MAGIC TUMBLE DRYER (was: ANTIVIRUS - humble attempt of building a ship)

[mightymaus75]

No: HPFGUIDX 129541

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Mira <anurim at y...> wrote:
> I thought a while ago that one source of inspiration,
> probably secondary, for the plot of each book might be
> the illustration of one deadly sin versus one cardinal
> virtue. It is only now that I'll take the time to
> elaborate on the idea. I know there are some very
> interesting essays in the Files section relative to
> this subject, but they seem to me more general rather
> than about the HP world specifically. I haven't seen a
> similar theory yet, but I don't doubt that somebody
> has thought of it before, which is why I'll call it,
> for the time being, ANachronical Theory about
> Ineffable VIRtues and Ugly Sins (ANTIVIRUS).
>

I have wondered myself about the themes of each of the HP books, but 
lately I have been a little too busy rewriting my KITTENS & RAINBOWS 
theory to get around to writing a detailed post on the subject. I 
agree wholeheartedly with your assumption that the HP books are 
following a predetermined list of themes, might I suggest though that 
it is not the Seven Deadly Sins or their opposite virtues, but 
instead the Seven Heavenly Virtues. 

For those of you who may have been slightly confused by the above 
sentence, a short overview of Christian virtues:

The Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Courage, Justice. 
Originally proposed by Plato and other classical Greek philosophers, 
later adopted by the Christian church, you don't have to be a 
follower of the Christian church to achieve these virtues. 

The Theological Virtues: Love, Hope, Faith. As defined in the New 
Testament by St. Paul as well as in other writings of the early 
Christian Church, unfortunately for those who aren't followers of the 
Christian church baptism is required to achieve these virtues. 

The Seven Heavenly Virtues (sometimes *also* called the Cardinal 
Virtues): Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, 
Prudence. A combination of the Cardinal Virtues and the Theological 
Virtues. Compiled in conjunction with the Seven Deadly Sins, whereas 
the Deadly Sins guarantee a one-way trip to Hell the Heavenly Virtues 
guarantee you a place in Heaven. Note that Love has been replaced 
here by Charity due to a bit of confusion over the translation of the 
word `caritas'.

The Seven Contrary Virtues: Humility, Kindness, Abstinence, Chastity, 
Patience, Liberality, Diligence. Compiled at a later date, the direct 
opposites of the Seven Deadly Sins, practising these virtues is 
supposed to protect you from the temptations of their opposite sins: 
Humility from Pride, Kindness from Envy, Abstinence from Gluttony, 
Chastity from Lust, Patience from Wrath, Liberality from Greed, 
Diligence from Sloth.

Now I'm convinced that each Harry Potter book has one of the Seven 
Heavenly Virtues as its main theme. After struggling with this virtue 
for most of the book Harry then shows to have truly mastered this 
virtue at the end of the book:

Book 1: Temperance (also associated with: moderation, restraint, self-
mastery, frugality, sobriety)
Vs. desire. 
At the start of the book Harry succumbs to desire when he buys one of 
everything from the witch pushing the food trolley. Harry again 
succumbs to desire when he discovers the Mirror of Erised and how it 
shows his parents and the rest of his family, and it is only with 
great difficulty that Harry then eventually is able to keep from 
looking for the mirror again. Harry then finally conquers his desires 
and shows true temperance when he is able to get the Philosopher's 
Stone out of the Mirror of Erised.  

Book 2: Faith (also associated with: belief, trust, fidelity, 
loyalty, conviction)
Vs. doubt
At the start of the book Harry doubts his friends and whether he 
really belongs in the wizarding world. And when Harry finds out he 
can speak Parseltongue he has doubts about being the heir of 
Slytherin and whether or not he belongs in Griffindor. Harry then 
finally conquers his doubts and shows true faith when he proclaims in 
the Chamber of Secrets that Dumbledore has not completely left 
Hogwarts. 

Book 3: Justice (also associated with: impartiality, fairness, 
equity, rightness, dispassion)
Vs. wrath
At the start of the book Harry is not able to control his wrath when 
aunt Marge makes derogatory remarks about Harry's parents. And Harry 
again feels wrath when he finds out that it was Sirius who betrayed 
his parents, but when Harry then gets a chance to avenge his parents' 
deaths in the Shrieking Shack he doesn't do anything. Harry then 
finally conquers his wrath and shows true justice when he stands up 
for Peter Pettigrew.   

Book 4: Fortitude (also associated with: strength, courage, 
endurance, resoluteness)
Vs. irresoluteness
At the start of the book Harry is irresolute when he succumbs to the 
influences of the Veela at the Quidditch World Cup. Harry again is 
irresolute when he fails to learn to summoning charm and keeps 
putting of work on the second task. Harry then finally conquers his 
irresoluteness and shows true fortitude when his wand connects with 
Voldemort's wand and he is able to hold on and drive the beads of 
light back towards Voldemort. 

Book 5: Hope (also associated with: desire, belief, reliance, 
expectation)
Vs. disillusionment
At the start of the book Harry is disillusioned by the lack of news 
in his friends' letters and the Daily Prophet. And Harry has to deal 
with more disillusionment when it turns out that Hogwarts is not save 
from the influences of the outside world, and when Dumbledore is 
suddenly a lot less open and fatherly towards Harry. On top of this 
Harry also finds out that his role as the hero who neatly solves 
everything isn't always that simple. Harry then finally conquers his 
disillusionment and shows true hope when he thinks of being with 
Sirius as Voldemort possesses and tries to kill him in the MoM. 

Book 6: Prudence (also associated with wisdom, vigilance, 
carefulness, thoughtfulness, discretion)
Vs. rashness/stupidity
Be prepared for Harry to act rash and stupidly for a large part of 
HBP, only to redeem himself at the very end of the book where he will 
show true prudence, presumably while fighting with Voldemort. 

Book 7: Charity/Love (also associated with: generosity, benevolence, 
helpfulness, mercy)
Vs. selfishness/hate. 
Be prepared for Harry to act selfish for a large part of the book, 
only to redeem himself at the very end of the book where he will show 
true charity by either being merciful towards Voldemort or by 
sacrificing himself for the good of the wizarding world. 

I personally think though that JKR might go with the original meaning 
of the word: love. In which case, be prepared for Harry to be filled 
with hate for a large part of the book, only to redeem himself at the 
very end of the book where he will show true love. As it says in the 
New Testament: 

"And now for these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the 
greatest of these is love." – First Corinthians, Chapter 13. 

While I'm at it, might I also suggest a different name for the 
theory: MAGIC TUMBLE DRYER - Meticulous Analysis Generates 
Interesting Conclusion: Themes Underlying Magical Books Lead Evil 
Doing Readers to Yield to Ecclesiastic Righteousness. 

Not the first magic household appliance to grace to shores of TBAY I 
believe. It doesn't float too well, but on the other hand it does dry 
your clothes.  

-Maus


If you actually belief the KITTENS & RAINBOWS theory, the part of 
Voldemort inside Harry will have experienced each of these virtues by 
the end of the seventh book, and experiencing these virtues - in 
particular the virtue of love - will then be what makes the part of 
Voldemort inside Harry truly alive again. And thereby also what 
eventually makes Voldemort truly alive again. The fact that the 
Heavenly Virtues were intended as a way to ensure your place in 
heaven could also be interpreted as supporting evidence that Harry at 
the end of the seventh book will exchange the temporary for the 
eternal.

Come to the KITTENS & RAINBOWS website: 
http://home.hccnet.nl/p.s.dekker/HPtheory.html