Grand guignol endings (was Quesiton for Snapeophiles )

[carolynwhite2]

No: HPFGUIDX 114858


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arrowsmithbt" 
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:
> 
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "carolynwhite2" 
<carolynwhite2 at a...> wrote:
> > 
> > Then again, there's this interview answer -
> > 
> > Dateline, 2003: 
> > 
> > Q:You said when the last book came out that the death of one 
> > character was quote, 'the beginning of the deaths.' Yikes!
> > A:Yeah, that's nice, isn't it. There's going to be a blood bath 
> > [laughter].
> > Q:What does that mean?
> > A:It's a war. Essentially a war has broken out again and when I 
say the beginning of the deaths, I mean the deaths that are 
meaningful, I suppose, to the reader.


Kneasy:
> Sounds promising, but I expect it's a bit of an exaggeration. Deaths
> yes, blood no. I don't see gore-splattered scenery or eviscerated
> victims forming part of the canon. Though if she's seeking 
suggestions I'd be happy to oblige.
> 
> 'Meaningful' - hmm, I've learned to  be cautious where JKR's words 
are concerned;  so often they are accurate but not necessarily in the 
way you'd expect. 'Meaningful' as in a good plot reason for the 
deaths, or as in characters that fans may have become attached to? Or 
both?
> 

Carolyn
Seems like both; more quotes FWIW:

CBS News, 1999

Q: as all children's books go, most - there will be a happy ending?
A: Depends on whether or not your favourite character dies because 
there are going to be deaths.

AOL chat, 2000:

Q: Will Voldemort's evil ways rise again, such as Muggle killings?
A: Well, his temper hasn't exactly improved while he's been away, has 
it? So I think we can safely say, yes.

Canadian Broadcasting Co, 2000
Q: Now that you know they expect it, do you give it to them? 
A: No, I decided...It's not that I sat down with a list and decided 
to write, 'You're going, you're going, you're going.' There are 
reasons for the deaths in each case, in terms of the story. So that's 
why I'm doing it.

Q: Because it's hard to draw the line here, isn't it? Because someone 
could read your book and say 'well, there's murder...'
A: People die, but do you care when they die? Do you absolutely have 
a sense of how evil it is to take another person's life? Yes, I think 
in my book you do. I think you do. I think you see that is a horrific 
thing. I have enormous respect for human life. I do not think that 
you would read either of the deaths in that book and think, yeah, 
well, he's gone, off we go. Not at all. I think it's very clear where 
my sympathies lie. And here we are dealing with someone, I'm dealing 
with a villain who does hold human life incredibly cheap. That's how 
it happens: one squeeze of the trigger. Gone. Forever. That's evil. 
It's a terrible, terrible thing but you're right, I know where I draw 
the line. Other people will draw the line in a different place and 
they will disagree with me.

Q:It seems like almost through your books you miss your mom and 
you're dealing with that conversation like Harry, just seeing the 
shadow but it can never come back. 
A:Dealing with bereavement is a strong part of the books. Dealing 
with loss. Yes. (snip)  But it's a strong central theme - dealing 
with death, yeah, and facing up to death.

Kneasy:
> Throw in a couple of Weasleys, Luna (please!), Draco, a handful of
> Aurors, plus a few assorted DEs and it could all be very 
entertaining.
> 

Carolyn:
Well, since we appear to have maternal death theme emerging, and 
she's apparently given it all a lot of thought, lets hope Molly 
Weasley is included in the roll call.