Character Discussion: Remus John Lupin

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 125697


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Hans Andréa <ibotsjfvxfst at y...> 
wrote:

Hans:

<snip>

> However the main point is that we're all living in a
> "prison" outside of the real world. Our destination is
> not INSIDE the prison but OUTSIDE of it! Hence
> whatever we do inside the prison is only of temporary
> benefit. The prisoners can help each other or make
> things even more miserable than they are, but their
> one and only task is to get OUT of the prison.
> 
> And now I'm going to say something really shocking and
> controversial. If our task is to get out, but many do
> gooders in the prison are working to make life as
> comfortable as possible under the circumstances,
> trying to forget the bad conditions, trying to forget
> the radiant world of sunshine, fresh air and glorious
> FREEDOM outside of the prison, then is that not
> actually bad? In the opinion of the prisoners these do
> gooders are making life in the prison less unbearable,
> and so they're considered good, but in actual fact
> they're "drugging" the prisoners into forgetting about
> liberation, which is their one and only purpose. 

<snip>

> Finally, once again I want to point out that Sirius'
> three friends were called James (Potter), Peter
> (Pettigrew) and (Remus) John (Lupin), while Jesus'
> best three disciples were James, John and Peter. I
> believe this is of the utmost importance in realising
> what Harry Potter is really all about. Jo's flag is
> firmly nailed to the mast, in my opinion.
> 
> May the world soon wake up to this!

Geoff:
I have isolated out the two sections above as I feel further comment 
might be worthwhile.

It has been commented on in the past that three of the best-known 
writers of children's fiction, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling 
have Christian backgrounds and there is evidence of that in their 
books - either overtly or covertly. It seems that CS Lewis – at least 
in the first of the Narnia stories (The Lion ,the Witch and the 
Wardrobe) – made it an overt allegory of the story of Christ, 
intentionally so for younger readers. Aslan is very much a 
representation of Christ in being killed in the place of Edmund and 
then returning to life.

Both the latter authors have eschewed the idea of allegory but 
Christian ethics and ideals remain as undertones and underpinning to 
the books. I feel therefore that Jo Rowling would not make such 
obvious links as you suggest in the names of the three characters. 
The names concerned are /very/ common names in the UK. James was 
recently announced as the most popular name for boys in Britain for 
the 2nd or 3rd year in succession and, if you asked me off the top of 
my head for three popular boys' names, I might well think of a couple 
of them. Further, in the Harry Potter story, Peter Pettigrew is a 
traitor who betrayed James and Lily. Peter the disciple was not. He 
denied knowing Christ in a moment of weakness but soon became one of 
the great pillars of the early church; it was Judas whose name is for 
ever used as an indicator of betrayal. I think that anyone looking 
for allegory in the HArry Potter books might well miss any possible 
link here as a result.

Hans' analogy of the population of the real world living in 
a "prison" is a good one because this is exactly the theme of the 
Christian gospel. I agree with Hans in that our task is to get 
everyone out of prison – the prison of our wrongdoing, selfishness 
and materialism. That is why Christ came. In the Christian world, we 
are rapidly approaching Easter when we are reminded that Jesus 
allowed men of evil to drag him to the cross and crucify him thinking 
that, in so doing, they were winning. They little knew that this was 
precisely God's plan and that Jesus, in rising from the grave, proved 
who he was and also carried the punishment for the wrongs of the 
whole world.

Hans refers to the do-gooders who are trying to make life easier and 
more comfortable. This also includes both those who suggest that this 
life is the only reality and we must make the best of it for 
ourselves and those who see the way out of the problem is a very 
complicated way of life to follow which is only open to a few 
privileged folk whereas, as Jesus pointed out, all it needs 
is /genuine/ belief in who he was and what he did for us. It's all 
bound up in Dumbledroe's choices again.

I wholeheartedly agree that Jo's flag is firmly nailed to the mast 
but a different flag, I think, to the one which was under discussion.