[HPforGrownups] Harry's Lies

[Charme]

No: HPFGUIDX 125077


>Lupinlore said:

> So what are we to make of Harry's lies?  How do they fit with his
> psychology?  How do they fit with the morality of the Potterverse?
>

Charme:

While I understand the questions, I am bothered by them in some weird way. 
Maybe it's because many of JKR's religious critics pontificate frequently 
over their perceptions that the HP series lends itself to a mixed message 
regarding moral and ethical "rules" like not telling lies, and perhaps 
that's what twists me about the questions. I also don't think you'll like my 
answer to them :)

As I travel the Internet and other messageboards, I feel there's one morally 
important aspect I think is overlooked to the question of what to make of 
Harry's "lies." Morality is a complex thing, and you can't take just the 
"lies" as a judgement of someone's ethics or character; indeed,  no one is 
perfect, fictional character or otherwise. Compare Voldemort and Harry, for 
example. While both characters pursue what they want or believe (lies 
included), this does not dictate moral equivalence: Voldemort's are in 
pursuit of his desire to rule the WW and Harry's are in pursuit of justice 
and honor. One should be judged by the sum of his actions and decisions as 
the kind of moral or ethical person he is and not every little detail judged 
independently. No doubt Harry has lied, but why he lied matters to me in how 
I perceive his moral and ethical nature. Clearly, when Harry insists to 
Umbridge that Voldemort has returned (several times, if I recall correctly) 
and then is *punished for telling the truth*,  this depicts his nature as 
dedicated to the truth even in the face of punishment (you don't hear him go 
blabbing about his Umbridge quill punishment - Ron discovers it) and a fact 
of canon which is often forgotten in the discussions I've seen.  The 
consequences of our actions, as DD says, are complex and cannot always be 
predicted. Therefore, the road to hell can be paved with good intentions 
(and you may pay the toll) or the road of the righteous can lead you down 
the road hell, too.  You just don't know all the time how it will all turn 
out in the long run.

While I believe lying for personal gain or to forward a personal agenda is 
wrong, I also believe that you are morally and ethically obligated to lie in 
certain situations where, say,  life would be at risk should you tell the 
truth.  In other words, I'm perfectly comfortable with Harry's lies and rule 
breaking as long as it's in pursuit of the concepts I value highly: life, 
liberty, security and the pursuit of happiness.

Charme