Character Discussion: Lily

[Hans Andréa]

No: HPFGUIDX 120498

Alla:
I loved your post and cannot wait for you to explore the 
symbolism in the other characters. Quick question - so far Lily 
seems to be personification of sacrificial love of the mother for 
her son and does not have any flaws, which we know about. 

What if the next books reveal Lily as much more flawed character 
than we knew before, do you think your interpretation will still 
stand?

Hans:
Many thanks for your encouraging comments. I shall post my thoughts on James
tonight.

I think it's almost inevitable that Jo will give Lily some flaws. It's
precisely Harry's flaws that make us identify with him so much. We love him
for his nobility, his courage, his fairness, and his selfless actions, but
we, and I'm including many millions of children and adults all over the
world, identify with Harry because of the difficulty he's having coping with
the pain of bereavement, or with Malfoy's and Snape's constant jibes about
Harry's parents and friends, or with his powerlessness against Voldemort and
his allies.

What Jo is doing is personifying forces that a person, who wants to enter
the absolute spiritual centre of his/her being, will meet and have to deal
with. In order to personify these forces properly, you have to make them
truly human. And to be truly human you have to have flaws! 

Surely Jo has the world record on getting people to identify with characters
in a book? I think if I personally had to point to the one thing that is so
special about "Harry Potter" I'd have to say it's the intense way we
empathise with Harry. We really get into his skin, don't we? My first book
was book 2, and I think I'd already fallen seriously in love with Harry  by
the end of chapter one.

So my answer is, I think Lily will have some flaws, but not enough to damage
my theory in any way. Actually I suspect the way Remus talked to Harry about
Lily in the film is one of the things that gave Jo "goose bumps". As you
know, Remus praised Lily very highly. Perhaps others can help us remember
what he said, but one thing that sticks in my memory is him saying something
like, "She believed in the best in people even when they didn't believe in
it themselves." That fits right in with my theory!

Have I answered your question?

Once again thanks for your kind response and I hope you enjoy my post about
James tonight.

=====
Hans Rieuwers 
see you at Harry Potter for Seekers 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/harrypotterforseekers/
 



	
	
		
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