Red Herrings and Reconciliation

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 173685

 
Annemehr:
 
I wish I were competent to explore the issues of free will (or lack  
of it) involved among the personalities and situations people find  
themselves saddled with, but I wonder if anyone else feels any sense 
of  inevitability in some of these situations?  Our choices *show* who 
we  are, but how much choice do we have in *being* who we are?  How 
much is  nature, how much nurture, and how much does that leave left 
over to be  actually in our control?




Julie:
I've been thinking about this too. The nature vs nurture debate (which in  
turn affects
how much choice we actually have in our lives) has gone on for decades,  with
no certain resolution in sight. Certainly we are each a product of both our  
nature
and our environment, but nailing down how much each affects us, and also  how
the two interact with each other, may never been accomplished in any  concrete
manner (such as saying who a person is refects 60% nature/genes and  40%
environmental influences).
 
It does seem especially revelant when it comes to the three "orphan"  boys who
found a home at Hogwarts--Tom Riddle, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter.  Given
that they turned out so differently along the spectrum--Tom was  irredeemably 
evil,
Severus in the conflicted middle who managed to tip his  scale just to the 
side of
good, and Harry remaining solidly anchored on the side of good no matter  what
obstacles or temptations life threw his way. 
 
On the nature side, Tom was gifted with looks, social ease, and great  
intelligence.
But it seems he was also a psychopathic personality, if not from the  
beginning then
certainly from a very young age, and incapable of human empathy.
 
Severus meanwhile was physically unattractive and socially inept, though he  
did
possess great intelligence. He was capable of love, though it wasn't  
something
he could give or receive easily.
 
And in nature Harry was in the middle of the scale when it came to  physical 
looks (average) and social skills (not the charmer that Tom was, but  easily 
able
to attract a number of close friends unlike socially retarded Severus).  But 
he had
a great capacity for love.
 
On the nuture side, we are given to assume that Tom lost out completely. He  
was
not neglected, as he was fed and clothed and even treated kindly, perhaps  
held on
occasion, but with dozens of other children to care for it's not likely  that 
he was
singled out for any additional attention. In other words, as a baby and  
young child
he never experienced love or devotion directed specifically at him.
 
Severus, OTOH, we can assume experienced some love in the arms of his  mother,
at least as a baby and young child. His father apparently didn't want him.  
And we 
know his mother was at least in appearance a "severe" person. I can't  
imagine there
was much open expression of affection in that household, and we know  Severus 
was
neglected by the ridiculous clothing he was forced to wear. But if Eileen  
did at least
show genuine affection to Severus while she nursed him and rocked him as a  
baby,
and perhaps when she healed his bumps and bruises as a toddler, this would  
have
given him at least the capacity to give and receive love, even if in a  
stunted manner. 
 
Meanwhile we know that Harry was showered with love and affection until he  
was
15 months old. He was wanted, treasured, and deeply loved by both parents,  
and
even as young as he was, this would have been internalized. Interalized  
strongly
enough apparently that it saw him through the following nearly 10  years of 
neglect
and complete absence of love and affection in his life.
 
As I write this I still cannot get a full sense of which had the  greater 
influence
on the lives of these three lost boys. (In some ways it seems like Tom  never 
had a real chance or choice, as his psychopathy prevented him from  feeling
or even comprehending true remorse.) But each boy by the time they  reached 
Hogwarts already showed definite signs of their capacities for love,  empathy,
and remorse. I don't think most of us had any doubt Tom/Voldemort would  die
without redemption, or that Harry would never turn to evil no matter what  the
provocation or temptation. Severus was another matter, as he was visibly  
pulled
both ways, which may be why he remained the most fascinating character  of
the three for many fans.
 
I'm not sure where I'm going with all of this! Only that we don't seem to  
get any
real answer in HP about how much the characters really  control their 
destinies, 
despite Dumbledore's words about choice. And that is probably because there  
is
no answer that fits everyone. The answer seems to be different for each  
person.
 
Julie 
 
 








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