Sirius revisited/character discussions

[barbara_mbowen]

No: HPFGUIDX 104197

Lisa wrote:  

 At this point, having been
essentially asked why I'm not 'defending' a character I like, I find
myself sort of throwing up my hands and asking, "What's the point?"

I agree with Marianne and Lisa. I first joined the list a year ago, and aside 
froma few posts about my favorite fugitive, Regulus Black, I mostly lurk.  
Lately, I've tried not to read the Snape/sirius posts, because I think I've heard 
it all before.  I remember a post which claimed that Sirius probably didn't 
escape from Azkaban by himself, and was much too stupid to have become 
an animagus by himself (or else that becoming an animagus must be easy) 
and I got the idea.  Some posters will never even allow that Sirius did the 
things that canon says he did.   McGonagal says he was brilliant?  
McGonnagal has it wrong.  Canon says he escaped from Azkaban?  
Someone else must have done it for him (Sorry I don't have the post number, 
but I believe it was Dumbledore who was given  the credit.)  And so on.

I, too, like Sirius very much.  I don't like Snape at all (had a seventh grade 
French teacher he too much resembles...)  I realize I won't convince any of 
the Snape apologists and why should I try to convince them what a rotter I 
think he is?  Rotter or not, he's an interesting character, and the books are 
better off with him in them.  

Sirius is also an interesting character, or else why do so many people spend 
so much time and energy bashing him?  Both these characters hit nerves 
with a lot of us, and depending on our own characters, experiences and so 
forth, we will like/dislike one or both of them.  Way to go, JKR!

So, while I like Sirius, and find him very much a sympathetic character, I am 
not interested in defending him from his bashers anymore than I'm interested 
in trying to convince the Snape apoligists why their boy is  vindictive and 
sadistic and utterly unsympathetic.  Who am I going to convince?   It was fun 
for awhile, but it's getting a little old.  

Bring on Book Six!

Marmelade Mom