Bang! You're Dead. (was:Voldemorts animus...)

[Berit Jakobsen]

No: HPFGUIDX 86011

Geoff wrote:

> I think that there is an overlap between the real world and the 
> Wizarding World at this point in that ethical (and human) 
> considerations can be eroded and sidelined in the cause of 
furthering 
> a victory, sometimes in the name of freedom.
> 
> This point is additionally pointed up in HP where folk who are over-
> zealous have their ethical viewpoint distorted as a result of their 
> own actions:
> 
> "'Terror everywhere.... panic.... confusion... that's how it used 
to 
> be. Well, things like that bring out the best in some people and 
the 
> worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the 
> beginning - I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry 
and 
> he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's 
> supporters. The Aurors were given new powers - powers to kill 
rather 
> than capture for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed 
> straight to the Dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence 
with 
> violence and authorised the use of the Unforgiveable Curses against 
> suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on 
the 
> Dark side.'" (Sirius to Harry, Ron & Hermione, GOF p.457 UK edition)
> 
> "'I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help 
> it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough but 
> he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters.'" (ditto p.462)
> 
> Here we see two sides of a morality. If you take up the enemy's 
> methods and weapons, do you become the enemy? Perhaps this is a 
> reminder of Cicero's saying "Inter arma silent leges" - freely 
> translated, "in time of war, laws fall silent", potentially a 
> chilling prospect. There have often been moral grey areas which fit 
> that adage; one which comes to mind was the bombing of Dresden at 
the 
> end of WW2.
> 
> We have to ask ourselves, within the parameters of the Wizarding 
> World which actually parallels ours very closely at this point, 
> should Harry be modelling himself on Crouch or Moody?


Me:

Thank you EVER so much for this reply Geoff! Excellent quote from the 
HP books, illustrating that these thoughts are indeed canon, not just 
wishful thinking from the soft-hearted reader :-) In passages like 
this Rowling makes it quite clear that it IS important what means the 
hero decides to use to defeat his opponent...

Berit