OOP: The unknown power

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 119103


SSSusan wrote:
> There are so many people who remark about wanting the force to 
> *not* be love. As Geoff pointed out, this has been discussed many 
> times before, particularly in terms of there being many types of 
> love. My particular favorite choice for the power is Sacrificial 
> Love, but I won't go into that right now.
> 
> I do have a question for Juli or anyone else who objects to Love
> being the power: How did you handle the denouement of SS/PS? DD
> explained then the reason Quirrell couldn't touch Harry, and the
> reason was the Love which resides in Harry's skin, there because of
> his mother's sacrifice. If Love seems so corny, why stick with the
> series? And, please, I don't mean the question to be disrespectful!
> I truly would like to know! Love and its power have been put forth
> in the books JKR before, so if it's so cornball, why wade (and 
> wait) through the rest of the series?
  
Dungrollin:
> An excellent question, and one that I realise I've wondered about 
> without actually putting into words.  
> 
> Why did I stick with the series? I suppose it's because it was
> only one paragraph at the end that I found slushy, and the rest of 
> the book was so much fun.  And it intrigued me.  It didn't quite 
> fit with my impression of the rest of the book.  I already had the 
> second one at hand, and wanted to find out what happened, and 
> probably wondered if it was going to hinge on something slushy 
> (though I don't really remember).  And once I'd finished the
> second one (slush-free), it seemed completely plausible that there 
> was more to it than the paragraph of DD's about Harry being 
> protected because his mother had loved him so much.
> 
> It's the same thing that keeps me reading them now - the hope that 
> the denoument of book 7 is going to be something completely 
> unexpected.
 

SSSusan:
I wanted to say how very much I liked your answer to this question 
of why you stuck with it, Dungrollin.  It makes total sense to me.  
Like you, I'd thought about this only in a fleeting manner before, 
but even I -- who favor the power being SACRIFICIAL Love [a very 
special sort of Love, rare indeed] -- found the movie representation 
of that closing scene rather schmaltzy.  Given that, I've wondered 
about folks who object strenuously to the possible Love theme... and 
your answer really does jibe with what I've thought about it myself, 
rather below the surface.


Dungrollin:
> The thing is, JKR hasn't ever talked about sacrificial love, 
> has she?  She's said that the trait she values above all others
> is courage.  Which leaves those of us who find the idea a little 
> slushy with some hope that what lies behind the door may be 
> something more original, (and less overtly religious).
> 
> What's certain is that the power behind the door is important,
> and will be an integral part of the final showdown.  She's hardly
> likely to make it something easily guessable, is she?  It remains 
> possible that the whole love thing is misdirection.  And thus hope 
> is alive...


SSSusan:
As for sacrificial love and whether it fits vs. something like 
courage, there is DD's describing the DoM power as being "more 
wonderful and more terrible than death."  I can much more easily 
imagine sacrificial love's fitting those two extremes of wonderful & 
terrible than I can courage.  Does that make sense?


Dungrollin:
> And what was it that foiled Voldy's possession attempt in the
> MoM?  Didn't see any *sacrificial* love in the vicinity there... 
> Was it the love for Sirius filling Harry's heart that drove Voldy 
> out, or was it that Harry had accepted death? 

SSSusan:
This is an excellent question.  If the answer is that it was that 
Harry had accepted death, does that have an impact on what the power 
behind the door is?  Acceptance of death.  More powerful and 
wonderful than death itself?  Could that be it?

Siriusly Snapey Susan