Lupin's narrative function Re: Against Evil!Lupin responses

[marinafrants <rusalka@ix.netcom.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49526

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999 <foxmoth at q...>" > 
Lupin and Sirius have different personalities, no argument there. 
> But they have very similar background, the same relationship to 
> Harry (which Hermione and Ron definitely *don't* have) and to 
> the wizarding world at large. The only thing that good!Lupin can 
> do, narratively, that Sirius can't, is turn into a werewolf at an 
> inconvenient time--and I don't think that's enough.

I think there's a lot more difference that that.  Sirius is a social 
outcast due to a limited and reparable external cause.  When (if) 
his innocence is established, he can take his legitimate place in 
wizarding society as a fully trained, law-abiding wizard.  He has 
hope for redemption and improvement of his lot. Remus is an outcast 
due to circumstances that can *never* be fixed, unless a cure for 
lycanthropy is found or the entire WW undergoes a complete change in 
attitude, and he has no reason to believe this will ever happen.  I 
don't mean to belittle Sirius' commitment to the cause of the Light, 
but aside from the cause he's also fighting for his freedom, his 
good name, and the right to be a proper guardian to his godson.  
There's a light at the end of the tunnel for Sirius; not so for 
Remus.

And do we really know that their backgrounds are "very similar"?  
They're both wizards who went to Hogwarts at the same time, but so 
are Rond and Draco.  We don't know what their family backgrounds 
are, but we do know that Remus can't afford a decent set of robes, 
while Sirius, even after 12 years in Azkaban, can get his hands on 
enough money to buy a Firebolt.

Their roles in Harry's life are very different, too.  From the time 
his innocence is established in PoA, Sirius takes on the role of the 
parent figure to Harry.  His position as godfather, rather than just 
a friend of James', is emphasized.  He's the guy Harry comes to with 
his personal problems; he's the guy who offers advice; he's the guy 
who signs the permission slips, the guy whom the school calls when 
Harry is hurt.  Remus, OTOH, is purely a teacher to Harry, never a 
parent.  The reader isn't encouraged to see him in a fatherly role, 
Harry doesn't see him that way, and Remus doesn't appear to see 
himself that way.  Throughout the school year, he makes no attempt 
to forge personal ties with Harry.  He doesn't mention knowing James 
until he has to, and then he only claims a slight acquaintance.  
This despite the fact that if he was evil, claiming a close 
friendship with James would be the perfect way to win Harry's 
unconditional trust.

This difference is emphasized at the beginning of GoF, when Harry's 
scar hurts and he's trying to figure out whom to tell.  Once he 
realizes that he wants "somebody like a parent," he immedeately 
thinks of Sirius.  Remus never occurs to him, even though he's a 
much more logical choice: he's the DADA expert, after all, and 
unlike Sirius he can move around Great Britain without fear of being 
arrested and summarily executed if anyone spots him.

> Scott:
> >>Sixth, and possibly the most important Point.  It is our choices 
> that make us who we are- not our heritage, or ability, 
afflictions, 
> and so on.  This is a central theme of the books.  If Lupin were 
> evil, well, he'd just be another typical werewolf, wouldn't he?  
The 
> fact that Lupin is good, kind and dedicated person helps 
> illustrate the aforementioned Theme to the reader.  Lupin turning 
> out evil would go against the 'our choices make us who we are' 
> idea that is so strongly presented.  Of course, he could turn out 
> to be evil, and another werewolf who is truly good could be 
> introduced into the story. <<
> 
> That's true only if Lupin is the only "monster"  in the books--but 
> he isn't. There's Hagrid, Madame Maxime, Fleur, and very 
> possibly Flitwick and Snape. 

I don't think any of the others qualify at all.  None of them 
are "monsters" in the sense that Lupin is, and none of them face the 
same obstacles.  Fleur makes no secret of being part-Veela, and it 
does nothing to jeopardize her position as a student and Triwizard 
champion.  All the men worship at her feet, and while the women 
might get a bit snippy, there's nothing to keep her from living a 
happy and succesfull life as a witch.  Flitwick?  No evidence that 
he's anything but a very short human, and anyway, whatever he is, 
he's still a professor, a head of House, a former duelling champion, 
and everyone likes him.  Snape?  Same position as Flitwick, except 
for the "everyone likes him" part, and most of his problems come 
from being an Ex-DE and an obnoxious git, not from being a "monster."

Hagrid and Madame Maxime come closest, but it's still no go.  Giants 
and half-Giants are not classified as Beasts, they don't have to 
register themselves with any government agency (as evidenced by the 
fact that both Hagrid and Maxime manage to keep their heritage 
secret into adulthood).  Madame Maxime is the headmistress of one of 
the three greatest wizarding schools in Europe.  Hagrid is outed in 
the mainstream press, yet retains his job as teacher, and many 
Hogwarts parents support him.  Hagrid, with his incomplete education 
and initial incompetence at his job, is still more employable and 
socially acceptable than Remus.

This is what gives Remus such a strong role in presenting the books' 
theme.  Of all the characters we've seen so far, he's the one with 
the most factors pushing him toward evil -- factors that can't be 
changed, that won't ever go away.  If, in the face of all that, he 
can still make the right choices, then we can truly know that it's 
our choices rather than our circumstances that make us what we are.


> Also, if Rowling wants to paint an honest picture of the harm 
> done by prejudice, she has to show the damage done to people 
> who buy into  what's being said against them. 

I think that's already being done with Snape and Slytherin House.  
Snape comes to school knowing more Dark Curses than anyone else, 
gets sorted into "the Dark Wizard factory," and duly becomes a DE.  
Sure, he scrapes his way out eventually, but what about the other 
Slytherins of his generation, and now their children? There has been 
plenty of discussion on this list about how people's expectations 
about Slytherins can and do become self-fulfillig prophecies.  I 
think it would be much more effective for future books to explore 
*that* than to spring an Evil!Lupin twist on us.


Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com