Recognising evil (Was Fate of HANDSOME guys)

[queen_astrofiammante]

No: HPFGUIDX 84642

Mandy said:

>It's what makes the dark side so appealing and dangerous a threat I 
suppose. Personally my superficial self is itching to join the Death 
Eaters.

Now Astrofiammante:
I have to say that I found this statement pretty frightening at first 
glance. To me JKR's portrayal of the Death Eaters is terrifying in 
its implications. 

But on second glance I think that you might be arguing that the Death 
Eaters' glamour is just that - superficial and to be resisted? But 
making them more seductively dangerous?

Personally I find Lucius Malfoy in particular an abhorrent character, 
especially if you realise that he was aged only about 26 in 1980, at 
the height of things.

I can, just about, see an argument for JKR making the Death Eaters 
superficially glamorous so we can see the appeal, understand how the 
process worked, how Voldemort got his supporters. But I'm not sure I 
buy that - the Imperius curse, fear, manipulation, blackmail all seem 
more convincing, somehow.

These people, in the time when Voldemort was in power, were the death 
squads, preying on people who wouldn't stick to their rules on racial 
purity, murdering and torturing. Tacitly supported by the influential 
families.

They were the knock on the door in the middle of the night if you 
refused to conform to, or happened not to fit, their ideal of what 
was 'acceptable'. And I think that bringing this home is a major 
point of the books.

Arthur Weasley says it all when he recalls how terrifying it 
was/would be to come home and see the Dark Mark hovering over your 
house (are we yet to learn what the Weasleys suffered during that 
time? Did they lose one or more children to Voldemort and his death 
squads?)

I just can't see them as cool, even on the surface.

Just think about Neville's distress after he's witnessed Imposter!
Moody demonstrating the Cruciatus Curse. Or Hagrid being subjected to 
Azkaban. Alice Longbottom and the bubblegum wrapper. Or the campsite 
owners being spun around in mid-air at the Quidditch World Cup, and 
Draco's threats to Hermione that she might join them. Regulus Black 
annihilated because he'd outlived his usefulness. Alastor Moody's 
photo of the original Order, where almost everyone has been killed - 
picked off one by one, I think Lupin says. 

Not a particularly glamorous list, I will admit. But let's be clear 
what we're talking about here - the worst that human (or wizard) 
nature is capable of.

I think one of the big themes of the novels is how passive resistance 
to evil is not enough - we actually have to take an active stance 
against it. Myself, I hope the Death Eaters are wiped from the face 
of the earth before the end of the series.

To quote Mandy again:
>I imagine Voldemort's team being populated with these tall, gorgeous,
superficially beautiful people with black hearts of coal and
Dumbledore's side with short, plain looking good people. Do we
really hate beautiful people that much? Do we all secretly long to
be included with them?

I don't know if you've ever read Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies, 
but this is exactly the process he's describing with the 
superficially glamorous but deeply evil Elves in that book - which 
would make an interesting point of comparison.

With all good wishes

Astrofiammante