[HPforGrownups] Re: S/D (Was: setting the cat down

[Peg Kerr]

No: HPFGUIDX 2029



Amanda Lewanski wrote:

>
> foxmoth at qnet.com wrote:
>
> >         I am wondering why you would say this...I thought the situation in
> > PoA where Lupin seems to be afraid to even touch Harry and then (fast
> > forward)has to leave the school because of  potential scandal and
> > parental outrage was sensitive and  subtle and very moving...Or am I
> > reading too much into it?
>
> I thought Lupin didn't want to touch Harry because he didn't want to cause a proud boy to break down at a very vulnerable moment. Teenage boys, in my experience, don't like to cry in front of
> people, especially ones they think highly of. I thought he had to leave the school because parents would withdraw their children if a werewolf were there--it's dangerous.

I think both interpretations can reasonably be brought to the text, depending on the reader..  The interpretation you propose, Amanda, seems correct to me--and it is very moving, that Lupin is
that sensitive to nuance that he does just the right thing at the moment.  The other interpretation is something that, to me, isn't what the story is ABOUT.  But it is something that the reader
might think of, saying, this scene reminds me of this situation, and that gloss adds a depth to the reader's appreciation of the scene.

That's one thing I've discovered as a writer.  I'll write something, and then a reader will approach me, saying, "When you wrote this, it made me think of this" and I'll say--I never thought of
that--but you're right!  That interpretation can fit, too, and it actually complements the themes I was trying to create.

Peg