[HPforGrownups] Re: Fathers (was: A message?)

[Kemper]

No: HPFGUIDX 178982

>     Kemper wrote:
>
>  > This seems to be the case, when later, after Master Barty is
>  > administered the Veritaserum, he states of his escape from Azkaban:
>  > "She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He
>  > loved her as he had never loved me."
>  > This statement suggests to me that Master Barty longed for
>  > expressions of his father's love.
>
>  Mus replied:
>  For me, there's another interpretation, though. We know that he's (at
>  least by the end of GoF), at least slightly mad, and, with Bellatrix,
>  the most dedicated DE we meet. I'm always a little suspicious of
>  children who claim that their parents loved someone else more - denial
>  of a parent's love is, in this case, perfectly consonant with DE
>  philosophy, which is one of denial of love if it is anything.
>
>  Murdering his father and Transfiguring his body into a bone to be
>  buried in Hagrid's vegetable patch is pathological contempt, and I
>  can't quite take Barty Jnr's word for much. He's one of the most
>  deceitful characters in the whole series - he lied under oath
>  (Bellatrix at least stood up for what she believed in), he carried out
>  the whole Tri-Wizard Tournament ruse, he kept Moody starving in a
>  trunk for nine months. If he tells me his father didn't love him,
>  then I'm not inclined to believe him without other evidence. Note, in
>  fact, that he doesn't say that his mother loved *him* - all he's
>  fixated on his hatred of his father.

Kemper now:
You are absolutely right, Barty is full of contempt, hatred and deceit.
But... he is speaking under Veritaserum when he says,
"He loved her as he never loved me."

I'm not suggesting Barty's statement is factual.  What I'm saying is
that Barty believes his statement to be true.  A truth is not
necessarily a fact.


>  Mus continues:
>  I'll agree that Barty Snr isn't a touchy-feely father, but this is in
>  keeping with all the rest of his character. To paraphrase Sirius, I
>  don't believe the world is divided into touchy-feely fathers and those
>  who don't love their children. And this reader finds it rather
>  touching that when he's babbling as if he were at work, he's talking
>  about his son.

Kemper now:
I agree with your paraphrase but am leery about a loving Mr. Crouch.

Kemper