Evil--Lewis and JKR morality

[foxmoth at qnet.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 19859

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amy Z" <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> Lisa wrote:
> 
>  > Now going back a little to the discussion about good vs. evil.  I 
> > paid particular attention to an exchange between Rebecca and I think 
> > Susan and Pippin about whether or not evil is bigger than good in 
> > JKR, whether or not the Narnia books are formulaic, and whether or 
> > not Aslan is the deus ex machina.
	
	Well, what you thought you heard is not what I think I said <g> I 
didn't want to disparage Lewis so strongly, and certainly intend no 
disparagement toward his faith.  As Rebecca says,  JKR is telling a 
different kind of story. Puddleglum (my favorite Narnian) says he would 
fight in Aslan's army even if there were no Aslan to be the head of it.  
That, I think, is the story that JKR is telling, and I would be 
disappointed if she veered away from that and introduced an allegorical 
character like Aslan, or a prophecy  that everyone is supposed to 
believe in and draw comfort from. 
	 It seems to be very important to Dumbledore that people *not* 
expect Harry, or anyone else, to save them. That seems to be part of 
the reason that Harry is left with Muggles rather than with a wizarding 
family...so that he won't grow up with an inflated idea of his own 
importance.

> > I think what set *my* bells off is when McGonagall says to 
> Dumbledore  in the first chapter of PS/SS that Voldemort was only afraid of  Albus  Dumbledore.  "You flatter me, my dear...Voldemort had powers I never will."  "Only because you're too *noble* to use them," McGonagall shoots back.  Well, wouldn't this imply that people who break the rules are the ones with the real power? 
	
	What it implies to me is that Dumbledore is too *humble* to use 
the powers that Voldemort has.  He doesn't use his powers to force 
other people to do what *he* thinks is right or punish them for not 
agreeing with him. 
	There's also a respect for human dignity in Dumbledore and JKR 
that has no desire to see others humiliated even if they are evil. I 
think some of Rowling's critics are like Filch, they want to see some *
punishment* (emphasis Rowling's). I think the bouncing ferret incident 
and the ton-tongue toffee episode show us what Rowling thinks of that 
idea. It may be satisfying to watch the bad guys humiliated, but it 
will only make things harder in the end.
	I definitely agree with what Amy Z said about the power of Love. 
As an individual, Voldemort has more power than any other wizard, but 
because he cannot love, his enemies can  and will unite to wield a 
power he can never use or understand.
	
	As to Mike's post on the moral nature of mankind...by all means 
let's stay out of the heavy water. I have to remind myself at least 
once a day that nobody made me judge of all the earth <g>...ah, but 
that's why we have fiction.
	I also agree with Mike that it would be aesthetically unsatisfying 
to have a totally black/white resolution to the story. But I don't 
think we are going there.
	 I would say that while I am sure Voldemort's fall will be so low 
that none can foresee his arising again, I can see Draco Malfoy not 
quite getting his just desserts, but slipping through the net as his 
father once did, surviving to donate a share of his derived-from-
exploited- House-elves-if-not-positively ill-gotten gains to worthy 
causes,  sitting on the boards of St. Mungo's and Hogwarts, and 
occasionally using his influence to settle a personal score or two.

Pippin