The Name Game

[Pat]

No: HPFGUIDX 110096

> Amey wrote: (snipped unrelated stuffs)
> > I was translating the names and came across:
> > Malfoy	: Evil Faith (Double cross??)
> 
> D <doliesl at y...> writes:
> JKR said it's loosely translated as "Bad Faith."
> "Bad Faith" (mauvaise foi), is a term used by French philosopher
> Jean-Paul Sartre regarding the state of being when a person tries to
> convince himself there is no free will and no choice, and blaming
> how his actions, attitude and behavior are not determined by 
> himself (ex: blame it on environment or whatever external factors). 


Pat here:

I find this to be particularly appropriate when you remember all the 
times Dumbledore has talked about how important our choices are.  
This really shows that the Malfoys are the exact opposite of 
everything for which Dumbledore stands--and of everything he is 
trying to teach Harry about how to live his life. He rewards Neville 
because he chose to stand up to his friends, which can be extremely 
difficult.  DD says they will have to make the right choices but 
that isn't always the easy way.  Dumbledore sees that we always have 
a choice in how we respond to events and people in our lives, and 
tells Harry so.

But the Malfoys, using Sartre's interpretation of the name, would 
see that they have no choice; everything that happens to them is 
beyond their control.  So then we have Lucius joining with Voldemort 
(of course, that was a choice, but maybe he didn't see it that way). 
Voldemort takes away any free choices from his DE's, as we see with 
the Dark Mark, to which many of them still respond even though they 
think he is gone.  The Death Eaters are to obey him in every thing 
and in every way. They aren't given a choice, and they seem to 
accept that.

I think this is one way that JKR is showing us what her beliefs are 
about how we live our lives and interact with other people in the 
world.  Unlike the Malfoys, we do have to take responsibility for 
our choices and our actions.

Pat