Harry's potential father figures /Religion in HP

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 131045

> Pippin:
<SNIP>
I would like to see Harry realize that he doesn't need to punish his 
oppressors to feel empowered against them. And that will be a 
revelation too.

> > 
> Lupinlore: 
That would be...insipid.  Sunday school lessons have no place in
non- religious literature.  Of course, the extent to which this is a 
non-religious story is itself a matter of debate.  In any case, this 
would turn the Potter story into an After School Special, which 
would be seriously revolting.
> 
> Pippin:
> 
> I'm not sure what you mean by Sunday school lessons and After
> School Specials. The  Sunday school I attended was more on the
> order of " the wicked will get what's coming to them" and I've 
> never watched an After School Special. I'm not being snarky,
> I'm genuinely curious as to what in canon you feel supports the
> idea that Harry will only feel truly powerful when he's made
> Snape suffer, if that's what you're getting at.
> 
>  The punishers and would-be punishers, Voldemort, 
> Snape,the Dursleys, Sirius and Lupin, Filch, all seem to be acting 
> from a sense of weakness and disempowerment.



Alla:

Again, I may be wrong, Pippin, but I think Lupinlore thought that you 
were arguing religious aspect of forgiveness and that is why he 
brought up after school special.

I do think that JKR is influenced by Christian ideas, BUT I also 
think that she is influenced by MANY other ideas ( religious or not) 
including secular humanism, etc.

What I would agree with Lupinlore though is not liking much the 
ending, if 
it will end up to be word by word allegory of the Bible, for example.

You know, for example if as someone suggested earlier that Ron will 
take the role of Juda, literally, Harry will take the role of Jesus, 
literally, etc,etc.

The good example will be much brought up LOTR and "Chronicles of 
Narnia"

I love LOTR. I don't think that anybody would argue that Tolkien was 
very much influenced by Christian ideas, right?

But it is very subtly done in his book, IMO. To tell you the truth, 
till I started reading books about Tolkien, I had no idea that he was 
influenced by Christian ideas.

At the same time, I could not finish "Narnia", I just could not, no 
matter how well it was written.

I felt that author was beating me over the head with the baseball bat 
on where he stands, etc. I do not like that and I hope Harry Potter 
will not end up like that.

Now, would I mind seeing some cristian metaphorical language, ideas? 
Of course not, I love them and I feel that some of them are already 
there, BUT going back to Harry/Snape, I feel that simple forgiveness, 
without retribution first will not work for me.

I do NOT mind Harry being a better person and treating Snape better 
than he treated the boy all these years, but my basic sense of 
fairness as reader will rebel if I will read about forgiveness first, 
without Snape getting his due (it could be in the metaphorical sense, 
it could be not necessarily from Harry - another Snape as boggart 
scene or something like that for example will work perfectly to me. :-
)) first.

SO, to answer your question, I don't think that it would make Harry 
more powerful if he makes Snape suffer, BUT I do think it will be 
unfair ( IMO as a reader) if Snape will not suffer at least something 
for all he did.

Of course, it all goes back to whether you view Snape's actions 
towards Harry as evil ( everyday evil, so to speak). If you don't, 
you definitely do not see the need for Snape to pay for them. I do 
view them as evil therefore I want Snape to see the error of his ways 
before Harry forgives him, but of course it may not be true and Harry 
will simply forgive him and that would be it.

I guess I would be able to live with it, but I really prefer to see 
at least some kind of retribution done first.

Just my opinion,

Alla.