Perfect Lily (Re: But DID James listen?)

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 150068

> 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.

Alla:

Yes,absolutely. I want to see SOME flaw in Lily's character. 
Anything, please, JKR? No, I don't need her to have particularly 
horrible flaw since as Rebecca said downthread there are indeed 
genuinely good people in RL, but I am yet to meet perfect people in 
RL and so far Lily seems to be such to me.

But  the thing that I find the most bothersome in as you said 
Sherry " bad father/holly mother" cliche is JKR differentiating 
between James's sacrifice and Lily's sacrifice in her July 2005 
interview.

I mean, really, father's sacrifice for his child and wife somehow 
counts less than mother's sacrifice? Why is that? Now, maybe I 
misunderstood that part of JKR's interview, but I have not bothered 
to reread that part since it left a very unpleasant  feeling in me.


 
> Jen R., thinking it unlikely any of JKR's characters are going to 
get 
> out of the story unscathed and perfect, though Lily appears to be 
the 
> last hold-out at the moment.
>

Alla:

She does appear to be such, doesn't she, Jen? I so hope the picture 
will change in book 7. I also agree with your whole post and would 
love for that to be true.

JMO,
Alla