
him. He saved himself in Book 4 by refusing to kneel at Voldemort's
feet--he stood up and
defended himself and as a result, managed to escape in the end.

What Dumbledore must teach Harry is that he is the agent of his own
destiny; he must not
accept being controlled by others. Sometimes rules must be followed, but
they must not be
followed blindly. Harry's moral education is meant to teach him how to
tell the difference.

Comments?

Peg