JKR's Intent

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 178766

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > If that's the case, it means JKR failed as a writer.  Her imagery 
> > overwhelmed her message.
 
> >>zgirnius:
> I walked away with the distinct impression that Slytherin has its 
> good points, and that a number of Slytherins opposed Voldemort. The 
> lack of Slytherins in the DA did nothing to dispell this impression 
> for me.

Betsy Hp:
But it did for others.  So for those others, JKR failed as a writer 
*if* she was trying to show that there's good in Slytherin.  
Personally, I think Slytherin was supposed to be generic bad guys so 
the imagery in the RoR in DH was bang on.

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > Heh.  When you're writing an epic hero's journey type story?     
> > It's *always* the hero's job.  That's how these things work.      
> > Ender (of "Ender's Game") was about thirteen years old (gosh,    
> > maybe younger) when he "saved" humanity.
> > <snip>
 
> >>zgirnius:
> Harry did save the world, in precisely the same sense that Ender   
> did. 

Betsy Hp:
Oh goodness, no.  On that I cannot agree.  Ender used his 
intelligence (which was massive) and in the end, his compassion 
(which was massive enough to break him at one point and worry his 
teachers).  Harry was (as per usual) lucky.  Also, Voldemort hardly 
threatened the *world*.  Humanity's survival was not at stake.  But 
that's bygones and also personal opinion.

> >>zgirnius:
> (Though his methods were different. Ender killed numerous sentient 
> beings in the process, unlike Harry). While Ender did eventually   
> also bring enlightenment to his world, that was as an adult,       
> in...sequels to the hero's journey epic.

Betsy Hp:
Heh.  I've never read the sequels.  Ender's Game was such a perfect 
tale I feared an attempt to stretch it out would ruin it. (I've read 
Bean's adventures, but that's almost like going into a different 
world, IMO.)  So, yeah, everything I read took place when Ender was a 
kid.  As to Ender killing where Harry didn't: the stakes were much, 
much higher.  And *very* unlike Harry, Ender noticed, worried about, 
and then did his best to heal his equivelent of the screaming and 
flayed baby.

Oh!  Another difference: The ending of Ender's Game does push Ender 
into adulthood and show some of the stuff he accomplished.  That's 
how I know that he did follow through on what he'd learned as a boy.  
Harry...had two kids.

But again, the above is a lot off point. (I like Ender, so it's hard 
to resist the pull. <g>)  My point is, when you set up an epic 
journey and then stick a kid in the starring role, it's the kid who's 
supposed to *be* the hero.  Technically, a seventeen year old 
shouldn't be fighting anyone.  That would have *also* been a job for 
Aurors and other Ministry folk.  So you can't just selectively cry RW 
rules and expect that to appease, IMO. 

> >>Magpie:
> > No, I think she means the default assumption is that what's
> > actually on the page is what's actually in the story. Hermione   
> > could have become the Israeli Prime Minister for all we know, but 
> > it's not in the story because it's not on the page so that's not 
> > the ending she was written. Hermione doing anything whatsoever in 
> > her professional life is not part of the epilogue. The ending    
> > written on the page is that she has babies.

> >>zgirnius:
> Hermione marrying a totally impoverished, and less smart, and less
> ambitious, and less magically talented Ron, and having babies, seems
> to call for someone in that family to have a career.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Obviously, after his hot and steamy affair with Mrs. Zabini, and 
after the failed murder attempt, Ron raked in tons of dough from the 
out of court settlement.  Meanwhile, Hermione was pulling in a good 
buck working her blackmail gig on Rita (that tell-all book sold like 
hot cakes).

By the time Ron and Hermione got together and had a few kids they had 
enough to follow their buddy's lead and live off the interest.  
What?  There's nothing to say that *didn't* happen, and I'm using 
actual canon to build it! <RBEG>

> >>zgirnius:
> Anyway, the canon we do have is Hermione wanting a career (leafing
> through numerous pamphlets in OotP) and wanting to do some good in
> the world (DH, in her conversation with Scrimgeour). I would have
> needed conversation implying stay-at-home-momhood to draw that
> conclusion. (It's not there).

Betsy Hp:
And I'd need conversation to imply Hermione's working.  *Especially* 
after her bone-headed statement to Scrimgeour in DH.  It's not 
there.   And if JKR thought it important, it'd have been easily 
done.  "Hermione!  I see the office let you out today," said 
Harry.  "Oh, I had to sneak out the back.  Honestly, you'd think the 
place would implode without me," said Hermione.  "That's because it 
would my brilliant darling." said Ron.

That's what, three lines?  JKR managed to sneak in the possibility of 
Teddy joining the OBHWF, tell us Neville is a professor and that 
Draco is suitably squished.  And now we're just supposed to guess 
that the vision of domestic bliss (circa 1950) includes dramatic 
political change? 

Frankly, I figure they're *all* stay-at-home.  Ron maybe putzes 
around somewhere (using his Weasley networks which are pretty 
formidable) to keep him in golf club dues.  There's nothing in the 
epilogue to suggest anything different.

Betsy Hp