Sirius' death (was: Dept of Mysteries Veil Room)

[gelite67]

No: HPFGUIDX 114336

-Angie wrote
 > I agree it is a good thing that JKR has children's characters that 
> > deal with death.  But I also think if her goal is to help with 
> > that, she should have written Sirius off in such a way that his 
> > death would could not be questioned.  Here, she clearly left the 
> > door open, so IMO it's not a case in which a dead relative 
suddenly 
> > pops back.  I agree that would not be good.  I would hope that 
any 
> > child reading the series would be old enough to understand 
Sirius's 
> > disappearance behind the veil can be interpreted as something 
other 
> > than him being dead.
> 
> 
> SSSusan:
> But *do* children question Sirius' death?  It's only been adults in 
> my experience who do.  I think children are more accepting that 
he's 
> gone.  


Angie:
I don't know if children question Sirius's death.  I haven't talked 
to any children who have read the series and I don't "chat" online 
with children.  So, I don't know.  I don't know that I agree that 
they are more accepting that he is gone.  In my experience, kids like 
concrete answers as much as adults (maybe even more so because they 
thinks adults fail to give them straight answers) -- if you leave 
them an opening, they will see it. 

> Sometimes death isn't very "satisfying" in the sense that it's 
clear 
> and all that.  If you're a child and grandpa drifts off during his 
> sleep, is death as clear as when grandpa gets killed in a car crash 
> or murdered by a thug?  I don't think so.  What about when someone 
> presumably drowns, though the body is never recovered?  That 
happened 
> last year with a student on the campus where I work.  At some 
point, 
> there was enough circumstantial evidence that the search was called 
> off and a memorial service was held.  It's NOT as "satisfying" 
[poor 
> word, but I think you'll know what I mean by it?] as seeing a cold, 
> lifeless, bloodstained body.  But I don't agree that it isn't a 
good 
> example of death to use with kids (or us!), because that kind of 
> death *does* happen.  
> 

Angie again:
Seems like what you are talking about is closure and being able to 
identify a specific time and place of death.  There is definitely 
something within us that rails against believing someone is dead 
unless we see the body, I agree.   However, we know for certain that 
someone goes under water, unless they come back up within a certain 
time frame, they will drown.  We do not know for certain that a 
person dies because they pass through the veil (DD's comment 
notwithstanding). 

<snip>

Susan again:
>  
> I also think it may speak to JKR's interpretation of what death is 
> about ["the next great adventure"]. 

<snip>

Angie replies:
Good point.  I'm all on board for getting children to believe in life 
after death -- but she still has to be clear that he's dead first! :)