JKR dealing with Moral Issues (was Re: Hogwarts detentions)

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 162657

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...> 
wrote:

> 
> I'm not sure what JKR's point is here, perhaps that punishment is
> different from discipline, which actually teaches a lesson. And that
> seems to be the same point she's making with the bullies--no matter
> how often you hex them, they don't learn their lesson.
> 
Well, that raises a dangerous assumption, which is that JKR has a 
point at all on most occasions.  Frankly, I rather doubt she does.  
True, it would be much better if she did -- it would help her avoid 
putting her foot solidly in her mouth on many occasions and certainly 
would help avoid putting her hands on any number of moral tar 
babies.  But frankly, I don't think she's thinking of any of that 
most of the time --because, as phoenixgod and others have pointed 
out, those types of things don't figure into her outlines.

JKR's interviews are the source of much of her trouble, and she 
really would be better off to think before opening her mouth.  But 
they do give insight onto several things -- including how she means 
certain characters and situations to come off, even if all too often 
they don't come across the way she wants them to.  

Thus, on a matter of meta-punishment, JKR seemed genuinely astonished 
that anyone would think Harry is going to die -- i.e. "Harry's 
suffered enough..."  I also think she is genuinely baffled and 
astonished at the moral problems many people have with the books from 
any number of angles.  I just don't think she thinks that deeply or 
that thoroughly, and when she does deal with such issues it's when 
she's forced to do so by things blowing up in her face (i.e. the 
infamous OOTP!Dumbledore speech).

So, we may see something dealing with all these various issues 
(Dumbledore's policies, Snape's abuse of Harry, the Dursleys, the 
Trio's methods, etc.).  I wouldn't be at all surprised if all of 
these things don't get a (very) brief nod.  I wouldn't even be 
terribly surprised if all sides come down about evenly (dis)
satisfied.  But I strongly suspect it will be in much the same vein 
as we saw in HBP -- a paragraph here and a scene there, often put in 
for the obvious purpose of quelling a fire, answering a popular 
quandary, or throwing out fan-favorite plot developments as 
afterthoughts (Remus/Tonks, anyone?).


Lupinlore, who suspects that the last book will complete the utter 
trainwreck begun in OOTP, but who thinks the blood may spatter in 
amusing patterns