Maraurders/he exists

[wynnleaf]

No: HPFGUIDX 168288

wynnleaf
As regards my post and others recently, including Magpie's post on 
the Generational Parallels thread, I agree that one cannot take 
these supposed character parallels too far, even if they are 
specifically mentioned in canon, such as Dumbledore's comment which 
seems more likely to be relating Snape's hating James to Harry 
hating Draco.

I certainly don't think James is much of a parallel to Draco.

However, I do think JKR created an intentional parallel between 
James and Dudley.

The Marauder's attack on Snape in the Worst Memory scene is much 
more like an attack of Dudley and his gang on Harry than it is like 
any other of the wizard to wizard attacks we've seen in HP.  Like 
Dudley and his gang, James attacks (at least in the context of that 
particular scene), without provocation.  The attack is from James 
and Co. against one person.  The reasoning is "because he exists."  

Dudley attacks Harry with his gang to help out.  Dudley attacks 
Harry simply because he's "a freak" which seems akin to Sirius 
attributing some of the Marauder's dislike of Snape to his being "an 
oddball."  

Other parallels between Dudley and James include both being only 
sons.  Dudley is spoiled by his parents.  James is "pampered" by his 
parents (JKR's word -- hey, they gave their son, who was constantly 
in detention, an invisibility cloak.  How spoiled can you get?).  

And last, JKR makes the parallel definite by giving Dudley a friend 
named Piers (Peter), who has a face like a rat.  It's a clear 
parallel.

Piers follows Dudley as the "biggest bully of the playground" 
(Sirius' comment on Peter following Voldemort) in Little Winging and 
Peter follows James as the "biggest bully of the playground" at 
Hogwarts.

Would I push that parallel even further?  No, I wouldn't.  We have 
no evidence that James' parents were horrible like the Dursleys.  
Piers is Dudley's best friend while Peter is a sort of "hanger on" 
with the Marauders.  James apparently matured to the extent that 
Lily loved and married him.  We haven't seen any sign of that in 
Dudley so far.  Dudley appears to be a coward.  James is not a 
coward.

So the parallel is by no means complete.  But it's pretty obvious, 
especially with Piers and Peter both being rats of a sort, that JKR 
intends a parallel.

Now what does that say for Snape, eh?

wynnleaf