Lupin as a metaphor (was: DD and the rat)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 116068


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at y...> wrote:
> 
> > Pippin:
> 
> snip.
> 
> > The un-canonical Lupin so dear to fandom's heart,  who felt 
 Sirius was innocent all along but couldn't do anything about it, 
who didn't  lead his friends to become animagi, who couldn't 
keep in mind that he hadn't taken his potion even after  he was 
reminded, who was thinking purely of Neville's welfare  when he 
allowed the boggart to take appear as GrannySnape,   would, 
 IMO, be such a negative stereotype...if he existed. I submit he 
 doesn't.
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I don't understand. Why such Lupin would be a negative 
stereotype? A  victim of prejudice, chronically ill person, who 
managed to keep his  humanity despite beign a flawed human 
being.
> Who , contrary to Snape managed to resist the temptation to 
join  Evil, even if such evil promised hima better destiny. Really, I 
don't  know why you consider such character to be a negative 
one.
> 
> And of course he was thinkinhg about Neville's wellfare. Well, 
> mainly, anyway. :o)

Pippin:
It's a negative stereotype because it deprives Lupin of the full 
scope of his humanity. In order to show that he's harmless, he's 
made out to be  too weak to help his friends, and too 
irresponsible to be trusted, and yet, he's also  supposed to be 
noble, wise and true .

Some people ::looks around innocently:: have said they can't wait 
to see Harry take a bite out of Snape --- school etiquette, 
Voldemort, and consequences be hanged. But  Lupin is 
supposed to have been too noble to have entertained any such 
notion.

Harry started a subversive organization which  got Dumbledore 
sacked, and then found both he and his organization had been 
tricked into  co-operation with Voldemort. 
Harry was extremely reluctant to admit that Voldemort might be 
fooling him, even when his friends told him so. But I'm told Lupin 
would be too smart to let himself be used and too wise to let 
himself be trapped.

Harry thought Dumbledore was so disappointed with him that he 
didn't care about him any more. He rebelled against 
Dumbledore's instructions, though Dumbledore has done 
everything for him. But I'm told Lupin would never turn against 
someone who'd made it possible for him to come to school.


Lupin is expected to be nobler,  smarter, wiser and more faithful 
than Harry himself, in other words. And if he isn't, I'm told, it 
validates of all the nasty things that have been said about 
werewolves. Heaven help poor Lupin, it would have been easy to 
make him feel that he was a big, bad werewolf and goodness 
was beyond his reach.

In one way, yes, the 'orthodox' vision of Lupin is inspiring. As long 
as there aren't any real werewolves (sorry, Grey!) ,  we can view 
him as a metaphor, an idealized example of how people  rise to 
deal with illness and tragedy. But imagine having to live up to 
such an image! Imagine feeling that if you showed the same 
human weaknesses that Harry does, you'd be proving that you 
were a monster.  No, I don't think  that such an  image is positive 
in real life. Not at all.

Pippin