[HPforGrownups] Thoughts on the Dementor's Kiss

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 38474

Dave:
> Saturday, May 04, 2002, 7:40:49 AM, Bernadette M. Crumb wrote:
> 
> BMC> I've been rereading POA and it struck me when I was reading about
> BMC> what the Dementor's Kiss entails and wondered just WHY it was
> BMC> considered the worst possible punishment that could happen to
> BMC> anyone.
> 
> My understanding (possibly misguided) has always been that the
> Dementor's Kiss totally annihilates the soul... In other words,
> *nothing* comes to the victim after the Kiss, not even "The Next
> Great Adventure"... He who a Dementor kisses can kiss sentience
> goodby... Forever.  But I may be misiterpreting...
> 

And another thought........What do they do with the still living *bodies* of 
the kissed?

Bernadette's question is thought provoking. I suppose it hinges on whether 
the human soul can or cannot be destroyed. Her nightmare vision of the 
victim's soul living on inside the Dementor, is tantmount to the WW 
condemning someone to eternity in Hell.....which seems to be a little beyond 
the remit of any MoM, though I wouldn't put it past them to try.

I think that Dave's interpretation may be the correct one. But again, it 
makes me ask questions. Dumbledore seems to believe in the survival of the 
soul after death, but I don't think we hear the idea anywhere else, do we? 
Presumably the WW has no concept of any judgement of the soul after death if 
they think it is worse to annihilate a soul than to let it take the 
consequences of  its actions in an afterlife.

But, as Bernadette asks, does the WW actually *know* what happens to the 
victim's oul? After all, presumably no-one's come back to tell them. Do they 
care?

Eloise


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