[HPforGrownups] Re: Villains in potterverse

[kim reynolds]

No: HPFGUIDX 116129


Pippin wrote:

>IMO, the scary thing about Voldemort is that he's very good at getting decent people to cross that line. As Sirius says, "he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves."--GoF 27.  Like Sauron's ring, he has the power to corrupt people of strength and good purpose.
 
>Look at Ginny. She didn't know what she was doing at first but she knew the Diary was dangerous when she threw it away. Yet she stole it back, willingly putting herself into the power of Slytherin's Heir. Her belief that no decent person could be made to do what she'd already done made her think no decent person could forgive her.< 

Alla replied:

>Good point. I actually find Tom Riddle to be quite scary, more scary than Voldemort. I don't feel that they are one and the same. What he did to Ginny was horrible, but from the writing I don't feel that Voldemort can do the same, even despite him actually possessing Harry 
at the end of OOP.<

>I don't think that Ginny was really doing anything WILLINGLY in CoS,despite her saying to the contrary.  I think Tom messed up with her head a lot.<

>I think there is a line decent people won't cross ON THEIR OWN. Threats of torture or threats to their loved ones, or possession do not count.<<

Hi. Kim here:
I agree, I think. If I'm on the same wavelength, I think that LV is such an obvious villain that he loses a little power as a result.  In other words, in his case, you at least know what you're dealing with. You can see it in his physical appearance and he also doesn't hide his intentions.  OTOH, Tom Riddle was scarier because his image was that of a young man (also good-looking?) and by offering the confidence of his diary he was able to pull little Ginny under his control (though I also think we need to cut her some slack for simply being just a child under the influence of an older child, Tom Riddle, albeit in the form of a personality in a diary).  TR even managed to fool Harry til almost the very end.  I think when it comes to evil, people are often not able to "read between the lines" if someone speaks in a superficially normal, reasonable, or pleasant manner, and are often fooled by a pretty face, so to speak, into giving credit where it actually isn't due. 
 
In Voldemort's case though, I'd say he does have the very scary ability to appeal to the indecency of certain adults -- those too greedy, power-hungry, weak, etc. to resist his offers of power or his threats of punishment.  Unfortunately in the real world, that may be all it takes to win some adults over, and it looks like the wizarding world is not much different.  Then again, if LV uses the Imperius curse, only a really strong person, decency besides the point, may be able to resist him (for example, Harry was the only one in his class who could resist Moody!Barty Crouch when he used the Imperius). 
 
Kim (who gets scared just thinking about the TRs, LVs, and DEs out here in the real world)


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