[HPforGrownups] Emtional satisfaction and traitors was Re: ACID POPS and Tee

[fair wynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 157702

> > > Sydney:
> > >
> > > Actually, I do think Pippin is wasting her time with ESE Lupin,
> > > because I think there's a reason so few people hold that theory.
> > > Because it's not emotionally satisfying.  If it WAS emotionally
> > > satisfying, there would be a lot more people on that bandwagon.
> > >

wynnleaf
What exactly do you mean by emotionally satisfying?

My impression, having read people's thoughts here and also introduced the 
theory on the Lexicon Forum, is that people like Lupin so much that the 
reaction is basically, "oh no!  It *can't* be!"  JKR's big challenge, if she 
were to make Lupin a traitor, would be to make the readers satisfied with 
discovering his treachery and not feel betrayed.  But let's not pretend 
that's totally impossible.  After all, I think most readers liked the 
fake/Moody of GOF, up until we suddenly discovered he was evil.  But once we 
knew he was evil, we could see how his actions toward Harry -- as supportive 
and mentoring as they had appeared at first -- were really for ulterior 
nasty motives.  All of the sudden, we readers were perfectly okay with 
Crouch/Moody as the villian.

If JKR has Lupin as a villian, she'd probably show us ways in which his nice 
and supportive demeanor was a sham.  Or she'd show us perhaps that in spite 
of truly caring for members of the Order, he was conflicted with an equal 
loyalty to friends among the werewolves.

Don't forget, she showed us Lupin effectively betraying the trust of 
Dumbledore, the staff, and the students already.  He was sorry and we 
forgave him.  But suppose she showed us Lupin once again betraying the trust 
given him -- only this time he wasn't fortunate enough to discover that the 
evil one who he betrayed trust in order to help was really a good guy, but 
was evil after all.  In other words, regardless how much we liked Lupin in 
POA, what would we have thought of him if he'd been protecting Pettigrew 
instead?  See what I mean?  JKR *can* change the reader's viewpoint.  It 
might be difficult, especially after the POA film.  She kept Lupin somewhat 
in the forefront in OOTP and HBP, but he doesn't have a great deal of time 
in either, nor does the character go through much development.  He remains 
much the same, other than the addition of the Tonks relationship which has 
not yet been fleshed out.

So while the idea of Lupin as traitor may seem unsatisfying prior to Book 7, 
it's entirely possible that JKR could turn that around in the last book, 
prior to making any big revelations.

wynnleaf

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