Harry v. Tom (was: LV never loved anyone)

[juli17ptf]

No: HPFGUIDX 110534


> 
> SSSusan wrote :
> "I didn't say moral belief; I said moral *understanding*.  The actor 
> would have to *understand* in order to credibly play the role, and 
> imo full understanding IS enough to mean choice is present."
> 
> Del replies : 
> Oh sure, Tom *intellectually* understood what people considered as
> right and wrong. He knew that setting a Basilisk to kill Muggle-born
> students would not be appreciated by the Headmaster, no matter how
> noble Tom considered the act to be. He understood intellectually how
> other people thought and acted, but he didn't understand them
> *emotionally*. He was an *alien*, unable to *relate* to the people
> around him, to *share* their emotions and beliefs. There are actors
> who do remarkable impersonifications of people they simply don't
> understand emotionally.

Julie sez:

The pivotal question to me is whether Tom/Voldemort is a
pyschopath/sociopath. I believe JKR says he is. He is also
intelligent, and like other pyschopaths he can intellectually
distinguish between right and wrong (what is morally acceptable to
society and what is not). The problem is, a psychopath just doesn't
CARE. He has no conscience. He can't feel sympathy, compassion, or
love, so he can't feel good or bad about his behavior. His only
compass for his behavior is doing that which gives him some sort of
gain, be it power, money, etc. 

We know Voldemort is clearly missing something integral, though we
can't say whether it is inborn (nature) or environmentally influenced
(nurture), though it's likely a combination of both. Human beings are
extremely complex, and, at least for the moment, we're nowhere close
to understanding how genes, inborn personality traits, and
environmental influences (affection, poverty, nutrition, chemicals, ad
infintum) mix to affect each individual.

One thing I would ask is, if Voldemort is a psychopath, and has been
one since Tom Riddle was very young, did he really *have* a choice?
Once a small boy's brain/personality turns psychopathic, can that be
undone? In the most technical sense, Tom/Voldemort could have decided
at any point to start behaving morally, even without being able to
care about others. But is there any reasonable expectation that a
person with the twisted logic of a psychopath can really see or fully
understand that choice, or perceive any value in it as a normal human
being would? 


Julie