Harry's story - Comparison to LoTR and Star Wars

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 141740

Hickengruendler:

Over the last weeks lupinlore and some other posters regularly 
pointed out, that Snape being a super-spy would take away from the 
fact, that the books are about Harry's journey, and would make Harry 
to unimportant for the eventual outcome. I first answered, that as 
long as Harry does the big deeds, it's very well possible (and of 
course highly likely, the real question here if Snape is among them) 
that others will help, too.


Spoilers for Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are following













  
I have to argue against my own words now giving examples from LoTR 
and Star Wars. In LoTR Luke Skywalker was the hero. But he was not 
the one, who killed Darth Vader or the Emperor in the end. Instead DV 
redeemed himself and sarcificed himself, while killing the Emperor. 
One could argue, that especially with the second series of (IMO 
rather horrible) films Darth Vader became the main character of the 
Star Wars saga, but he certainly wasn't during the original trilogy. 
And yet Luke's role as the hero wasn't undermined (IMO, of course), 
because it was him, who got through Darth Vader and basically helped 
redeeming him.

Similarly, in LoTR it were Gollum's actions, who led to the Happy-
End, while Frodo failed fighting the ring. Gollum, other than Darth 
Vader, didn't really redeem himself, but it was one of his actions 
that led to the triumph of good. And still it doesn't undermine what 
Frodo did (again, IMO of course), because he and Sam made it to Mount 
Doom, which was a heroic deed quite in it's own right, and because it 
ws Frodo's decision to spare Gollum, that made the victory even 
possible in the end.

Of course most of you know this already (I assume), I just wanted to 
post this again, because it is not true, that an ending were the Bad 
Guy dies by someone else than the hero undermines the hero's journey 
or makes for an unsatisfactory end. Frodo failed and Luke needed to 
be saved, and yet LoTR and Star Wars are probably the two most known 
and liked hero journeys from the last fifty years (other than Harry 
Potter).

Which brings us back to Snape, and if he might play a role similarly 
to Darth Vader and Gollum. If he is ESE or OFH it is of course 
possible, if Harry doesn't act as eggplant adviced him to do and as 
he plans to do, and shows mercy to Snape at some point in book 7. But 
a Dumbledore's Man Snape makes it rather unlikely, since both Gollum 
and Darth Vader got in a position to help by one of the hero's 
decisions (trying to get through his father, not killing Gollum), 
while DDM Snape would be in that position, because of Dumbledore's 
decision (though I have to add that destroying all the horcruxes on 
their own, would probably be quite a heroic quest for Harry anyway). 
Since I'm a believer in DDM Snape, I stand by my opinion, that he 
will somehow help Harry, but not be too directly involved in 
Voldemort's downfall (except that everyone, who helps, is somehow 
involved). 

Therefore the likeliest candidate to have the Gollum/DV role is IMO 
Wormtail. Harry has already shown mercy to him, which according to 
the epitom of goodness in the series was, despite it's direct 
consequences, a noble thing to do. Wormtail has still that life-debt 
that needed to be paid back, and JKR hinted in an interview after 
HBP, that it will. Personally, I think he will have the Gollum role, 
that his selfish motivated reasons are the clue for the victory of 
the good side. So far, he hasn't shown any redeeming qualities, but 
then, neither did Darth Vader before the climax of "Return of the 
Jedi", therefore I won't totally rule out a real redemption. It would 
also make sense, that "the Potter the Dark Lord knows not" will be 
his downfall, since it is Harry's empathy, therefore a sort of love, 
that will save him in the end.

Hickengruendler, who is aware that those ideas aren't new at all, but 
wanted to mention them again, mostly to remind everybody that just 
because a hero doesn't do the killing in the end, his storyline won't 
necessary be undermined