Vengeance

[dicentra63 <dicentra@xmission.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51757

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "ssk7882 <skelkins at a...>"
<skelkins at a...> wrote:
> 
> Part of what interests me so much about this, though (and part of why 
> I keep obsessing on scenes like the Train St...er, *Step* and how 
> they are constructed), is that this emphasis on Vengeance-As-Peril 
> seems so very much at odds with the author's fondness for 'just 
> deserts' humour and 'comeuppance' resolutions to her plotlines.
> 
> It is difficult for me, as a reader, to reconcile these two aspects 
> of the books, particularly when, as with the Ferret Bouncing 
> incident, the author seems to wish to have her cake and eat it too: 
> the scene is meant to be funny and enjoyable -- Draco had it coming 
> -- and yet it is also given a secondary meaning within the text: 
> Moody is really Crouch Jr., who was giving free rein to his 
> vindictive nature, which is in turn presented as a symptom of his 
> very evilness.
> 
> Authorial ambivalence?
> 
> Oooooh, yes.  I think so.

We also need to factor in the fact that JKR is an avid fan of "The
Simpsons," a show that relies on exaggerated violence for humorous
effect.  In many instances (on The Simpsons) the violence is at once
funny and disturbing because there is enough *truth* to the
exaggeration (at least from the writers' perspectives) that you can't
dismiss it as a mere Toonish pie in the face.

For example, the Itchy and Scratchy cartoons are *way* over the top in
their depiction of violence, to the point that *I*, a card-carrying
FEATHERBOA (Foaming Enthusiast of Ambush, Torture, and Hostility,
Embracing Really Bloodthirsty Operations and Savagery), cringe instead
of laugh.  And then there's the inevitable follow-up scene of Bart and
Lisa laughing their heads off.  It's funny, but disturbing.  Are the
writers saying that cartoons really are too violent?  Or are they
making fun of those who say they're violent?  Hard to say...

Also in that category are the depictions of Homer doing something
careless and causing the nuclear plant to melt down, sometimes
emerging in China, sometimes obliterating entire cities, etc.  The
exaggeration makes it funny, but it's obvious (to me, at least) that
the writers are being ironic and silly at the same time: they seem to
be saying that nuclear plants are extremely dangerous.  (Either that,
or they're making fun of people who think they are.)  Without the
exaggeration, though, they'd simply come off as preachy and annoying.

Does the Ferret Bounce qualify as a similar type of moment?  The
account of the violent bouncing goes a little over the top, as the
shrieking of the ferret contrasts with Moody's perfectly calm
demeanor, which is then contrasted with McGonagall's outrage:

===================

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret
still higher.

"What--what are you doing?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyes
following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air.

"Teaching," said Moody.

"Teach--Moody, *is that a student?*" shrieked Professor McGonagall,
the books spilling out of her arms.

"Yep," said Moody.

"No!..."

===================

It's interesting that she scolds Moody only for using Transfiguration
as a punishment, not for bouncing the ferret.  I don't know if that's
a deliberate omission or not.  :D

Either way, following this scene of violence (funny because it's
exaggerated--the ferret goes higher, and higher, and higher) we have
the Trio thoroughly enjoying the scene, not unlike Bart and Lisa
laughing at I&S.  And although Hermione laughs, she does wonder if it
might have *not* been that funny, considering that Draco could have
been genuinely hurt.

It's difficult to tell whether JKR is offering these scenes as pure
entertainment or if they also contain that ironic edge that you see in
"The Simpsons" sometimes.  Frankly, I wouldn't put it past her.  What
bothers me is that she employs her beloved Trio in the Bart and Lisa
roles, who laugh because they don't know any better.

--Dicentra, noting that Elkins used the *proper* term for the train
incident :D