Harry's moral core vs. Voldie's

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 117242



Kelsey wrote :
" But remember, Harry didn't know that his parents sacrificed their
lives for him until he was 11 years old. And he didn't really know the
full extent of that until his third year. And we don't know the
circumstances of the death of Tom's Slytherin-heir mother (who fell in
love with a Muggle). [insert outrageous theory about her sacrificial
death here]. I think that, deep in the psyche of these two children,
the abandonment issues are _about_ equal."

Del replies :
Not necessarily. Harry was loved during 15 months. Tom might not have
been. This could be enough to create a major difference between the two.

Kelsey wrote :
" Both needed care, attention, and love at a young age, and it shows
later in their lives when they desire attention at Hogwarts, and then
the differences exist in how they seek to gain that attention."

Del replies :
They both desire attention, but not necessarily in the same way. Harry
primarily desires love, friendship, trust, acceptance. We have no
evidence that Tom ever desired, or even valued, those things. This
would be in accordance with the theory that he was never loved as an
infant and as a consequence never learned to bond and love.

Kelsey wrote :
" But this, I can't quite grasp. Why would he care if his father
abandoned him if he never loved him at all? Why would he care about
gaining attention or power or followers?"

Del replies :
The feeling of abandonment is not necessarily connected with love. My
own biological father left the scene long before I was born. I never
met him, I didn't have pictures or anything. My mother knew that he
was gone for good and she never entertained any fantasy in me of the
father who will come bach some day. I never could love the man,
because I simply don't know him at all. I don't really hate him
either, for the same reasons. But do I feel abandoned ? Yes. Did it
have a strong influence on my life ? Yes. Did I try to compensate ?
Yes. It's not whether or not Tom loved his father that matters : it's
the fact that this father *should* have loved him. He didn't, he
abandoned him. This is a terrible blow for a child.

Kelsey wrote :
" If Voldie lacks that ability to love, I guess he can't really be
molded by his nurturing, but that its part of his nature (i.e. he
never had the ability, so it could never be developed)."

Del replies :
But is it that he never had the ability, or is it that this latent
ability was never developed by his caretakers and finally died ? Or
maybe a mix of the two ? Infants need to be loved, they need to bond
with someone. Most of them will find someone or even something to bond
with, even in the most horrible circumstances. But is it possible that
Baby Tom had an inborn difficulty to bond, and that some kind of
loveless upbringing never provided the right stimulation for him to
learn to bond and love ? That's a lot of speculation, granted. But
when we discuss someone as abnormal as Tom Riddle, we are forced to
speculate. Normal people can become evil, but they always *love*
someone or something. Even Hitler and Staline did. But not Tom Riddle.

Del