HPforGrownups] Re: Fudge/Percy going over and comparism to Les Mis

[moorequests]

No: HPFGUIDX 30919

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Jefrigo21 at a... wrote:
> Molly Wrote........
>  What you just said there brings to mind another literary 
>  >  character.... anyone read "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo? 
Sounds 
>  >  like Javert..... the "rules obsessed" policeman who is, in 
>  >  technicality, working for good, but really, when you come down 
to 
>  it, 
>  >  is the real force of evil in the book. 
>  > 
>  >     Percy sounds like he might slip into those shoes just 
perfectly  
> ______________________________________________________
> 
> _____________________________________________________ 
> here are my 2 knuts
>  > > I know of the story, but Javert is an obsessive man who wants 
all 
>  >  of the power.  Percey might want this, but he was in 
Gryffindor. He 
>  >  has yet tom prove himself as a former Gryffindor.  We have to 
wait 
>  >  and see what happens to him.  sometimes the least likely person 
>  will 
>  >  wind up doing something amazing, it might be Percey, Bill or 
>  >  Charlie.  They are in the story for a reason, and they all will 
>  play 
>  >  a part in the fight.


    Hm....... I must disagree with a part of what you wrote there. 
I'm very, very familiar with the story of Les Mis, having read the 
entire (uncut) novel twice, including Hugo's large digressions into 
the Battle of Waterloo, etc. I've done a research paper on the book 
and characters as well. Javert's character is not so much one 
grasping for ultimate power but one who destroys himself emotionally 
in the struggle to bring down a fugitive who is ultimately good yet 
has been broken and redeemed. Javert *cannot* reconcile that this is 
possible, the total redemption of a criminal for good, and thus, when 
Valjean saves his (Javert's) life at the end of the story, the 
structure and morality of the value system he has set up are blown 
apart. 

   I see a parallel with Percy in that he so worships and covets a 
place at the MoM that he may view any lawbreaker (i.e. Sirius) as 
unredeemable. Percy is one to follow the law exactly and follow his 
heart second. Those kind of people make dangerous decisions when it 
comes to mercy judgements. They are not the kind you want to have in 
the highest seats of power either. 

   -Molly Denton


 "We will win in the end. We learned many years ago that the rich may 
have the money, but that the poor have the time."  -Cesar Chavez.