Comments on Eyes

[honeycakehorse03]

No: HPFGUIDX 58729

Lara wrote:

"The symbolic 
Slyth/Gryff of the colors both Harry and Voldy seem to distribute or 
have is widely known and debated. They seem to have many things 
alike, though also many things different. I would like to add that 
the red eyes Voldy has in GoF are in my opinion not his eyes –
well, 
they are his eyes, but not from birth. I believe that his eyes 
turned 
red when he underwent the horrific transformations to become 
immortal. Maybe only because of the bone, flesh and blood potions, 
but maybe as a whole from all of his other * ahem * experiments."

"'... while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?' There was an 
odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now." (p. 313 CoS USpb)  



I think this quote shows quite clearly that the red as are an 
idicater for the Voldemort persona come through. The gleam is 
there just when Tom Riddle mentions his future pseudonym which 
could further show the differences between Tom Riddle and 
Voldemort and underline the message of the books that it's 
important what choices you make, not who you are.

But let me start at the beginning: I'm convicted that Tom Riddle 
and Voldemort are not exactly different people, but have different 
character traits.

For example: "Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit 
him." (p. 310, CoS USpb) I don't think any of us disagree when I 
say that the cold laugh of Voldemort definitely fits his character, 
it's basically the first thing we get to know about him in PS/SS 
("and remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a 
high, cold, cruel laugh.", p. 56 SSpb). 
On the other hand, Tom Riddle and Voldemort share similar beliefs 
about Muggleborns and a disregard for life (as we can later see in 
Riddle killing his father and grandparents). So, that means while 
Tom Riddle certainly already shows traits of Voldemort at 16, there 
are still differences between them.

About the Slytherin and Gryffindor colours and their inversion in 
Harry's and Voldemort's eyes, I think it just shows the similarities 
between Harry and Voldemort and shows that while they both 
came from a similar background, they made different choices that 
obviously influenced their whole lives.

IMO it also shows that not everything is black or white. 
When I looked up the meaning of the different colours, I came up 
with characteristics for green and res that fit both Harry and 
Voldemort:

Red: energy, passion, infuriation, sex, agression, fight, war, 
growth, achievement of goals

Green: hope, renewal, growth, livelyness, fertility, wealth, 
calmness, composure, healing,  
(paraphrased and translated from Lichtvolle Magie mit Kerzen by 
Roland Rottenfußer)

The most obvious ones are war, agression and fight for Voldemort 
and hope for Harry. However, Voldemort's rebirth also shows 
renewal and healing, while energy and passion can also be 
contributed to Harry (e.g. Quidditch or when somebody disparages 
his parents). 
Therefore, I think that during the following books Harry will have 
to realise that there's some good and bad in everybody and that 
you can't just tell what the person is from looking at them (or 
their 
house or whatever other difference you could come up with.)
This realisation has already started with finding out that 
Pettigrew, 
a Gryffindor went over to Voldemort and that Snape, a Slytherin is 
working for the Light side. In PS/SS and CoS we don't see any of 
this yet,in fact Harry is terrified that he may be evil only because 
he could have gone into Slytherin or because he is a Parselmouth.

Sabrina