LONG collection of DH related thoughts.

[faery_wisdom]

No: HPFGUIDX 173692

Joe  
 
> Me, at it again: It's the Grindelwald "mastery" of the wand that 
> threw me. Stealing it wouldn't bestow mastery, so perhaps something 
> else happened...but then how was DD able to defeat the wizard with 
> the unbeatable wand IF he really was its master? Unless he wasn't, 
> and DD had already bested whoever THAT was.

Kit, returning abashedly,
You caught the false logic of my reasoning! Were stealing a means to 
mastery, LV would have become master upon entering DD's tomb. Now I 
find myself puzzling this further. But, as I'm sharing the book with 
my 19year old, and reading the book to my son when it's in my 
posession, it'll be awhile before I get to that point again. I should 
thank you, I was missing having some mental puzzles to ponder.

> Me: The general consensus, albeit monumentally unsatisfying to me, 
> is that it was Merope. Yawn.

K: Really?!? I missed that and am almost glad. I rather go back to 
thining it a throw away!!
 
> I believe these books CAN be interpreted through a Christian prism, 
> just as easily as through a non-Christian prism. While there are 
> allusions to Christianity, I didn't think of those as particularly 
> clumsy or obvious or obnoxious. We didn't see Harry trying to 
> baptize a dying Dobby or demanding that LV accept Christ, just like 
> we didn't see Dumbledore sacrificing rats to Baal or Hagrid 
> summoning the minions of Satan to make his pumpkins grow.
> 
> Mind you, I derive enormous (and, admittedly, perverse) pleasure in 
> seeing both ends of the spectrum getting their dander up over this. 
> That one side thinks the books are now awful because of all 
> that "Christ stuff," while the other thinks they are awful because 
> of all that "occult stuff" gives me no end of glee. Not 
>particularly charming of me, but like DD & Snape, I'm complex and 
>difficult to categorize.

K: I am glad someone pointed out the parallel between the two ends of 
the spectrum. When asked what she'd like readers to learn from the 
series JKR said "Tolerance." Life events have led to my perception 
that the different religious and spiritual teachings share more 
common ground with respect to their teachings than differences. To 
attempt to paint that out here would be laughable in the least, but 
it brings me back to what JKR's answer and the idea of 
tolerance. 'Nuff said.
 
> I am even more delighted by the readers who are utterly unable to 
> see Snape proudly standing in that no-man's land between Noble Hero 
> and Craven Villain. In being unable to see him as he is, they shoot 
> off into impressive contortions that'd give a yoga master fits of 
> envy. Why they insist of pigeonholing Snape into their pre-chosen 
> cubbyhole of hero or villain, I have no idea. But it's interesting 
> to observe.

K:
Beautifully stated. Snape's bravery, for me, rested in his acceptance 
of his actions and the consequences of such. I did not so much 
perceive "Look at Me" as one last request to see Lily's eyes 
(honestly never occurred to me) or that he had no control over the 
thoughts he spilled out for Harry to collect. Rather, I saw all this 
as a man who finally accepted that his lot in life was of his own 
making, and though he dies lonely and without friends, he ultimately 
accepts who he was and his path as the means to a 'right end'. He was 
certainly NOT heroic to me, but decidedly brave. (As is anyone who 
can truly look at themselves and honestly accept what they see, 
mistakes, flaws and the altruistic traits). That was why I loved DD 
in DH - he was truly human, though genius in his intelligence. 

On a personal note, my apologies for the 'do you have children 
analogy'. That was clearly formed on my own experience with, to be 
nice, my children's father. I certainly did not mean to imply all 
expecting father's become unhinged, just that enough do that it's 
become cliché. It would have been better to phrase my thoughts 
differently.

Kit (who is slowly growing ever fonder of Deathly Hallows.)