Sirius revisited

[Wanda Sherratt]

No: HPFGUIDX 104419

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jen Reese" <stevejjen at e...> 
wrote:

> 
> We're introduced to Scabbers and The Big Black Dog and are led to 
> believe that Scabbers is good, meek, sickly, etc. The Black Dog is 
> the Grim, portending death with certain sinister implications. So 
> then in the Shrieking Shack we find out the roles are actually 
> reversed and Scabbers is the Rat, and betrayed his best friend, and 
> Padfoot is the loyal Dog, still trying to avenge his best friend's 
> death.
> 
> I think that's a nice parallel, but it's lost of Sirius is 
> determined to be other than he appears.
> 
I'll go along with the positive characteristics of dogs as being an 
underlying hint as to Sirius's true character, but I can't see it as 
regards Wormtail.  Rats have ALWAYS had a negative connotation in 
Western culture - filthy, vicious, cunning, and pestilent.  If we're 
talking archetypes here, then Wormtail's animal identity is completely 
in line with his true nature, just as Sirius's is.  

Wanda