All about Lupin

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 121761


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arynnoctavia" 
<arynnoctavia at y...> wrote:
> 
> 
> I will address some of the points I've seen brought up about 
Lupin  here. First of all I deeply identify with him. We are both 
highly  empathic and nurturing. Both of us have traits about us 
which  alienate us from the rest of the world, (Him: werewolf, 
half-blood,  poor; Me: Mental illness, Religious minority, and 
Homosexual)ergo, we  are both desperate to be liked. <

Pippin:
Hi Arynn!
You are not the first to raise points in Lupin's defense. I 
understand that lots of people identify with him -- thanks for not 
taking my theories personally! 

Arynn:
> 
> I cannot see Lupin as evil for a number of reasons.  Since one 
of  JKR's main points of the books(so far)is that discrimination is 
bad,  I doubt she would introduce us to his plight, just to prove to 
us  that the general wizarding population was right about 
mistrusting werewolves.<

Pippin:
I think what JKR plans to prove is that werewolves should be 
judged by their choices, like everyone else. And like everyone 
else, they can make bad ones. I think we are beginning to see, 
as with Dobby, Kreacher and Marietta, that limiting people's 
choices in an attempt to force them to make good ones is  a 
route to disaster. I think we will see that the  WW is not protecting 
themselves by mistrusting werewolves,  they are only giving 
werewolves a reason to mistrust them.

I wonder if JKR is planning to show people in the WW who 
identify with Lupin too, and deal with their possible 
disillusionment, if he turns out to be evil. There's an Agatha 
Christie story where the murderer turns out to be the head of a 
respected clinic who was campaigning against the stigma of 
mental illness. The denouement revolved around neutralizing 
this person without discrediting his work and his clinic. 

I can see the Trio struggling with a similar dilemma. The choice 
before Harry might be to let Sirius go down in history as a traitor 
after all,  rather than exposing  Lupin publically as a DE.


Arynn:
> She has said he is one of her favourite characters, would 
she say that about an evil guy?<

Pippin:
It would be easy to create a villain by loading him up with all the 
characteristics she despises. But I think she has taken a more 
interesting road and asked herself what would make someone I 
truly like, who could easily earn my trust, choose the path of evil?

Arynn:
> I have seen it suggested that Lupin might be hiding 
Pedophiliac  tendencies. 

Pippin:
I don't think that Lupin will display any explicit pedophilia, but I
do think the references are there on purpose. Most children have 
been told that  adults might try to win their trust by giving them 
candy and that adults should not touch them in inappropriate 
way. Suggesting that Lupin might do these things could be  a 
way of dropping a hint that like some real world adults who 
seem  to be helpful and friendly, he can't be trusted.

I think Lupin's sexuality will remain ambiguous. It wouldn't 
surprise me if he took up with Tonks, but I'm afraid it would 
mean curtains for her. There's a possible progression which the 
theologically oriented fans can chew over, with  Lupin betraying 
his old friend in Book Five, his lover in Book Six, and finally his 
savior, Harry, in Book Seven.

Pippin