Vicarious Retribution (long)

[Marilyn Peake]

No: HPFGUIDX 128869

 catkind:  Oooh, I do like this theory of Quigonginger's. It makes
 sense of various HP scenes that previously worried me. 
 
 Kind of Potterverse meta-morals as opposed to actual Potterverse
 morals? So you're allowed to punish someone if the all-seeing reader
 knows they deserve it, with no reference to what the character knows
 or internal due process or whatever. 
 
 Maybe it's kind of cheating though, if we have to revert to
 meta-thinking to explain things.  It sends all sorts of confused
 messages to people who don't understand these rules.  Or perhaps
 children have an intuitive grasp of Vicarious Retribution - they 
don't
 think so much about what exactly which characters know as us
 over-analysing Grown-Ups.

Marilyn: I agree - I think the answer lies in how children perceive 
books.  Children learn every day that things are unfair in real life: 
the bully doesn't always get punished, sometimes the bully actually 
gets rewarded when the adults fail to see what the bully did to 
provoke the good kid, sometimes the good kid gets punished because 
the adults only see the good kid strike back.  In Harry Potter, 
children already know that Dudley and his parents are tormentors.  It 
must be such great joy for a child to read along and discover that 
even Hagrid knows who should be punished!

Cheers,
Marilyn

~~ Drink deeply by land or sea. Earth comes only once.~~
>From THE FISHERMAN'S SON Trilogy 
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