Voldie's Redemption (was: Evil and Stuff)

[Melody <Malady579@hotmail.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48326

I wrote:
>>To dehumanized Voldemort would make killing him easier for all, but
>>defeat the point of the lessons learned so far in the series.

CK wrote:
>Oh, I don't agree. I think that making him not-human makes the
>morality of killing him more questionable. Because if he IS human,
>then the choice is simple: Harry may not kill him. Period. As a
>'human being,' yeah, he has the choice. But as the archetypal
>virtuous hero, he may not kill another human being.


I don't know if 'making Voldemort human means that Harry cannot kill
him' is portrayed in the books.  Yes, it is shown that Harry and
Dumbledore have a lingering respect for life, and thank goodness for
that.  They realize that people are human and thus can be redeemed.
Harry is still a little fuzzy on that concept, but it is growing in
him to see.  So I don't think Harry with ever see Voldemort as
non-human.  Harry *knows* Voldemort still has that human soul no
matter what his shell is.  Harry met Tom Riddle.  Harry knows that
Voldemort is human.  Harry also knows that Voldemort has a mother and
father.  Harry has been shown over and over that this guy is a human
being, but this guy messed up...big time.  Does this mean Harry cannot
kill him now?  Is this education providing Harry with grounds for
believing in a Voldemort that could turn from his evil ways?

I am not sure.  I would say, Harry knows all this to be true but feels
Voldemort must pay for his crimes.  Whether by death or by kiss, Harry
believes Voldemort does deserve the punishment.  Now if it came down
to it and it was Harry or Voldemort...well, in fact, it has come down
to it in the graveyard, and Harry did not aim to kill.  I don't think
Harry thought he had it in him to perform such strong magic.  But did
Harry not kill snake-face that night because he thought he was
non-human?  No, he did not kill Voldemort that night because he knew
the punishment to an unforgivable curse.  Even in the face of evil,
Harry did not kill.  So really, non-human or human, Harry will still
not aim his wand...well for right now.  ;)

Oh, another point:
If Voldemort is being portrayed as something no longer human, then he
is becoming evil personified.  If that is the case, then the hero is
not defeating an evil person but evil itself.  I find this a very
dangerous situation to portray with any morality involved.  Frankly if
Voldemort is killed because he is seen as evil personified and not a
human being, then the whole reason they killed him is convoluted.  The
good guys, in their perception, thought they were killing evil and
thus it will go away for good.  That is a *extremely* wrong assessment
and only breeds more evil from the apathy in result.  However, if they
kill an evil human, then they are protecting themselves from that
person.  The knowledge that evil still exists and is still an option
is there.


CK wrote:
>However, if Voldemort isn't human, it removes that assurance. Maybe
>he's past redemption. Maybe there is no longer anything worth saving.

I cannot believe *anyone* is beyond redemption.  That is the whole
point of the road to Damascus in The Bible.  A human being is and
always will have a human soul that can always be saved, and I don't
just believe this because it is my faith but because it is alluded to
in the text.

Crouch Sr., even though it has been debated recently as to whether it
is a proper redemption, was at the end of life when he repented.  He
saw the error of his ways and went to try and fix them.  That is why
Voldemort wanted him dead.  He was a threat like he never was before,
so I say that Crouch Sr. was on the road to recovery.  We also have
the ever-famous Snape redemption.  Once a DE but now a freedom fighter.

I don't think these are isolated incidences.  They are there to say
people *can* change.  *People* can.  Even when they make horrible
decisions and turn down extremely dark roads, the fact that they can
change is important.  Now Harry is shown Voldemort is in fact human,
so I do believe Harry won't forget that.

Now, I don't believe Harry would not shoot to kill because he believes
Voldemort can still change his ways.  That would be foolish, but I do
believe Harry and Dumbledore would accept a Redeemed!Voldemort instead
of a Dead!Voldemort.  They would rejoice in his turning from his evil
and embracing the good.  Though Voldemort still might have to pay for
his crimes, he would not be killed then because the WW does not have
the death penalty.  He might not even be kissed.

I do not find that we are to believe that Voldemort is past the point
of no return.  He can be redeemed still.  We might be past the
literary development of a character to be changed from evil to good,
but we might not.  After all, if JKR keeps writing these books as long
as she has, then we might have enough pages to make Voldemort's
redemption a possibility.

So do I believe he *will* turn from his evil ways?  Ha - what fun is
that?  I want evil destroyed.  I want dancing in the streets and good
people to not be afraid.  I want evil to be driven far from the earth
and the time of singing to commence.  I want Harry to live a life away
from the constant threat of being abducted and killed.  I want this to
be a fairytale with good defeating evil in triumph and valour.

But redemption of Voldemort does all that too.  It is a major blow to
the forces of evil if their poster child is not longer wears blood
stain robes.  His robes are washed white.  There could be a bigger
lesson in all this.  Not that by killing a person, evil can go away,
but that by believing in mankind's innate goodness, we can drive evil
away *without* resorting to their own devices.  Killing is only shown
as good in defense.  Not in justice.

Man, I have rattled on for too long.  Sorry about that.  I still don't
know is Voldemort can or would be redeemed in the text given that we
have *no* foreshadowing or hint that he could.  He has to have a
catalyst to do it, and we see no possible venue right know unless
Jesus "magically" <g> appears to him on a road out of Albania.


Melody