The Ton-Tongue Toffee Incident---my own thoughts

[Marilyn Peake]

No: HPFGUIDX 140948


"ericoppen" wrote:
>
>> The same sort of thing could be said about the Ton-Tongue Toffee 
> Incident.  The twins probably have almost _no_ exposure to Muggles, 
> and no idea of how terrifying they might find even simple magic, or 
> how difficult it can be to heal without magic.
> 
>> In other words, they have a very different perspective on what is 
> dangerous and what isn't---and, in their world, a Ton-Tongue Toffee 
> is No Big Deal.

Marilyn Peake responds:
I feel that that underlies so much of the "gray area" behavior of the 
main characters, including Harry.  When Harry delights in others 
being treated unfairly, it's usually about things that can be easily 
fixed by magic.  Even before Harry truly understands how magic works, 
e.g. when Hagrid gives Dudley a pig's tail, there's an understanding 
on the reader's part that what can be produced by magic can probably 
be undone.  In addition to that, there's an understanding that this 
all takes place within a book series; and, in such a place, "poetic 
justice" is quite appropriate and can be safely appreciated.

Cheers,
Marilyn
http://www.marilynpeake.com

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