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

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 114361

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 replied:
>> 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. 


SSSusan:
I don't chat online with children, either [yikes, that sounds like 
something illegal when I type it!], but I have two of my own and 
know several others through them & church. I think you're right that 
children like concrete answers.  So here the issue is probably more 
about what children will question and what they will accept simply 
because the author said so.  

Thus, I think the question in this case is, "DO they see an opening 
here?"  A lot probably depends on their age, since "kids" covers a 
large age range.  Perhaps some do question; others, I think, just 
take Lupin's statement "He's dead" and NHN's statement "He won't be 
coming back" at face value.  We adults are more inclined to question 
or--esp. because she's JKR!--to look for subtleties which could 
appear as one thing but actually indicate something else.  

I compare this Sirius' death issue to the kids' (I know) view of 
Snape.  They don't see the layers of complexity most of us adults 
do; they think he's just flat-out a mean bad guy who unfairly picks 
on Harry & Neville.

Siriusly Snapey Susan