Compassionate hero (WAS Re: Appeal of the story to the reader)

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 175963

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sistermagpie"
<sistermagpie at ...> wrote:

<snip>

> Magpie:
> That's interesting because that's not really what I got reading the 
> book. I mean, I see it now that you say it, but to me it seems like 
> racism (in the extreme form of the DEs) is presented as socially 
> unacceptable quite often. It's only acceptable in the subculture of 
> Slytherin. The good guys have social power in the books, and they 
> find it vulgar. They are not racists themselves (many readers find 
> them bigoted, but it seems like the text says they aren't). 

There's Fudge, as well (comments Dumbledore makes about his valuation
of blood, and comments Molly makes about those who have an interest in
Muggle things being passed over), although, to be slightly snide, I
can already see how those references can and will easily be tossed
onto the "token reference/JKR is trying but doesn't convince me that
it's really a problem/etc." barge.

The good guys have a certain amount of social power, but it's
certainly not unquestioned, given the ongoing conflict with the
Ministry, and Lucius Malfoy on the Board of Governors; it takes his
own spectacular incompetent idiocy (threatening other members) to get
himself removed.

> Hogwarts puts up a far greater resistance than the WW as a whole, it 
> seems. And Hogwarts is what we see.

Agree that the focus on Hogwarts does lessen the impact that a view of
society-at-large might have given us.  I think that's why it's
important to take every reference that we're given to the larger
outside world as important, since it's most of what we've got.

-Nora sighs as it starts to rain and goes to play in the mud(d)