[HPforGrownups] Re: JKR, Harry Potter, and the Nature of Evil

[devika261 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 19707

In a message dated 5/29/01 4:37:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
bohners at pobox.com writes:


> > When some particularly powerful feat such as opening
> the Chamber of Secrets is envisaged, it is assumed that this requires
> dark magic.  At one point the Hogwarts pupils infer that Harry's
> ability as a baby to defeat Voldemort must mean that he is a powerful
> dark wizard - nothing good could be that strong.  This is a very
> negative outlook indeed.  Likewise, only the horrible Dementors are
> regarded as having the capability to keep Voldemort's remaining
> supporters in check. <
> 
> This is very interesting, and ties into an objection my brother had to the
> books -- that he felt evil was consistently portrayed in the books as being
> more powerful and more potent (even though not more desirable) than good.
> He couldn't see how JKR could balance that out, even with three more books
> to go.  But I suspect (especially knowing JKR's fondness for the Narnia
> books, and for the writings of G.K. Chesterton) that she *will* uphold the
> potency of good, and show the ultimate banality and triviality of evil, in
> the end.  It's just a question of how she's going to do it -- and I can't
> begin to answer that question.  But I think she's done a very good job of
> setting us all up to ask the right questions before she gives us her version
> of the answers.
> 

I think the reason that many people turned to the Dark Side (and also the 
reason that many more will soon do the same) is that they perceive evil to be 
stronger than good.  For example, Peter Pettigrew's argument in the Shrieking 
Shack in PoA was that Voldemort was so powerful that there seemed to be no 
point in resisting him.  Dumbledore's charge to the students in GoF that they 
must choose what is right instead of what is easy also implies that evil is 
stronger, and more tempting, than good.  However, it is also true that Lily's 
sacrifice saved Harry and therefore could counteract Voldemort's evil.  
Dumbledore also says that Voldemort could not understand something as pure 
and good as Lily's love for her son, and this was the reason that Voldemort 
was unable to touch Harry in SS.  I have a feeling that when we find out more 
about why Voldemort was after the Potters and what exactly defeated him the 
first time (Lily's love?), we will see the power of good over evil.
Devika :) 


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