Dark Magic

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 176616

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> lizzyben wrote:
> 
> <snip>
> > > So when we hate these people, take revenge against these people,
> use violence against these people, we don't have to feel bad about it
> - we can actually feel very good & self-righteous about it. Normally,
> you would feel bad about hurting someone, but when that person is a
> "Dark Wizard", you can feel like it's actually justified as part of a
> larger battle between good vs. evil... and you are now on the side of
> good. <snip>

Carol: 
<snip>
> Thanks primarily to Snape, Harry's desire for vengeance is gone,
> replaced by understanding of and empathy with Snape and the painful
> realization that he can't go into battle with Voldemort armed with a
> desire for revenge or even with righteous indignation. He must, like a
> martyr in early Christian times, walk into the (figurative) arena
> unarmed and give himself up as a sacrifice. <snip> When he forgives
Snape, the last remaining
> temptation toward vengeance disappears.
> 
> Granted, there's still a battle, and in any battle, personal grudges
> will motivate the participants. Mrs. Weasley's wrath is fueled by
> mother love and righteous anger, Percy's and Ron's by grief and anger
> over Fred's death. But Harry himself has no such motivation. All he
> wants, in the end, is for fewer families to suffer and the WW to be
> healed.
> 
> Carol, who sees Harry's character arc not as the triumph *of*
> vengeance but as the triumph *over* vengeance

lizzyben:

Well, Harry himself does not seem driven by vengeance or hatred at the
end of DH, but IMO the novel itself is. That's the weirdness -
there's a dichotomy between Harry's own arc, and the atmosphere of the
novels as a whole. Even with Harry, he still uses Unforgiveable curses
against bad guy, and though he doesn't use a killing curse against LV,
Voldie is still killed in the end. And that's a happy ending. 

In my post, I wasn't really talking about Harry's personal arc, but
how "Dark Magic" is characterized throughout the series. And trying to
understand why the definition is so incomplete, contradictory,
confusing, etc. Isn't dark magic an important part of this world?
Isn't it a major reason that we can distinguish the bad guys? So why
don't we ever get an understanding of what it is, or why it's so very
very bad? 

And I submit that we're looking at this backwards - trying to first
figure out what's bad about Dark Magic, then looking at its
association w/Slytherin & bad guys. Instead, maybe it's simply bad
*because* it is associated w/Slytherin & bad guys. Slytherin House was
created first as the house of evil, then bad things got piled on just
so we know that these are indeed the bad guys. "Bad" qualities are
assigned to the House - cunning, ambition, etc. Bad beliefs are
assigned to them too - racism & bigotry are bad, so Slytherins are
bigots & racists. Finally, "bad" magic is assigned to them -
generally, "Dark Magic" is seen as evil, so Slytherins are associated
w/"Dark Magic". It's all a part of making sure this group is
over-the-top BAD & hate-able. And distinguishing them from the GOOD,
courageous & noble, tolerant, superior Gryffindors. 

And that's the real purpose of the whole "Dark Arts" thing - just to
show how bad the bad guys are. Then, when the good guys beat up the
bad guys, we can cheer. When the heroes use magic to put the bad guys
in their place, we can feel like it's justified as "karmic justice"
for their being so bad. When Harry & co. hexes, jinxes, curses Draco &
co., we don't have to feel guilty about it, because they're bad,
right? With their racism & "Dark Magic" & sketchiness. Not only do you
not feel bad, you can actually feel self-righteous about it - because
it's not bullying or pranks, it's a blow against EVIL.

Now, this starts to get messed up, because in order to punish the Bad
People, the Good People have to use some of the same tactics that we
hate the Bad People for. But this gets glossed over. So, we see the
Marauders using hexes & dark magic against Snape to punish him for
being into dark magic; we see Harry using the darkest magic against
Draco, almost killing him; we see Harry using Crucio against bad
guys,; we see Ginny using hexes against Slytherins (or anyone she
doesn't like), and none of this is commented on. It's downright
schizophrenic. Half the time, it's the *heroes* that we see using
"dark" magic to punish, get revenge, humiliate their enemies, etc.,
all while the text insists that they are doing this because they are
against dark magic. 


lizzyben