Sirius and Snape parallels again - Sirius' death (LONG) Posted by: "jkoney6

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 185118


Julie wrote:
> That is the method of manipulation, isn't it? Setting the pieces  up
in the most attractive way, appealing to your subject's weaknesses
(Harry's desire to save people, Snape's desire to atone to Lily, etc),
and then watching while they succumb to your bait. They don't HAVE to
do it, you aren't FORCING  them, but if it is deliberate and in
service to your ultimate goal, then it is manipulation, whether it is
for good or bad. And no one was better at it than Dumbledore, though
almost every other character had their moments ("The way you get into
the Whomping Willow is..."). 

Carol responds:

Funny, even before I read that last sentence, I thought of Sirius
Black tempting Severus Snape with the bait of what he would see if he
got past the Whomping Willow, manipulating another person through his
weaknesses for his own ends (in sirius's case, amusement at Severus's
terror and humiliation--not to mention indifference to any harm that
might come to him, including death. Yes, Sirius was sixteen years old,
but he, too, was manipulating someone to do something dangerous to
that person for his own ends. If we condemn Dumbledore for
manipulating people, we should also condemn Sirius, with the only
ameliorating factor being Sirius's immaturity. Of course, it's not
quite as bad as Diary!Tom baiting a trap for Harry with Ginny, cut
only because Diary!Tom intended to murder Harry himself with the
Basilisk as his weapon rather than exposing the tempted person to the
risk of death at another's hand (or teeth).

Carol, who doesn't know what to think of JKR's "good" characters any more