All about Lupin

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 121810


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> 
wrote:
 
> > Renee:
> > No, I don't see it either - that is to say, not in the book; 
there, it struck me as typical behaviour for a traditional 
Northwestern European male teacher approaching middle age, 
especially as Lupin did *not* touch Harry, after all. No pedophilia 
there. 

> Pippin:
snip> 
> ESE!Lupin is a metaphor for what happens if you, unlike Snape, 
> are too afraid of the consequences to confess and seek pardon. 
> ESE!Lupin, like many on the list, thinks all werewolves will be 
> judged by his actions, and that there is no way Dumbledore 
> would pardon him if he knew what Lupin had done. 
> 
> This is where the pedophilia comes in, IMO, as  a metaphor, and 
> *only* as a metaphor,  for the unforgivable.  Instead of 
> confessing and asking for a second chance as Snape did, 
> ESE!Lupin keeps trying to cover up what he has done and 
> commits more and more crimes in the process. He isn't doing 
> all this evil because he was a  bad person from the beginning, or 
> even a weak one-- it  was because he had no faith, not even in 
> Dumbledore.
> 
> Pippin

Tonks here:

I agree with Renee and disagree with Pippin. (sorry Pippin.)  Lupin 
is a very compassionate, caring person. He is male and males in that 
society (as in ours until a few years ago) did not touch each other. 
Also not touching is a very English thing to do. So Lupin wants to 
comfort Harry, but the Macho code comes in. Lupin is not gay, and 
not a pedophile!!! And he is not evil. There is not even one hint of 
his being an evil person in the books. I certainly never read it 
that way. As to the other media, any reference to *people like me* 
is to werewolves, nothing more. I think too many people today, in 
the U.S. (I don't know about other countries) read far too much into 
things and see *gay* everywhere. I can't even go places with my best 
female friend without some young person asking if she is my lover. 
Good heavens!!!   As they say sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
 and 
a werewolf is just a werewolf.

Tonks_op