[HPforGrownups] Re: Sirius revisited--emotional maturity

[AnitaKH]

No: HPFGUIDX 104712



cubfanbudwoman <susiequsie23 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Jekatiska said:
> Sirius was immature, cruel and self-centered, but then many kids from privileged backgrounds are. It does not make a person *bad* if they have done some cruel things when they were kids. No one is wholly good - or indeed wholly bad.

SSSusan:
And I think if you had left in a bit more of my post, you would have seen that my conclusion wasn't that Sirius was BAD.  He wasn't absolutely GOOD either.  He was a mixture of both elements.  What I've been saying in a series of posts about Sirius is that I originally wrote him off as a fun-loving good guy, and all I'm saying now is that I've considered more of the canon evidence that has been put forth here recently, and I've decided calling him JUST a "fun-loving good guy" is now not something I'm willing to do.  He did good things (like love Harry and go after Peter); he was fun-loving at times; other times he was a jerk and incredibly selfish.

[Whole lotta snipping going on]

 

akh: As I've doubtless stated before, one of the best features of JKR's writing for me is the emotional/psychological truth of the characters.  In the case of Sirius, I've seen a million of 'em.  Well, perhaps not quite that many, but as a former actress, his type is rife in the business.  Sirius always stuck me as the good-looking, charistmatic type who had a difficult time as a child and who is devoted to friends and those he loves.  However, he is also devoted to Self, so the feelings of others are not always apparent or, frankly, important to him.  A very dear friend of mine (unfortunately deceased) WAS Sirius, in many ways.  His parents, while not cruel, had a troubled relationship that he took personally.  He could be the best friend you ever had, followed closely by an astoundingly cruel remark.  My excuse for him was, "He doesn't mean to be a bastard..." and it was very apt.

The point of this ramble is to say that Sirius is undoubtedly well-intentioned (much of GOF), sincerely attached to his loved ones (Shrieking Shack scene in POA and Christmas in OOTP)and has an easy time endearing himself to those whom he takes the trouble to charm.  However, while not necessarily egotistical, he is self-absorbed, a trait which is frequently accompanied by a total lack of self-awareness.  Since I have a passel of friends who fit this description, I like Sirius a lot!

akh, who hopes her actor friends aren't on this list - then again, they'd never recognize themselves, would they?  


		
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]