Worse than death (was Re: re:Some theories I wanted to bounce of of everyone. )

[junediamanti]

No: HPFGUIDX 74596

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "ereturtle18" 
<ereturtle18 at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "whimsyflower" 
> <profwildflower at m...> wrote:
>  
> > I've wondered what Dumbledore could be referring to when he said 
> there's 
> > something "worse than death."   
> > 
> > Whimsyflower
> 
> ereturtle18:
>       In PoA, Lupin said the dementor's kiss was worse than death. 
> Maybe what Dumbledore meant was inability to love or experience 
joy. 
> You certainly can't do either if you've been kissed by a dementor, 
> can you?

The other possibility which occurred to me is that Dumbledore might 
be referring to life without hope or love.  There is something in 
LOTR about endless days without hope or light (probably hugely 
inaccurate but at work without books)as experienced by the wraiths.  
In other words, eternal life (which Voldemort is after) can be 
wearisome without any of the qualities which make life worthwhile. 
Certainly it would seem that Voldy does not have an aweful lot of fun 
in life.  Eternal life the Voldemort way is "worse than death", while 
death can be a good thing - ie a release from suffering, "like going 
to bed after an exceptionally full day" (or something like that in 
PS/SS).  Voldy has a pathological phobia about death because he lacks 
the understanding of its real place in the existence thing.

June