Alcott, Hawthorne, Melville, and Rowling (comparative study)

Wed Jun 18 00:50:21 UTC 2003

No: HPFGUIDX 60824

Did you ever notice that aspiring author "Jo" (March, not Rowling) in LITTLE 
WOMEN has a pet rat in attic where she writes (Ch. 3 & 14) called Scrabble, 
name very close to Ron's Scabbers?

Or that play written by Jo M. and  performed by the March sisters (amusingly 
described in LM) iis titled THE WITCH'S CURSE: AN OPERATIC TRAGEDY?

Old messages (1697, 3311, 3327, 3334) liken Alcott's "bad boy" character 
Dan( in her books about ideal school, LITTLE MEN and JO'S BOYS) with Sirius 
Black.  I feel, however, that Sirius is more like a character in book by a 
neighbor of the Alcotts, THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 
who was inspired by his own family history which included reputed witches 
and puritanical witch-hunters.

Dan only spends one year in prison for killing he DID commit, and his time 
in jail supposedly improves him, teaching him patience and mastery over the 
violent anger that got him in trouble; he becomes a better human being and 
Christian.

Dan turns his back on "civilization" to go where his talents can best be 
used in the service of humankind (specifically, Native Americans in the 
beautiful wilderness he loves and where he feels at home).  Alcott's 
characters who--like Dan--never marry, are most often women, such as 
independent Nan, wed to her career as doctor, or maiden-aunt Peace in 8 
COUSINS or in short story "Pansies", loyal to their first and only love, 
considering themselves widowed, although never bride, as fiance dies before 
wedding (Cho Chang?)

By the way, story "Pansies" (advice on how and what to read for healthy 
minds) is in interesting book LOUISA MAY ALCOTT:  SELECTED FICTION  (much 
more than her famous stuff for kids) edited by Shealy, Stern & Myerson.  It 
shows how study of author's personal life and wide-reading that inspired her 
(Alcott had run of Ralph Waldo Emerson's own library), can enlighten and  
explain her literary work--something I believe is also true of Rowling.

Alcott's Dan sees himself as knight errant of legend, fighting battles for 
the helpless to honor a worshipped Lady,  knowing he can never claim her as 
wife.  In his case, she is refined, delicate only child treasured by wealthy 
aristocrats Laurie and Amy, and she never suspects he loves her as more than 
a childhood friend.  This part of Dan's story has, so far (pre-OOP), no 
parallel with any HP character.

In HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES, Clifford spends over 30 years in prison for a 
murder he did NOT comment--which turns out not to even have been murder 
after all.  Like Sirius, he barely survived, his mind and spirit almost 
lost, and is hardly recognizable as being the attractive young man depicted 
in old portrait (HOSG:  Ch. 2, 5, 7)

Newly released from prison, Clifford still wears old robe he had on when he 
entered, and has "hair of an unusual length".   He voraciously eats first 
meal back at home; Sirius often eats with gusto!

His sister Hepzibah tells singing Phoebe (borrowed by Alcott for  8 COUSINS 
and ROSE IN BLOOM?) in Ch. 7:  The Guest, "He has had but little sunshine in 
his life--poor Clifford--and, oh what a black shadow!"

Gloomy rich Riddle mansion resembles Pyncheon family's HOUSE OF SEVEN 
GABLES; the latter has also been site of several "inexplicable" deaths.  In 
Ch. 11 (The Arched Window), excitement of  parade going by almost makes a 
man jump from balcony, like Harry almost did under influence of Veela 
cheerleaders at Quidditch World Cup.

Ch. 13 tells story of Alice Pyncheon whose ghost reportedly still plays her 
harpsicord (name origin of Quidditch  chaser Alicia Spinnet?).  Alice is 
"bewitched" (maybe hypnotized) for revenge by grandson of Matthew Maule, 
accused of being a wizard  and hanged by her covetous ancestor.

Passage in Ch. 17 (The Flight of Two Owls) reminds me of Dumbledore's spiral 
staircase, but that could just be coincidence:  "All human progress is in a 
circle, or to use a more accurate and beautiful figure, in an ascending 
spiral.  While we fancy ourselves going straight forward, and attaining, at 
every step, an entirely new position of affairs, we do actually return to 
something long ago tried and abandoned, but which we now find etherealized, 
refined, and perfected to its ideal.  The past is but a coarse and sensual 
prophecy of the present and future".

I may associate lines above with the HP saga due to my familiarity with 
Hispanic"telenovelas" (what Koreans translate as "Continuing Daily Drama") . 
  In "novelas", the younger, current generation of characters often re-enact 
and eventually resolve problems caused by the "sins" of their parents, 
grandparents, or older generations.  This can be metaphor for political and 
social ills of countries, too.

Rowling might enjoy this quote from later in Ch. 17:  "Railroads... are 
positively the greatest blessing that the ages have wrought out for us, they 
give us wings... they spiritualize travel!"

Try viewing Hawthorne's SCARLET LETTER through what I call "Rowling-colored 
glasses".  Is the mysterious potion-brewing Roger Chillington (purported 
physician--but so much more!) closer to Snape or Mad-eye Moody in his 
relationship and treatment of clergy man Arthur Dimsdale? (see Ch. 9 & 10)

I'm leaning toward Moody (either fake or real one) although eye-color in 
passage below from Ch. 10 (The Leech and his Patient) could be purely 
accidental:  "Sometimes a light glimmered out of the physician's eyes, 
burning blue and ominous, like the reflection of a furnace, or, let us say, 
like one of those gleams of ghastly fire that darted from Bunyan's awful 
doorway in the hill-side, and quivered on the pilgrim's face.  The soil 
where this dark miner was working had perchance shown indications that 
encouraged him.
     'This man', said he, at one such moment, to himself, 'pure as they deem 
him,--all spiritual as he seems,--hath inherited a strong animal nature from 
his father or his mother.  Let us dig a little further in the direction of 
this vein!'"

On the other hand, this could also be reason for Snape's "testing"  
students' souls, as a geologist or chemist does tests on a rock or other 
substance to analyse what it is made of, as in biblical references to gold 
being tried in fire (1 Peter 1:7, Revelations 2:18-19).

Wandering off in another direction, if you're curious about possibility of 
"Snape as Saracen scientist" (judging from my physical inheritance, I too 
may have Moorish ancestors from Spain, 6 centuries back), some  eye-opening 
books are SCIENCE IN EARLY ISLAMIC CULTURE by George Beshore, THE MIRACLE OF 
ISLAMIC SCIENCE (aka INCREDIBLE ISLAMIC SCIENTISTS?) by K Ajram, and THE 
ARABIAN CONNECTION by Kasem Khaleel.  One has quote about Roger Bacon (who 
some say wrote Shakespeare--busy guy!) being accused of "sorcery" because of 
his study of such scientists' influential works.

Hawthorne and Herman Melville greatly admired each other's literary work 
investigating human minds and motivations.  Compare description of 
one-legged Ahab (MOBY DICK, Ch. 28) with Mad-eye Moody (GOBLET, Ch. 12).  
Melville's book uses the word "moody" 13 times, 8 of those applying it to 
Captain Ahab .

You can verify this easily if you have netlibrary access, which can search 
entire e-books for keywords.  "Moody" references to Ahab are in Ch. 16, 28, 
33, 34, 64, and 113 , repeated sort of like phrase "wily Odysseus" used by 
Homer.  One paragraph uses it three times (toward end of Ch 16):

"...ever since he lost his leg last voyage by that accursed whale, he's been 
a kind of moody--desperate moody, and savage sometimes; but that will all 
pass off...  it's better to sail with a moody good captain than a laughing 
bad one."

On the subject of marine "monsters" (although not giant white whale), maybe 
review 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA--either Jules Verne's book or classic 
movie) with Hogwart's giant squid in mind.  Or again, JKR's squid may be 
reference to one "explaination" of Scotland's Loch Ness monster legend.

It's very likely that Joanne as a child also read some of Arthur Ransome's  
famous adventure books about British children.  In SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS, two 
families (mostly capable girls) pretend they are pirates during summer 
sailing holiday at a lake, inspired by their favourite reading.   Waterlily 
plants are called "octopuses" (sic) because they seem to have tentacles 
clinging to the boat.

SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS may be another classic book that Rowling expects her 
readers to be familiar with.   I think many hitherto "undiscovered" literary 
allusions are deliberate on the part of Rowling, in an effort to get people 
to read more--and not just her own books!

Til later on the web,

ARANITA WEBBSTIR

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