Choices

[iris_ft]

No: HPFGUIDX 86512

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jwcpgh" <jwcpgh at y...> wrote:
" In an epic, does the hero always have to be tempted? What about
heroic (or at least admirable)figures in an epic who aren't
necessarily the hero of the story who resist temptation, like
Aragorn and Faromir? What about heroes who give in to some form of
temptation but are heroic anyhow, like Lancelot?

Yeah, Harry may act in some fashion on his anger towards DD, but I
don't see that as being tempted towards the dark side."

Now me:
Exact; it would be repeating "the Skywalker's scheme", and I'm not 
sure it would be very interesting.

Laura again: 
 "Harry
doesn't show any interest in power for its own sake at any time
during the books; indeed, he shows a consistent reluctance to plumb
the depths of his powers.
He might well have had the ability to
kill Sirius in the Shack (or Bella in the MoM) but he couldn't bring
himself to do it. I'd say this is due to a combination of a strong
moral foundation and some fear of what he might actually be capable
of. He remembers the consequences of unintended magic in the RW and
has learned in the WW that he can do startling things when under
duress, so he doesn't feel that his magical abilities are entirely
under his control and that scares him. This would differentiate him 
from Tom Riddle, who many of us theorize was delighted to find out 
that he had magical powers and immediately began exploring their 
possibilities. Harry sees himself as a human being first; Tom sees 
himself as a wizard first. In
becoming LV, Tom leaves behind his humanness and gives himself over
entirely to the power of his wizardry."

Iris:
I think you're pointing a very interesting aspect of both 
characters: the way they deal with their own identity.
It's true that Harry doesn't seem to want to know how powerful he is 
really, maybe because he's afraid of what he is; or because he 
dislikes some aspects of his own personality (being a Parseltongue 
for example). But he will have to accept to face himself, ita est, 
to face "just Harry": a guy with qualities and defects, with 
strengths and weaknesses, a guy between good and evil, like 
everybody. We can bet that he will succeed, because each time JKR 
makes him face his own reflection in a mirror, there's Harry and 
nothing but Harry. He doesn't seem to want to be someone else.
On the very contrary, Tom didn't accept entirely what he was (a half-
blood, an orphan who suffers, etc
), that's why he chose "to leave 
behind his humanness", as you wrote. Being simply human is a great 
challenge, but he didn't manage to do it. He preferred to assume 
a "wizard identity" because he couldn't bear his human identity. He 
thought it would help him if he changed his name, his appearance, if 
he was powerful and if he made people care for him forcibly. 
Actually he didn't change anything at all. Stat rosa pristina nomine

A rose is a rose, Tom is Tom, and Harry is Harry, even if after the 
prophecy he might have the temptation of coping out. I wrote one day 
that he would have to face the scar, and I write it twice. This scar 
is the summary of his identity. I would like to add that Harry's 
scar is also a symbol of his double nature. There's currently a 
threat concerning his possible ancestors. I agree with those who 
think that he's at the same time the heir of Slytherin and 
Gryffindor. Many times, JKR writes that Harry feels as if his head 
was about to split in two. In other words, that he feels strongly 
his double nature (good/evil; spirit/flesh
), and that it's almost 
unbearable. Being human is sometimes very painful. Would it be more 
comfortable if he denied it? Tom tried to do it, choosing to be only 
evil, choosing to be only a wizard. We see the result. But Harry is 
more sensible than him, and he will manage to deal with his so human 
duality. He managed to cry at the end of OotP, and it's a 
beginning.  
And he didn't kill Sirius or Bellatrix
 
I would like to see Harry doing the same in his last confrontation 
with Voldemort, if there's a final duel and if he manages to get the 
upper hand: renouncing to kill him, and making that blasted prophecy 
lie. Not because he's afraid of what he might become if he did, but 
simply because he learned the lesson Tom Riddle was unable to 
understand: there's metaphysically no difference between human 
beings.

Amicalement,

Iris