[HPforGrownups] What is poetic justice? WAS: Re: Snape-the Hero -- Snape-the Abuser

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 143328

> Valky now:
> In short I think JKR means us to measure Fred and Georges attack on
> Montague as proportionate to Fred and Georges suffering - being kicked
> when they were clearly down. Sure I agree with you that in hindsight
> it's a bit harsh that they put Montague in hospital, certainly not
> perfect retribution for what he had done but OTOH I insist it is wrong
> to measure it that way, for Fred and George it was their fight against
> a contingent of the army of their oppressor, it's unfair to paint them
> as the 'bully' here given that in the context of the book they were
> the underdog rebels with their face in the dirt. They were fighting
> back, not standing over.


Magpie:

Ironically, they received "poetic justice" for that act in the next book, 
when it turned out that trip into limbo is what got DEs into Hogwarts, along 
with a werewolf who permenantly disfigured their brother--oops!

Honestly, I really hope JKR isn't judging everybody this way on this cosmic 
scale, because this just seems like...well, this sounds more like the way 
Snape sees the world.  The way I read the books, sometimes things just 
happen, and nobody beating up on or tormenting or bullying somebody else is 
ever karmic or poetic anything.  Maybe we enjoy some tormenting better than 
others, but I'm never going to see somebody enjoying hurting somebody else 
as nobly administering justice.   Though I'm sure that's exactly what James 
thought it was when he was turning Snape upsidedown, and what many would see 
that scene as if we'd been reading about the MWPP era.

-m

-m