The Greek tragedy of the Weasley family

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 80083

alshainofthenorth wrote:
<snip> 
> Percy's views of right and wrong has something of legal positivism 
in
> them (IMO), the law must be obeyed because it is the law. You can't
> disobey it just because you think it's wrong. You can't go against 
the
> Ministry of Magic and undermine its authority just because you 
think
> Voldemort is back. His position would be the one of Kreon, while 
the
> rest of the Weasleys would side with Antigone and the right to 
rebel
> against unjust laws and rulers.
> 
> And the tragedy is that both parties' values are right. Breaking 
the
> law creates chaos, blind obedience to it is the stuff that
> totalitarian regimes are made of. Right or Wrong is easier to 
resolve
> than Right or Right. 
<snip>

Annemehr:
Exactly!

In PS/SS we explored the concept of Good vs. Evil

In PoA we began, with Peter Pettigrew's excuses, and continued in 
GoF with Crouch and Fudge, to explore the choice between doing "what 
is right" and "what is easy."

In OoP we have people who wish to do what is right.  Good.  Now what?

Percy is, and I agree with you, someone who wanted to do what was 
right -- and then had to set about actually doing it.  He is not the 
only one in OoP who had difficulty.

Dumbledore has admitted to doing harm with only good intentions.  He 
needed to balance the good of all with the life and happiness of one 
boy.

Molly Weasley and Sirius Black have a huge fight in the kitchen at 
Grimauld Place on Harry's first evening with them.  They say hurtful 
things to one another.  They are fighting so desperately because 
each is trying to protect Harry's best interests -- and yet they are 
on opposite sides of the argument.

Harry and Hermione argue about what to do about Harry's vision of 
Sirius being tortured at the MoM.  They are also on opposite sides 
of the issue, yet both desperate to do the right thing.  As one has 
to give in to the other, Hermione capitulates, feeling perhaps that 
if Harry is determined to go, she'll be by his side.

This idea of the difficulty in discerning the right path runs right 
through OoP as a major theme.  Most of the characters I mentioned 
continue to struggle along with it, though it's hard.

Poor Percy seems to have run right off the rails, though, judging by 
his actions at Christmastime and that awful letter to Ron advising 
him to drop Harry.  I'll admit that I'd always had a soft spot for 
Percy, as I used to be one who took the "safe" course of trying to 
follow all the rules, but I think even he should have been able to 
see that his chosen course is leading him wrong.  Still, IMO, he 
began by wishing to do the right thing.

So, we have three sets of choices then.  Right vs Wrong, Right vs 
Easy, and Right vs Right, as Alshain so aptly put it.  Many are 
struggling with Right vs Right, and Percy's mischoice (can that be a 
word, please?) has led him wrong.  That *is* a tragedy, that evil 
comes when you meant to do good.

I'm still pulling for Percy, but I hope he's woken up already.

Annemehr