Requiescat in Pace: Unforgivables.

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 174836

Katie:
> I continue to not understand why so many people expect that our 
> heroes should have guilt about killing or hurting these awful 
> people. It's not like they're hurting innocents. And I do not 
> believe that it says something about their lack of moral fiber...

Magpie:
Actually, I don't believe people are saying that Harry should feel 
*guilty* in the way you seem to mean it--thinking he was really 
wrong to do it. They said that they wanted a more nuanced 
exploration of this sort of thing. For instance, if Harry merely 
wondered about his own dark impulses in wanting to cause that kind 
of pain, or using that curse given the build-up he's had to it in 
his own life. Canon takes your view, that the only question is 
whether or not you're "hurting innocents" (innocents of course being 
proclaimed so by us/the heroes, and often being objectively *not* 
innocent because they're psychotic killers). If the person isn't 
innocent you don't need to feel anything. Maybe if the person isn't 
quite completely guilty you might feel a twinge of conscience in 
answer to that, but nothing too bad. There's still no connection 
between you and the other person, nothing to lead to any growth or 
change on your part. Just breaking some eggs to make that omlette.

As someone else said, it's basically the point of any action movie--
only action movies aren't 7 book bildugsromans that seem to be 
trying to say something more than that. I don't think people are 
saying Harry should feel guilty for torturing Carrow or Molly should 
feel guilty for killing Bellatrix, they just said the scenes were 
Hollywood cheer moments and so not much concerned with morality at 
all beyond the pleasure of knocking out a hate object. And Harry's 
world is filled with hate objects. He's never seriously challenged 
in this way at all.

This isn't executing Nazis after a trial or dropping bombs on Japan 
for strategic purposes. It's just gotcha moments that don't say much 
about anything except that these people are obviously guilty so it's 
satisfying having them taken out by the Good. There's other ways for 
Harry to wonder about his own actions than by feeling guilty. The 
fact that the only question is whether or not they're hurting people 
they consider innocents is what makes the morality of the books so 
easy. The Guilty pretty much walk around with a big G on their 
heads, but Harry until he's good and mad, and then he takes care of 
them, knowing that he fought evil. JKR says tolerance is the main 
message of the books, but she's put it in mostly just by making the 
bad guys virulent bigots.

-m