Traitors, friends, loyalty and betrayal (was Evil Hermione) long
puduhepa98 at aol.com
puduhepa98 at aol.com
Sun Jul 9 15:30:08 UTC 2006
No: HPFGUIDX 155115
Lanval:
See, I thought that the concept of betrayal is a huge one in the
book, and it seems to be important in a personal sense to the author.
Marietta as a character was not of exceptional importance; the
concept of betrayal was.
Of course this opens up so many other questions, some of which have
already been brought up. What about Peter's betrayal? What about
Snape betraying LV (or DD?), what about R.A.B.?
<big big snip>
Nikkalmati:
Lanval touched on the central question regarding Marietta and Hermione. Two
virtues appear to be paramount in Potterverse: courage and loyalty. The
Marietta incident is just one example of betrayal found throughout the books and
I think it has to be seen in conjunction with all the other incidents.
The books begin with a huge act of betrayal by Pettigrew for the base motive
of saving his own skin, thus, an act against both courage and loyalty.
Sirius is the opposite character in this scenario, displaying both courage and
loyalty ( he advised Pettigrew he would have died rather than betray the
Potters and he broke out of Azkaban when he realized Harry was in danger, for
example).
In the WW one's word or the signing of a contract is a significant act often
with serious and unforeseen consequences. Characters are bound, sometimes
unwittingly, but they are expected to be faithful, nevertheless. Think of the
Unbreakable Vow, the DADA curse, the life debt, for example. Commitment to
LV is shown by a permanent mark. The characters are tied together by various
binds of honor and tradition. There is family loyalty, broken by Percy and
dishonored by Petunia (both of whom IMHO will return to the fold eventually
and honor their commitments). There is also Draco's family loyalty and the
Weasleys strong ties. There is loyalty to the school and more narrowly to one's
House. (In the end the students and faculty will have to come together as
per the Sorting Hat to defeat LV.) The house elves are loyal to the family
they are bound to (Winkey); Dobby has to punish himself for every act of
disloyalty to the Malfoys and displays strong loyalty to Harry, even after he is
free. There is Snape in the middle - either deeply loyal or completely
without any commitment, except to himself. Oh yes, all Snapes appear to be loyal
to the Malfoys. DD would trust Hagrid with his life. There is Harry's
loyalty to DD, acknowledged by Fawks in COS and by Harry himself to Scrimegore in
HBP. Someone said (and I tried to find who, I think I know but I don't want
to be wrong) that it would be better for Harry to be his own man, to say I
am loyal to DD, but I am my own man. I think that statement would be contrary
to the themes we see in the books. The aim of the good person is not
independence, but honoring one's connections, working with others, and remaining
faithful.
I also believe that it is made obvious which is the good side and that it
truly matters which side one is on. Thus, when Dobby betrays the Malfoys it
matters that he wants to help Harry (it is not to promote elf rights). When
Kreatcher betrays Harry, to whom he is bound, it matters that he is on the
wrong side. Firenze betrays the customs of his people, when he insists on
helping Harry and teaching at the school. (Showing that sometimes it is just as
wrong to sit on the sidelines). Some acts are inherently evil and cannot be
done in the pursuit of good. However, treachery has to be evaluated in its
context.
That said, in the Potterverse, treachery of any kind appears to be
punished, sometimes severely, regardless how the commitment was formed. Youth,
ignorance of the consequences or trickery do not seem to matter. RAB was punished.
Snape may yet be punished, not so much for being a surly SOB, but for making
a commitment to LV, which he broke or through breaking the UV (after all a
situation could arise in which he is forced to kill Draco himself) ?
Marietta is a traitor. Canon does not give us any good reason for her
betrayal and no one on the list has stated any reason why she did the right thing,
only that she "must have thought she was doing right." Since when is that a
good excuse? In Potterverse she should have known she was bound (even if
she did not know the exact consequences); she should have known that the
result of her act would be very serious for a group of students she knew (even if
she did not know the exact consequences); she did not take any intermediate
steps to solve her problem (if she had one). I do not think we are intended
to have any sympathy for her. The marks on her face are an example of
karmic justice. In other words, she did it to herself. I doubt Hermione feels
any responsibility. I also doubt the marks are permanent and they may go away
when Marietta shows she has learned her lesson. (Yes, I think Cho must have
told her what happened).
Nikkalmati (Please, understand these comments are meant for the context of
the books and do not necessarily represent my RL position).
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
More information about the HPforGrownups
archive