Political positions of the characters/James reacting to Remus' lycanthropy.

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 150390

> Valky:
> > I don't think James really did know much about the Dark Arts, he 
was
> > too prejudiced against them, is my guess, and gave them a really 
> wide
> > berth. While OTOH I believe its possible that Snape was very like
> > James in his own way, brave in his own way in delving into the 
Dark
> > Arts to understand them, going where angels fear to tread, I 
think
> > Severus was a political boy too.
> 
> Ceridwen:  I don't think any of them could have avoided being 
> political.  I wonder if there was a generational element 
involved.  
> There seems to be, with Sirius differing with his parents over LV 
and 
> Pureblood Supremacy, but there may also be one with James and 
Snape 
> as well.  I don't think I recall anyone suggesting that James goes 
> against his parents' philosophy, while everyone knows, from canon, 
> that Sirius does.  People also, at least from what I've read, 
think 
> that Snape, like James, upholds his family's viewpoint.  There's 
some 
> evidence in canon that the Potters did have the same, or nearly 
the 
> same, values as James, with Sirius staying at their house.  But, 
> Sirius couldn't have been the only rebel in that year at Hogwarts, 
> could he?

Alla:

Not me, Valky. I absolutely think that they WERE political and could 
not avoid being such with Voldemort already recruiting outside 
Hogwarts ( I speculated that Voldemort may have looked for the 
recruits inside Hogwarts too, but even if he was not, but waited 
till kids graduate, kids don't function in the vacuum and they were 
IMO forced to take sides)


But I have actually a bit more to say than just " me too" ( Alla 
tries to put her train of thought on constructive track).

The best example of the idea that kids could be political at the 
early age to me was always twelve year old Ron knowing full well how 
bad the word "mudblood" is, when he explains it to Harry in CoS.

Now, I am not saying that Ron has fully formed stance in the Light v 
Dark struggle, but at twelve he already has SOME kind of position, 
he knows that people who use this word are wrong, big time.

He still has to work on some issues of course, but I maintain that 
at twelve he IS political, therefore it is very reasonable to think 
that at fifteen /sixteen Sirius and James indeed were even more 
political and Sirius leaving his family house maintains that as 
well, IMO.


Ceridwen, could you clarify a bit, please? Are you suggesting that 
James and Snape also clashed with their parents over their 
worldviews?

I am not sure I can see any signs of this in canon as to James.

I mean, always hated Dark Arts seems to me as something that his 
parents would have taught him, especially since as you said they 
took Sirius in.

As to Snape rebelling, well since we are still fuzzy on the 
biographical details of his life, I guess it is possible, but what 
was he rebelling about to his parents? Speculate? :)

> Sherry now:
<SNIP>
The fact that James and Sirius joke
> with Remus about being a werewolf, even to the point that they do 
call it a
> furry little problem, seems to me a mark of their friendship.  
They show
> they truly accept him, just as he is by being able to joke about 
it.  Things
> like that show me the strength of the bond between those 
marauders, not an
> arrogant or inconsiderate James or Sirius.


Alla:

To me what fully supports your argument, Sherry, is the way Remus 
remembers this remark. He brings it up in order once again 
compliment how Harry reacts to his lycanthropy and Remus LIKES how 
Harry reacts to his lycanthropy.

I thought that was  clear that Remus remembers fondly how James 
reacted to his lycanthropy too.

I thought it was another very touching moment and that brought 
James' very positive quality to light in a very gentle way, so to 
speak.

"But you are normal!" said Harry fiercely,"You've just got a --- 
problem---"
Lupin burst out laughing. "Sometimes you remind me a lot of James. 
He called it my "furry little problem" in company. Many people were 
under impression that I owned a badly behaved rabbit" - HBP, p.335.

LOVE this quote, absolutely love it.

JMO,

Alla