[HPforGrownups] Re: Rowling's muggles

[Becky]

No: HPFGUIDX 31068


--- mss4a <mss4a at cstone.net> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "E S"
> <persephone_uk at h...> wrote:
> > Does anyone else find themselves somewhat
> perturbed by the 
> > depiction of  muggles in Rowling's world?  
> 
> Yeah, totally agree. I think this is a real weak
> point. 


I don't think it's a weak point. (Unless you're
talking about a weak point for the wizards :) )I
imagine it's intentional. Most Muggles are portrayed
fairly realistically I think. I don't mean as idiots,
but their responses to magic. For instance, Petunia. I
can easily imagine her feeling angry about discovering
a whole new magical society, but the only reason she
found it was because of Lily. I think from Aunt
Petunia's comments in PS/SS about her parents, showed
that she felt a lot of sibling rivalry here. Possibly,
Lily had always been seen as "odd" and her parents
were overjoyed when they found out the reason. I think
it's possible that before that, Petunia was the one in
the limelight, while Lily was just the "strange little
Evans girl." So when it came time for Lily to shine,
and Petunia discovered that there was no way to catch
up to her, she decided that her parents were missing
the point. Lily was still odd, only now she was even
more so, she was a freak.

So this could help explain the Dursleys, and naturally
they wouldn't associate with the most broad-minded of
people, so I think this can cover for them. (Not to
mention, I can imagine that Vernon gets a kick out of 
"conspiracy" theories.) I don't mean excuse them, so I
should probably say cover for JKR. There *are* people
likt that out there.

> Although I do 
> think the Roberts family is a fairly sympathetic
> portrayal -- Mr. 
> Roberts isn't mean (that I recall), and the way
> they're victimized, 
> you can't help but feel for them.
> 

Yeah. I agree here. 

> > Does anyone else wish we could have a prominent
> and 
> > sympathetic muggle  character? 
> 
> YES, yes, a thousand times yes! It wouldn't even
> have to be a 
> MAJOR character. Just a Muggle who we know well,
> who's nice.
> 
> Melanie
> 
> 
> 

 Definitely agree here. But most of the time we're
seeing Muggles around magical events. I think even the
most enthusiastic ones would be slightly disconcerted.

And I can't imagine how many times I've laughed
condescendingly at Arthur Weasley and his
eckeltricity. So I think JKR is being realistic.
Wizards are condescending when Muggles can't
understand magic, depite the fact that they probably
couldn't get along very well with Muggle technology.

Becky

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