[HPforGrownups] Digest Number 4495

[Ms Mo Me]

No: HPFGUIDX 96340

Message: 18
   Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 18:05:19 -0400
   From: "Kimberly" <ekrbdg at msn.com>
Subject: Re: What were the biggest hidden clues in
OoP?




>2. Neville's parents in St. Mungos are trying to get
a message to 
>Neville using the gum wrappers (my guess)


>Kristen

*Kimberly's comments*
This was such an odd thing for JKR to throw into the
mix that I remain 
completely undecided about it.    Part of me feels it
was too bizarre 
not to have some sort of meaning.   Apparently, she
has given him quite 
a few of these wrappers that Gran Longbottom shrugs
off as 
inconsequential.   Now, if this were the case, it
would seem to me, Neville 
wouldn't be so eager (OotP, pg. 514,  "But Neville had
already stretched out 
his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty
Droobles, etc.") nor 
would she give him so many (OotP, pg. 515, "...she
must have given you 
enough of them to paper your bedroom by now....") nor
would he keep it 
without her knowing (OotP, pg. 515 "But as they left,
Harry was sure he 
saw Neville slip the wrapper into his pocket."  
Certainly makes me feel 
there's more to the wrappers than nothing.    

But then the other part of me thinks it was in there
simply to convey 
to us the extreme severity of her condition.   Kind of
like giving us a 
first hand glance at what became of the Longbottoms.  
  

Kimberly


Mo:

It could possibly be that the wrappers mean something.
 This is dumb - but why would insane people be chewing
gum.  So, you might be on to something there.  

However, I interpreted the gum wrapper to mean
Nevilles mother had some sort of desire to give her
son something, even if she didn't know it was her son,
and it was the only thing she could give him because
she wasn't coherant enough to give him anything else. 
It was her only way of showing affection.  Insane
people do stuff like that....

I really believe Neville kept the wrapper because it
was from his mom.  Period.  He never experienced
affection from a parent, and this is the ONE thing
that his mother does to show affection.
It is the same as a person who is grieving saving a
piece of the person's hair.  Neville is still grieving
over the loss of never having his parents around.  The
gum wrapper is something he can hold on to and
cherish.  

~Mo, who thinks Neville has had almost as hard of a
life, emotionally, as HP.


	
		
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