parental roles in HP books

[elizabeththedragonslayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 136284

> Sherry Gomes wrote:
> 
> > And yet, in the series, *mothers* are portrayed as the ones who 
> are the> loving, wonderful, giving, life sacrificing parental 
> figures.  
> Even Narcissa
> > comes off sympathetic in her role as mother.  Fathers, however, 
> don't come
> > off too well, From James to Lucius, they are portrayed as less 
in 

> We don't know what kind of a father Amos Digory was, so I don't 
really
> include him in the list of fathers.  



1.  James Potter as a parent.  The pensieve scene was "created" when 
James was a child at school.  Lupin and Sirius both agreed he grew 
out of it.  (Remember, too, that memories can be tampered with.)  
James and Lilly conceived Harry when they were older during the 
first Vold War and it's a sure bet that circumstances had caused 
them to mature before his birth.  I'm now wondering if Harry was an 
accident.

2.  You've plenty of fodder for Amos.  Amos Diggory, despite his 
conceit, has to be a good parent.  Cedric was the Hogwart's Champion 
and he was popular to boot.  Developing such an exceptional young 
person requires good parenting.  Period.

3.  Lucius Malfoy.  He's a horrible person.  He's creating a young 
man in his image.  

But we're digressing.  You had a two pronged argument:  that the 
characters are too stereotypical and that the fathers are mostly 
evil. What I found myself groused about was your stance on the 
mother's in the book.  Your tone implied that you found 
them....placed upon a pedestal.  And I don't agree.  None of her 
characters are shown to have Christ-like perfection.  I see plenty 
of positive and negative qualities in them all. 

Elizabeth