A few green shots

[Nikolaj P P]

No: HPFGUIDX 174848

I have only occasionally skimmed posts on this (excellent) list -
usually just after finishing yet another HP book :) - so I am not a
regular writer here - not even a regular lurker :)
Couldn't help adding a quick reply, though:

> Geoff:
> Well, I can only apologise. I had no intention of stopping anyone
talking 
> about problems. I was trying - and still am - to persuade people to
stand 
> back and take a wider look and see if there are any green shoots to 
> encourage you that it's not all desert.

The calm patience and ability to keep the discussion at a 'sober'
level here is quite remarkable ()

A shot on a few green shots:  :)

- the idea on conquering death by accepting it - HP has moved from a
'regular' (although great and very catchy) 'good-vs-evil'-story, to a
story presenting views of more 'depth' to a huge audience (imho, the
issue of death is a major 'drawback' of the modern/western world view,
so it is definitely worth a thought)

- the idea that 'love'/'compassion' protects Harry, but the opposite
brings Voldemort down. Again a quite interesting view, and, it could
be argued, true in a certain sense, in that the later (trying to force
other to do ones bidding, with no compassion etc.) will result in a
negative reaction from those affected, while the former (often) will
result in a positive reaction (on a larger scale, history can be seen
as one long struggle for power between kings, empires, states etc.
Only with a different attitude against the enemy/the defeated (e.g.
after World War I, but more explicit and successful after World War
II) have thing improved significantly. On a smaller scale, something
similar could be argued, although this is of course a subjective view)

- 'pity (...) above all those who live without love" (DH, GB-edition,
p. 578) - they are the true losers in the hunt for happiness. So don't
hate them. Also, e.g. Snape (and Voldemort?) has lived without
receiving much love, and this could be a probable factor in their
(more (Vold.) or less (Snape)) non-loving behavior. Voldemort is
incapable of feeling love, therefore he must act like he does. He
simply doesn't have the ability of compassion (unless perhaps in a
slight way for his lieutenant), and he wants power/fears death. Thus,
how can he act differently from how he does (since he truly feels no
compassion for his victims, there is simply no reason for him to act
'good'), when his character is as it is. Therefore he is forced to
live in the tough, 'non-loving' 'version' of the world, thus no need
to hate him, but rather pity him. This may seem rather deterministic,
and lack of free choice, but to some extend that is how I see the
characters. Some of them have a choice (e.g. Ron, Snape), but the most
'extreme' in either end of the spectrum, Harry and Voldemort, can't
act against their true inner self, and are thus forced to act as they do.

Of course, the above is only one view at things, but imho the greenest
shots of HP (besides the 'catchy' universe and complex story) are
those moral aspects, which are presented to a huge audience, who might
otherwise doesn't care much for or think about such aspects of life.

Regards
Nikolaj