Summary: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 16-18

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 26286

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Genevieve Pratt" <jheen at m...> wrote:
> Chapter 16: Chamber of Secrets

> 2)    At one point, Tom makes the comment that Harry was a lot like
> him. Do you agree or is he entirely commenting on them both being
> half-blood orphans?

We have Tom, we have Harry, who is Dick?

> 6)    We learn a lot about Voldemort in these few chapters. Did you
 > find anything that could possibly make him out to be a little more 
>  human or does he still seem as pure evil as in book one?

Tom Riddle is more  human than Lord Voldemort - V has succeeded
in making himself into a monster, no longer human - but Tom is just
as evil as V: at the age of 16, he was already determined to become
a monster of whom all wizards whom be terrified, and then in GoF we
learn that at 16 he murdered his father and paternal grandparents.  
I can understand why his experiences would lead him to carry a grudge 
against his father, and maybe against all Muggles, but carrying a 
grudge against wizards as well, carrying his grudge to the point of 
murder, and DESIRING to be FEARED, rather than desiring to be ADMIRED 
for doing great things, gave me the impression that he was born a 
psychopath. Being insane sort of confuses the question of whether 
being evil is a choice: Malfoys and Fudges are better examples of 
CHOOSING to be evil.