Evaluating Percy (was: Marietta and Hermione (and Percy) (and C.S. Lewis) )

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 121061


Siriusly Snapey Susan wrote:
<< Hmmm. What does this do to a Percy? He's certainly following a set
of principles & values, *extremely* consistently, but he's not
likely to be labeled "innately good" by either JKR or a reader or a
character w/in the story who knows him well. He's chosen the not-
quite-right set of principles & values, then? >>
 
And Meriaugust wrote:
<< Percy, OTOH, puts his career and personal ambitions ahead
of his family. He insults his father, ignores his mother and all
because, like Fudge, holding on to his job is most important to him.
I applaud Percy for sticking to his guns and doing what he thought
was right. But what he did was for his own personal gain. >>
 
Catlady responded:
> Yes, I believe that JKR presented Percy as following the principle 
> of self-interest and careerism, rather than any system of morality. 
> She had Percy laughing at Fudge's bad jokes and being a general 
> sycophant, and there is no clue that he was doing it because of 
> hero-worshipping Fudge. It would be different if Percy chose Fudge 
> over his family because he had a principle that the government is 
> always right or he thought Fudge was so wise and competent or he 
> really believed that Harry had gone mad and Dumbledore was using 
> him to make trouble for some selfish no-good reason. 


SSSusan:
This is a fascinating response, Catlady, because I have been 
pondering a fair few Percy comments lately and thinking of issuing a 
post on them... only to find that your response has got me 
considering a new question.

In short, what I *was* planning to say was this.  A few people 
recently seem to have said:  Percy turned on his family & followed 
Crouch & then Fudge, so he is Evil.  Is this really so?  Is JKR so 
much *just* Good vs. Evil that the only option for categorizing Percy 
is that he is Evil??  I rather thought of him as misguided or, 
well, "wrong," but not necessarily Evil.

But now Catlady is pointing out that Percy might not really have been 
following a system of morality or principle of "rightness" (such 
as "The government is always right") so much as just showing a single-
minded amibition in working towards his own gain & power. 

Hmmm.  So, if Catlady is correct, does that put Percy in the Evil 
camp after all?  


Then again, there's what Barbara wrote in 121036:
> I remember learning that ethics (Christian world view) is best
> addressed from three different angles. The first angle is the law(s)
> or principle(s) involved (and in real life the principals sometimes
> conflict.) The second angle a person's motives (or "sincere 
> reason.")  The third, I believe, angle is the end results arising 
> from the choices made or the situation. Any choice which violates 
> any of the three could be wrong. Impossible? Messy? Yes
.

SSSusan:
Okay.  So now what would people here at HPfGU do with Percy if 
applying these *three* angles?  

And what do we think JKR is presenting us in canon?  Is she judging 
her characters on one or more than one of these angles?  *Is* she 
primarily about motives?  About end results?  Or...?

Thoughts?

Siriusly Snapey Susan