[HPforGrownups] Re: What saved Harry?

[zehms at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 142819

 
Femmevitale writes:
So the parallel then is between Merope and Lily. Merope is a 
mother who chose (in LV's eyes) to be selfish and die instead of 
live for her son. Lily is a woman who chose to be selfless and 
die for her son instead of save her own life. It is the choices 
that their mothers made which make Harry and LV diametric 
opposites.


Szehms wrote:
Femmevitale,I would have to rule out LV giving Lily a choice to live for any reason based on compassion.  I think in HBP we saw that even as a child Riddle was never one to have any use for compassion, his narcissism was as prevelant early on in childhood as it is as an adult.
 
I did entertain the notion that LV, knowing his 'weak' mother chose to die rather than raise her own son, wanted to give Lily a choice.

Not out of kindness and compassion, but perhaps as a test, was Lily as weak as his own mother?  If given the choice wouldn't anyone rather save their own skin?  Perhaps he was authentically surprised that Lily would rather die than move aside saving her own life?

However, I think it is more likely that this 'choice' was based on nothing less than Voldemort's self-interests.  What those interests are I do not know, I do think that Snape could have had some sort of influence on Voldemort, somehow convincing LV that it was in LV's interests to let Harry's mother live.

I appreciate your response.

szehms  


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