[HPforGrownups] I Corinthians 13--random thoughts
Sally Unchester
salsal19 at yahoo.com
Thu Jul 10 20:50:24 UTC 2003
No: HPFGUIDX 69165
Upon reading this post, it got me to thinking as well. Perhaps you have the right idea with where this is going. I don't think JKR is trying to "convert" anyone but your post makes sense. If you remember in the prophecy that Dumbledore told Harry at the end of OOP, he said that one of them would have to die so as you said,my idea would be that Harry would not only by his love for his friends but for his love for Dumbledore AND for his family....it shows that he had more love than anyone else. Tom Riddle was so cold hearted and Harry just seemed to be like ya know Tom you're not a bad guy and defeated him with his love in COS. Dumbledore always said that he'd be there for someone when asked. Harry may have become angry but he still loves Dumbledore so great speculation but not everyone has to agree with it either, I just do.
terryljames76 <terryljames at hotmail.com> wrote:
DISCLAIMER: I am not suggesting that JKR is drawing from the Bible
for any of her work. These are just some thoughts that occurred to
me while I was reading this particular passage. Neither am I
suggesting that everyone else should make the same connections. Any
parallels I might draw are mine alone. Nor am I comparing any of
JKR's characters to any Biblical characters. All that said, for
those of you who like to wonder and ponder....
There seems to be a consensus among the posters here that the
mysterious power that Dumbledore referred to, that Harry has so much
of, is love. (Am re-reading OOP for the second time, but haven't got
that far yet--apologies if I'm phrasing things incorrectly.) I can't
remember if that's ever specified, but that seems to be the general
assumption.
With that in mind, here's a few thoughts about "The Love Chapter"--I
Corinthians 13 (NIV). This jumps all over the chapter.
The first thing that I noticed was verse 8. "Love never fails. But
where there are prophecies, they will cease ('fail', in some
versions); where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there
is knowledge, it will pass away."
Prophecy: Ron. Also I thought of _the_ prophecy.
Tongues: Harry (Parseltongue) Peeves even teases Harry by referring
to him as "speaking in tongues".
Knowledge: Hermione
So all these gifts will prove to be of no effect in the end. What
will save the day is love.
Verse 1:
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I
am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." Making a lot of
noise, but not accomplishing much. "Angels" is a bit off, but we get
the point. Harry again.
Verse 2:
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have
not love, I am nothing." Ron again. Ron doesn't seem to know that
he has this gift, but I think by now we all see it. My question:
why hasn't Hermione noticed this?
Verse 3:
"If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the
flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." Hermione again.
Interesting that the other "set of three" refers to knowledge, but
this "set of three" refers to giving to the poor, which could include
knitting for the house-elves. The only one in the "set" that
changes, still refers to Hermione.
Verses 4-7:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not
easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight
in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
Oddly enough, the person who comes to mind here is Luna. "Not easily
angered, keeps no record of wrongs": she doesn't get upset that her
belongings are "missing"; she doesn't plot revenge on the ones who
took them; she just waits and trusts that they will be returned.
She is not in any kind of angst over her mother; she trusts and hopes
that she will see her again. Her name, Lovegood, also connects her
with this passage.
Verses 9-10:
"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when perfection
comes, the imperfect disappears." The NIV is a bit unclear
here; "perfection" is better translated as "complete". We know a
little, and the prophecy refers to the little we know, but when we
understand completely, we don't need the prophecy--the incomplete
knowledge--anymore. The prophecy is based on incomplete knowledge
and could wind up meaning something completely different. Which I
think we all knew anyway, and would be disappointed if JKR doesn't
have some kind of twist in mind.
Verse 11:
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me." I think we saw a bit of that in OOP--the DA was a step
in the right direction--but not nearly enough. I do believe that
Harry will be totally different by the end of Book 7. I don't know
if that's a good thing or not.
Verse 12:
"Now we see but a poor reflection, as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I
am fully known." The mirror of Erised; seeing people face to face in
the Deadland; I won't even go there. Insert your own fantastic
speculation here. I think by the end of the series, Harry will
understand several people, including his parents, Dumbledore, and
Snape, much more thoroughly, and they--Snape, in particular--will
understand him better. We've seen the first steps with that in the
Occlumency lessons, with Snape going over Harry's memories.
Verse 13:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest
of these is love." We learned in the very first book (wasn't it?)
that Lily's love had put a powerful protection on Harry. Will love
prove to be the undoing of Voldemort? How? Is this going to be a
Terry Goodkind thing where Harry will have to love Voldemort in order
to defeat him, or a Madeleine L'Engle thing where V. will be defeated
by Harry's love for someone else? Is it going to be a Star Wars thing
where, through the power of love, Voldemort will turn back into Tom
Riddle before he dies? (I still have that recurring nightmare: "You
killed my father!" "No, Harry...I AM your father...")
And what role will Luna play in this? And Neville, who obviously
loves his parents very much? We see in OOP that Voldemort sees love
as a weakness of others, to be used against them. How will it all
play out?
OK, Bible lesson over. Feel free to pick it apart.
Terry LJ
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