[HPforGrownups] Snape and Percy (was: Authority and rule-breaking)

[Morag Traynor]

No: HPFGUIDX 16164

Glad someone's standing up for Percy - the worst thing about him is that 
he's gullible.  He doesn't realize his in-tray is full of dragon dung 
"fertilizer samples" because Fred and George sent them, and he doesn't 
question the instructions sent by Mr Crouch when the latter is "indisposed", 
i.e. in Voldemort's power.  I could see him being fooled by the enemy in 
future books, but not joining them.  His pomposity is quite endearing - why 
shouldn't he be proud of being a prefect, or of being Head Boy?  If he's 
also proud of his report on thin-bottomed cauldrons, I think that's sweet.  
We see him geniunely concerned for Ginny, when her other brothers don't seem 
to have noticed anything's wrong, and for Penelope when she is frozen by the 
basilisk. (Ron thinks this is because Penelope is a fellow-prefect, 
therefore Percy's concern is ultimately self-centred, but we find out later 
she is Percy's girlfriend, so he does care about her.)  We also see him 
being serious and responsible in a crisis - e.g. troll incident, even if he 
is bossy and self-important at the same time.  I can't recall his ever doing 
anything that could be described as "harsh".  I think what drives Percy is 
that he wants to be "good" - a good boy, a good pupil, a good brother, good 
son, good employee - perhaps he will find it more difficult to be all of 
these at the same time, and will face a conflict of loyalties between family 
and ministry.  But he is too human, and just too funny to become evil.


>From: Samaporn Teeravechyan <teeravec at fas.harvard.edu>
>Reply-To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
>To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [HPforGrownups] Snape and Percy (was: Authority and rule-breaking)
>Date: Sun, 08 Apr 2001 23:44:38 -0400
>
>At 09:16 PM 4/8/01 -0000, you wrote:
>
> >> I also think that was what impressed him about Voldemort and what
> >>  made him join the DE. Their inner organisation is based on
> >> hierarchy, on orders and obedience, and for someone looking for
> >> respect and recognition at all costs, that sort of system is very
> >> inviting (just a side thought - thats exactly why I think Percy
> >> Weasley will go over to the dark side, too).
>
>The operative word here is 'at all costs' - which is why I strongly oppose
>the idea of Percy Weasley joining Voldemort (I chose this wording because,
>from the text, it seems as though JKR is hinting at the possibility - but I
>think it's just another red herring). An extremely anal person (pardon the
>American slang I picked up a few years back) is just as capable of
>distinguishing between good/bad, right/wrong as the next person. The
>comment that Percy would not hesitate to hand a family member over to the
>Dementors (or something to that effect) means just that. He has a very
>strong sense of duty that takes a front seat to emotional attachment.
>
>While both Snape and Percy enjoy exercising power and enforcing rules,
>Snape's actions seem to be dictated more by personal preference and an
>unreliable emotional pendulum. Percy, on the other hand, is unwaveringly
>strict (and stuffy). His principles form a steady compass that dictates
>objective, unbiased (well, relatively so) and resolute action in face of
>the smallest infraction of rules/the law. While his harshness and general
>air of pomposity is often remniscent of Snape, let's not forget that, when
>it boiled down to his concern over appearances versus Ron's welfare (end of
>second task, GoF), we saw Percy racing pale-faced into the water to pull
>his brother out.
>
>Samaporn
>
>P.S. Again, please note that this was written without being able to check
>out the exact details from GoF.

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