[HPforGrownups] Javert, Percy, Snape and Neville

[smurfs143143 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 31111

In a message dated 12/7/01 7:07:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, butagirl at aol.com 
writes:

<< I must disagree, both in the analysis of Javert and the comparison to 
Percy. 
 Deep down, Javert is not an evil man, but is rather saddled by an 
 overwhelming sense of duty. Unfortunately this causes massive conflicts 
 because of the demands on him by a) being entrusted with enforcing the law 
 and b) the debts of gratitude to the criminal Valjean that he feels in his 
 heart he must uphold. He is a character to be pitied, not loathed, and his 
 self-destruction is one of the most tragic elements of the saga, IMO. A 
 similar character, although in a much more light-hearted vein, is Dick 
 Deadeye in HMS Pinafore - ugly in appearance and ill-tempered in character, 
 he is universally disliked, yet all of his unsavoury actions can be 
 attributed to "doing the right thing".
  >>
well - I do not agree that Javert's actions very a result of an overwhelming 
sense of duty - I do agree he is to be pitied.  I. myself, feel very sorry 
for him and i do believe that he is a good man.  In my opinion, Javert has 
just been mislead by rules and society at the time - he was just doing his 
job the way he was taught - but when he finally finds out the truth of the 
situation - he believes it is too late and turns to death.  In this way, I do 
believe that Percy is like Javert - but an even more relevant character - and 
the first one that popped into my head - was Fudge.  You could say both were 
blinded by power - but Fudge is more - as he sees no possibility for 
anybody's redemption (Fudge to Sirius)(like Javert to Valjean) and does not 
want to trust information from  "different"  class of people (Harry because 
he was a parselmouth) (like Javert to Fantine).  

Love, Elizabeth