Appeal of the story to the reader WAS: Re: Of Sorting and Snape

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 175591

Alla wrote:
 
> This story appeals to me as a story of good triumphing over evil and
enormous courage good had to display for that.
> 
> This story appeals to me as a story of sacrifice, remorse, redemption.
> 
> This story appeals to me as the story of one of the most touching 
friendships I had **ever** read in literature.
> 
> This story appeals to me as for the most part well done "Love will 
save the world".
> 
> This story appeals to me as story, which does not go for redemption
 of all evil, because just as in RL I do not find all evil to be 
redeemable.
> 
> This story appeals to me on so many levels, but appeals to the
**mean in readers**?
> 
> Eh, NO, not for this reader.

Carol responds:
Nor for this one. I'll concede that I don't like certain elements in
the books, notably Hermione's penchant for revenge and JKR's apparent
confusion over the concept of Unforgiveable Curses, but I see almost
exactly the same things you do in DH: the power of sacrificial love,
the importance of friendship and, I would add, teamwork (which Harry
learns belatedly and DD, perhaps, not till after his death),
redemption and forgiveness, a distinction between forgiveable and
unforgiveable evil, with remorse being the key.

The Malfoys, isolated in the common room, are left with only
themselves, chastened and indifferent to the fate of Voldemort. Lucius
is still as slippery as ever, I'm sure, but Narcissa has done what is
probably the first good deed of her life for love of her son, lying to
the Dark Lord (admittedly, not looking into his eyes but still defying
him). I like the idea of the Grey!Malfoys, not as evil as they, or we,
thought they were, but aren't wholly good or brave or altruistic,
either. That they don't become full-fledged heroes but don't fight in
the battle (and consequently survive) is a nice little ironic touch
and realistic as well. DH Draco, learning what it's like to be a DE
(and seeing his father humiliated and wandless) is a different person
from the Draco of the earlier books, who worshipped Lucius and thought
he could do whatever he wanted with impunity through influence, money,
and threats. I'm quite sure Draco is a better person as the result of
his suffering and observations in HBP and DH, if not quite worthy of
naming your son after. <wink> I see nothing "mean-spirited" in the
Malfoy's fate or in having Harry and Draco curtly acknowledge each
other in the epilogue. Certainly, it was not "mean-spirited" of Harry
to save Draco or Draco to save Goyle. I count Draco, and perhaps
Narcissa, as semi-redeemed characters. (Lucius gets his comeuppance.
Whether he learns anything from it, we don't know.)

And look at all the fully redeemed characters, Snape, of course, at
the top of the list. Dudley acknowledges that Harry is not "a waste of
space" and sees him as part of the family, wondering why he's not
going into hiding with them and grateful for having his "life" saved.
Kreacher becomes an over-aged Boy Scout (clean, brave, obedient to
Harry, and reverent toward Master Regulus, defender of house-elves)
through kindness and understanding. Regulus, a DE and pure-blood
supremacist, performs the most heroic and horrifying self-sacrifice in
the book to avenge a house-elf and help to bring down Voldemort.
Slughorn overcomes his cowardice and joins the battle. Even Phineas
Nigellus, admittedly a portrait, helps the good side and accepts
Snape's correction when he calls Hermione a "Mudblood." Percy
acknowledges that he's been a "Ministry-loving, family disowning,
power-hungry moron" and Fred and George, the parsnip-flingers, extend
the hand of forgiveness. And Percy mourns Fred, who had previously
been so unforgiving and at last understands and appreciates him. (Side
note: I love the brief reference to Percy in the epilogue talking
about broomstick regulations. He's still a rule-loving Ministry
employee, but he's on the right side again, on good terms with his
family, and able, I hope, to accept George's teasing at family
gatherings with good grace.)

Love. Redemption. Forgiveness. Andd, I forgot to mention, Family.
That's what it's all about, at least to me and to some other readers.
(Alla, so nice to see you on the same side of the fence even if we
don't agree on all counts!) That Yaxley and Bellatrix and Umbridge and
Fenrir Greyback and Voldemort don't repent and share in the
forgiveness is only to be expected. That Umbridge is "only" sent to
Azkaban rather than dying in battle is also to be expected. She's a
manipulator and a thoroughly corrupt bureaucrat, not a warrior. She'd
have been trounced in battle. Though I would have loved, come to think
of it, to see her hit in the head with one of Trelawney's crystal balls.

It was, IMO, a foregone conclusion that HRH would survive, but for the
book to feel real, some good characters have to die--and some bad ones
have to survive (otherwise, there would be no need for Aurors).

Harry saves the WW from Voldemort, but he doesn't do it alone. There's
more teamwork in this book (not only HRH but Severus Snape and
Portrait!DD behind the scenes and the Order doing whatever it can to
protect the innocent and keep the public informed) than we've seen in
any other book, and the DA comes through brilliantly in the end,
especially Neville with his vegetable warfare and the Sword of Gryffindor.

I think, too, that the books celebrate hope and faith, with the
immortality of the soul as an essential element of JKR's vision.

DH is a flawed book, with many inconsistencies and plot holes and
occasional improbabilities, not to mention good guys doing things that
some of us would rather they didn't do, but it also has its moments of
beauty and power, of laughter and despair, of joy and anguish, and it
deals with important philosophical questions (love, death, the soul,
redemption, sacrifice, the "greater good" vs. the individual, truth,
etc.) without attempting to answer the unanswerable.

To call the books or JKR "mean-spirited" is, I think, a mistake. To
extend that epithet to those of us who love them, flaws and all, is I
think, a grave injustice.

Carol, who forgot to include "enormous courage" in her list of the
virtues that DH celebrates but thinks that one is a given, whether
we're speaking of HRH or Neville or Regulus or Severus Snape, who is
"porbably the bravest man" that Harry has ever known