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

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 116069


> Pippin:

snip.

>> 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.


Alla:

LOL! I wonder who those people could be ;)

You mean, Lupin is supposed to be too noble to netertain the notion 
to take a bit out of Snape? Nope, of course not, not in my book. :)

But yeah, he is supposed to actually BITE Snape.


 Pippin:

> 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.



Alla:


Pippin, let's take a breath and could you go a bit slower for me 
(again, please, please this is not a sarcasm, I think I got confused 
with your argument again).


I don't think your comparison of Lupin with Harry is valid at all in 
this situation.


Yes, Lupin is supposed to be smarter than fifteen year old child.
But the argument is that even if he was approached by Voldemort he 
was strong enough to resist the temptation at the end.


Yes, Harry felt abandoned by Dumbledore, who I submit did not do as 
nearly well as he was supposed to do for Harry, so I think Harry's 
feelings are totally valid.

Even so, Harry did not turn against Dumbledore. Neither did Lupin, 
as far as we know, did not he?

Yes, he did not tell him about Sirius. He was afraid to lose 
Dumbledore trust,as Lupin says. Why is it impossible? Poor guy wants 
to be liked too much. Boy, if you only knew, Pippin, how much I can 
relate, to that flaw of his character. I sincerely hope that I am 
not an evil person despite this flaw of my character. 




Pippin:

> 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.


Alla:

Imagine to live up to that image? What image? Lupin is allowed to 
make mistakes, as long as he realises that there is a line, which 
decent person ( not an angel , but just a decent person ) is not 
supposed to cross.

I really truly don't think that it is too much too ask without 
turning Lupin in the servant of Voldemort.