Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil (Nel Question - LONG)

[tex23236]

No: HPFGUIDX 38327

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "heiditandy" <heidit at n...> wrote:
> This week's question from the Phil Nel database...
> 
>  Why has Rowling drawn connections between Voldemort and Harry?  

The connections are the *story.* Without them the plot would be
reduced to a final AK match. 

>In
> linking these characters so closely, is she suggesting some kinship
> between opposites?  Are good and evil bound closely together?  

In my world view, it is.  So far, only the bad guy says "there is no
right or wrong, but only power..."  However, the good guy seems to say 
the real choice is between right and easy.  One sees no evil, only weaknes; the
other sees second best as bad.

>Can 
> you think of other characters in the series who, though they appear 
> to be opposites, are in fact more alike than we initially suspect?
> 
The Ron-Draco pairing has been mentioned by others. Both seem
overly impulsive throw minor curses at each other.
> 
> The connection between Harry and Voldemort is distinctly drawn in 
> CoS, when Tom Riddle points out the similarities:
> 
> snip<
> What does Tom think these similarities mean?  

They are simply a way to taunt, or, perhaps recruit Harry; or at
least to weaken him with doubts.

> What does Harry think
> they mean?  

Harry suspects they point to some weakness in himself.

>What does Dumbledore think they mean? 

Especially at the end of GoF, he sees a shot at defeating Voldemort.

>What do YOU think
> they, and other connections that have been discussed in the books' 
> subtext, mean? 

As one who doubts the value of too much subtext gazing, I see the
author's intent to enrich the plot with interesting twists.
> 
> *******************************************************************
> KINSHIP BETWEEN OPPOSITES
>snip<
> The Mirror Image

I frankly don't see *total* mirror images between pairs of 
characters in HP.
> 
<snip> (Strangely enough, twins don't
> count as doubles.)

Understandable, I think. Twins' characteristics tend to resemble
eachother,  not reflect.  Twins are not mirror images of each other.
> 
> The Secret Sharer
> Named after the Joseph Conrad story by the same name, the
protagonist
> recognizes a part of himself in the double and therefore feels he
has
> a secret kinship with his double.

Yes, Harry sees the influence of Gryffindor as well as Slytherin, in
his make-up.
> 
> The Antithetical Self
> Often the most obvious kind of double, this double stands in an
> antagonistic relationship with the hero but nevertheless is very
much
> like the hero, as if they were opposite sides of the same coin.
(Post
> 38132 addresses the Harry/Voldemort connection rather well.)

Yes, we may view the story as revolving around these connections.

> Fragmentation of the Mind

Animagi? However, the animagi characters tend to behave the same way
in either of their forms, with the exeption of Lupin, who is
something of a special case.

> Ambivalence
> snip <

So, does Harry's several father figures "connect' them in some way?
In Harry's mind, I don't think they do.


> ARE GOOD AND EVIL BOUND CLOSELY TOGETHER 
> 
> 1. Characters
> In Post 23737, Pippin wrote, succinctly, "In Rowling's world we
have 
> met no character who personifies the forces of good as thoroughly
as 
> Voldemort personifies evil."
> 
The good guys contrast what is right vs. what is easy.  The bad guys contrast 
power vs. weakness.  I think Voldemort admits to weakness when he
speaks of his dispair in the forest.  Voldemort can't do anything good
because he has  no concept of it, like the good guys have a concept of evil.
> 
> 2. Actions & Words
> On a smaller level, what determines whether an act is "good" 
> or "evil"? <snip examples>

Motivation is pretty much the key in the Potterverse.  Despite the 
presence of the MoM, the WW seems to me pretty much of an anarchy.
Good intentions is good, if a concensus sees good results.

> 3. Themes in Literature
> One of the oldest themes in literature is the triumph of good over 
> evil. 

It's the case for HP, IMHO.

>What would the Diggorys say about that decision at 
> the end of Book 4? 

They, being good, would see the decision as good. Hidsight doesn't
count.
> 
> OPPOSITES & SIMILARITIES
> 
> Do any of these pairs/groups function as doubles (they might not)?
If
> so, which kind? What function might this doubling have in the Grand
> Scheme of Things?
> 
> Harry and James

James manages to do a great deal of posthumous parenting.  I think
Harry's IMAGE of his father is more a double than the real James would have
been.

> Harry and Lockhart

On my first reading of CS, I actually thought Lockhart was going to
be a Voldemort agent set to seduce Harry with prospcts of fame.

> Harry, Ron, Hermione

A trio of doubles? Hmm... Yes, they are a sort of three-walled squash
court,  aren't they?  A plce where ideas can get batted around.

> Dumbledore and Voldemort

Pretty plainly opposites or nearly so.  It almost seems the real
fight is between V and D.

> Sirius, James, Peter, Remus (aka The Marauders) and their animal 
> selves)

Another fragmentation, IMHO, a way to contrast people with how they
turn out.

> Harry and Draco

To be fair, we don't see enough of Draco to contrast him with Harry. 
In the polyjuice scene, he seems much more human.

> Ron and Draco

Yes, quite similar.  They might have been decent friends, had Harry
not been  in their year.

> McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore

All three tough, competant, and good  in their own way.

> McGonagall and Trelawney

Both try to draw out the students and grow them in their skills.  

> McGonagall and Hermione

Rules RULES! 

> Crouch Sr. and Ludo Bagman

Haven't seen enough of either.

> Sirius and Snape

Too much alike to like each other.

> Lily and Hermione

Hermione would take a bullet for Harry, and might have to.

> Snape and James

Too much alike to like each other.

> Ginny and Lily

Haven't seen enough of either.

> Snape and Lupin

Might have gotten along, but for the Prank.

> Dudley and Draco

I imagine this scene at platform 9.75:
Lucius:  Hello, you must be the Dursley boy.  My son Draco says he's
heard
some good things about you.
Dudley: What, from Harry?  He hates me.
Lucius: But that's a good thing...