But DID James listen? (was LID!Snape rides again )

[Renee]

No: HPFGUIDX 150057

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sherry Gomes" <sherriola at ...>
wrote:
>
> Sue:
> 
> Well, I don't know about negative, but the only time we see her in
her teens
> she is telling off James for bullying and we know she grew up into a
decent
> woman - and her former potions teacher, if you recall, remembers her
fondly
> as likeably cheeky and feels she would have made a good Slytherin.
> :-)Definitely no saint! She just did what a mother does to protect her
> child. Heroic, but not saintly.
> 
> 
> 
> Sherry now:
> 
> Oh, absolutely, I agree with you.  But JKR seems to have done her
best to
> demolish every single father figure in the story, while keeping the
mothers
> pure and perfect.  Except for Tom's mother of course.  Having grown
up with
> my father who did his best to give me a great life, and not missing my
> mother at all, who didn't want me because of my disabilities, I get
> irritated at the cliché of bad father and holy mother.  I do agree
that Lily
> did what any *parent* would have done.  And I'm sure she was a great
girl
> and would have been fun to know, through the books.  But she becomes
this
> symbol of pure perfection somehow, and I'd just like to see her have
a few
> flaws, to make her more human and believable.
> 
> sherry
>


Renee:
In the language of symbols, the lily stands for purity and perfection,
and in some Catholic prayers, the Virgin Mary is called a "pure lily".
If Harry is a type of Christ (as has been argued on this list
occasionally), it stands to reason that his mother symbolises Mary. In
which case Lily is meant to be as perfect as she comes across in the
Harry Potter series. Given JKR's predilection for symbolical names,
that of Harry's mother is probably no coincidence.

Renee