List of Chekhov's Guns, unanswered questions.

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 172012

> > Magpie:
> > This has never seemed like a gun to me--except as a
> > fanon theory. Many people don't remember things that 
> > happened to them at that age--
> > ...
> > 
> > ... we don't know that Neville was even present when
> > his parents were tortured. ... Personally, that makes 
> > more sense to me-... -if Neville was there I'd think 
> > ... Bellatrix would ... zap him with Cruciatus .... He 
> > could just have a poor memory.


> bboyminn:
> 
> While I don't dispute the basic points that you've made,
> at the same time, I don't see how you can dispute that
> Neville is a gun introduced in Act 1, that has yet to go
> off? 
> 
> Neville is not an insignificant background character.
> He is unique and there are many mysteries about him. He
> is the alternate prophecy boy. His situation is very
> similar to Harry's. He has been developing and growing in
> importance with each book. There are many mysteries 
> regarding Neville that have been introduced in the story. 
> Neville is important, and his role grows larger and larger,
> his presences become more significant. 
> 
> This is the Hammer pulling back on the gun, as a character
> Neville is certain to go 'bang' at some point. Without
> question, Neville is an unresolved mystery,  and that,
> in my mind, makes him very much a "Chekhov's Gun".

Magpie:
I'm not sure what you mean by calling him a gun, I guess. He's a 
supporting character who was introduced in Act I and has continued 
to play a role. He has certainly grown with the other characters and 
I think his arc will probably come to a specific conclusion. But I 
don't see anything hanging over his head, exactly, besides presuming 
that his is own of the student stories that will have closure in the 
sense of us seeing what kind of man the 11-year-old grows into, and 
his will be tied to what happened to his parents and how that's 
avenged or addressed.

JKR herself has said that Neville's being the alternate prophecy boy 
has no bearing on Neville at all, one way or the other. (Mike Smith 
is actually really hilarious in his reaction to people explaining to 
him that Neville is important because of what might have happened to 
him but didn't.) I don't see where the mystery is with him--I think 
we all already know that behind the timid exterior lurks a brave 
heart who cares deeply about his parents and wants to avenge them. 
The questions raised about him in fandom actually don't seem to come 
from canon--upon reading I took the Drooble's gum wrappers to be 
just what JKR said they were later--a tragic symbol of Alice's 
wanting to love her son.

I expect Neville to continue to be Neville and will not be surprised 
if he plays an important part, but I don't see any mysteries about 
him beyond the ones that we've been given--that it turns out his 
parents were tortured.

Now, one place where I do see a potential Neville-related-mystery is 
in the story of who sent the LeStrange's to the Longbottoms. It's 
quite possible that there will be more revelations there and that 
they'll be important to Neville, absolutely. I think Neville has 
grown to the point where JKR will give him his own moment to end his 
family story. But that seems more just like a plot thread that will 
have closure that possibly contains surprising revelations, it 
doesn't make Neville a Chekovian gun. Just a recurring supporting 
character.

-m