Nitwit? - Remus John Lupin

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 168069

> Neri:
> It's not a situation of being right twice a day. Had we seen Snape
> showing bigotry towards 24 werewolves, and in the end only two of them
> proved traitors, then you'd have a point. But this isn't the
> situation. The point is that if Lupin proves a traitor and Snape
> proves loyal, Snape will not be regarded as a stopped clock, he'll be
> regarded as a hero for being the one who has always warned us against
> Lupin (at least this is how I understood Ceridwen's point that I
> responded to). Being a hero *because* you're a bigot isn't a good
> message in a book. 

Pippin:
In the first place, Snape will never be the hero. Harry is the hero. 
Snape at best can only be an anti-hero. If HP were strictly for adults,
he might chainsmoke and be hostile to women. We would be 
expected to understand that the author's depiction of these things 
was by no means an endorsement, especially if the hostility was 
shown to be counter-productive -- if, for example, it resulted 
in a  criminal escaping justice for a while because the hero 
felt sorry for her.

Although of course such a story could end with the hero thinking
that the anti-hero was right and he was a chump to ever trust
a woman, it's more likely that the hero will show his hero chops
by resisting the temptation. 

 I think JKR presumes her all ages audiences will get it. 
And I do expect she'll show us enough of the
appalling conditions that werewolves experience to keep our
sympathies no matter what Lupin turns out to have done.

I  too see him as a tragic figure, but tragedy does not preclude
murder -- look at Othello. He too came under a bad influence
and it was that, not being black, that made him into a murderer.
He was weak --but that doesn't make the killing of Desdemona
less evil. Rowling's no Shakespeare, but I don't think she'd
have any trouble getting a message like that across. 

> 
> Neri:
> As a massage that might come out even worse. Lupin's betrayal as a
> result of him getting close to the other werewolves would brand the
> whole minority, not just Lupin the lone werewolf, as bad. Lupin the
> good person who betrays the good guys because of his weakness would
> suggest that werewolves can never be trusted, even when they are good
> people, because in the end their werewolf side would betray them.  
>

Pippin:
What I expect JKR to make crystal clear is that it's  the werewolves' 
*human* side that betrayed them. Being a werewolf has nothing 
to do with the reasons for their fall except that it exposed them 
to treatment that no human should have to endure. What would
be tragic to me is if Lupin could have been the voice that called
them back to reason, only he let himself be shut up because his
particular brand of  argument wasn't making much headway, and 
he feared losing their trust. And it gets worse, because once
evil *has* triumphed,  doing nothing is no longer an option. It's a 
lifetime of service or death.

Pippin
who would pick Lupin for teaching her children,  but 
would like Snape to watch their backs just in case.