Lily Potter (Re: Mother and Father figures)

[iris_ft]

No: HPFGUIDX 73500

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "amy_marblefeet" 
<amy_marblefeet at y...> wrote:
 
> However for Mother figures there seems rather a drought.  There is 
> Mrs Weasly and Hermione but there aren't really many others.  For 
> that matter there aren't really that many female characters whose 
> alliances aren't that clear.   It is clear where Mrs Lestrange 
stands 
> on the whole Voldemort issue and is equally clear where Mrs 
Weasley 
> stands.  There are no areas of speculation like there are with the 
> father figures.  This is not a dig at the very few female 
character 
> that are in the Potter series but the lack of uncertainty about 
the 
> allegiance about the females that are there.
> 
> What Harry needs are some more grey matter girls.

That's right; we can't say that women in the HP series are enigmatic 
figures. Except one: Harry's mother herself. What always puzzled me 
about Lily's figure is her unfailing perfection. We don't know very 
much about her. The little information JKR gives us about Lily makes 
think that she had no defects at all (or am I forgetting 
something?). That's rather strange, if we consider that :
1)	She's a major element of the story. Why does JKR give such a 
little information about the character who is for a big part 
responsible of Harry's situation (see Dumbledore's explanation about 
the blood protection)? And why doesn't Harry ask more questions 
about her?
2)	All the characters have fails or defects. She's the only one 
who remains "untouchable".

 Some possible explanations-
1)	We have no information about Lily because Harry, consciously 
or not, doesn't want to know. She's an ideal figure, a kind of 
tutelary goddess. She represents infallible love and protection, 
thinking of her is comforting. Why should he try to know more, if it 
was at the cost of the loss of that comforting thought: in his 
miserable life, he had at least one person who loved and protected 
him? Lily died in order to save his son's life, and that's enough to 
make her untouchable in the Harry's mind. Moreover, he probably 
feels guilty towards her.
2)	JKR's own inhibition? She lost her own mother, so, as it 
happens, she idealised her through Lily's figure.
In both cases, the mother figure sounds like a taboo.
3)	JKR didn't speak of Lily in order to prepare a dramatic turn 
of events in the forthcoming books. Is it in relation with 
Voldemort's comments about her (she didn't have to die) and with the 
voices in Harry's head in book 3 ("Stand aside, you silly girl")? 
Will Harry learn "something terrible" about his mother?
4)	She was simply, absolutely perfect, as her name suggests it.

It's anyone's bet. But probably, there are many other explanations. 
What do you think?

Amicalement,

Iris