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

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 175982

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "horridporrid03"
<horridporrid03 at ...> wrote:

<snipping>

> We're also told, several times in fact, that the only reason 
> Dumbledore is not the Minister of Magic is because he's *chosen* not 
> to be.  A fact I think we're supposed to admire him for, oddly 
> enough, though I don't.  Since he's chosen to do nothing about it, 
> it's rather rich of Dumbledore to sling stones at his society's 
> short-comings.  If he really wanted the attitude towards Muggleborns 
> to change maybe he should have taken a look at the actions of 
> various Muggles throughout history and followed their example.

Institutional change, as noted upthread, is a tricky and delicate
action; while it's true that individual crusaders within institutions
(be they governments or private organizations) often spark profound
changes, they usually only stick when there's enough social support to
keep the changes in force.  When there's not, things revert, like
forced conversions during European wars of religion.  Kingman Brewster
pushed through unpopular ideas like making Yale College
co-educational, but he could only do so because there was enough of a
sea change in opinion at large to do so.

This could be only my reading, but I think it's taken the trauma of
Voldemort to really open up wizarding society to the "Hey, maybe this
really isn't right" realizations and have them sink in and stick, much
like how in the real world, significant traumas have helped eradicate
or at least diminish the acceptability of many worldviews.  Is it more
admirable to stay in a smaller position where you can try to do some
good, or go on a crusade and lose your chairmanship?  The more
effective politician does the former, although opening himself up to
charges of inconsistency.  (The classic phrase "Cheap whore!"  "Not
cheap..." comes to mind; apologies if I've offended any sensibilities.)

I was actually somewhat cheered to see the lack of the usual epilogue
to epic fantasy, where you find out that elves are no longer so
snobbish, women are now free, and mages no longer persecuted.  But
then I also seem not to have read the book anywhere near as
didactically as the readings of some others come across to me; YMMV.

-Nora refuses to go back out in this weather