HP and Moral Choices

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 176079

> Sharon:
> What do you reckon?  Have you ever heard of another character in
> history or literature who puts himself in danger to save someone who's
> trying to kill him?  

zgirnius:
I would point out that Dumbledore's actions vis-a-vis Draco in HBP have 
a similar flavor, so Harry's action is not even unique to him in HP. 
Arguably Snape does the same for Harry in "The Flight of the Prince" 
(he does save him from torture), though that is complicated by the fact 
that Snape knows they are on the same side and has a personal 
connection to Harry, so his motive is not a hero-to-villain one.

However, it does seem to me not unusual hero behavior. I could swear I 
have seen several Hollywood movies in which the hero and villain battle 
it out in some unlikely and visually spectacular dangerous location (a 
high cliff, top of a skyscraper, etc.) but then the villain loses and 
is about to fall off, and the hero offers him/her a hand up. Sometimes 
the villain is so dastardly that s/he tries to kill the hero in this 
moment, and the hero is forced to let the villain fall to his/her amply 
merited death, but the gesture is genuinely made. I can't dredge up any 
names at the moment (must have been really memorable...), other 
than "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (the villainess's greed is 
her undoing, there, and she falls to her death, but the example is not 
the best because she has some redeeming traits, good looks, and a prior 
sexual relationship with the hero.)