Tom Riddle's inability to love

[bdclark0423]

No: HPFGUIDX 181511

Catlady:
<snip>
 It struck me as worthy of notice that Rowling wrote a series in 
which the good guys go on and on about the importance of one's 
choices,  while providing a villain who was unable to choose 
otherwise. In DH, Harry advises him to try for a little remorse, 
when remorse is what he is completely incapable of. There is some 
interview on the Web, except  I can't find it now, in which the 
interviewer (IIRC Melissa from The Leaky Cauldron) questioned Her on 
that and She said that was true, but this series is a fantasy, so 
the bit of Potter's blood that was used in Voldemort's re-embodiment 
spell brought with it the ability to choose to feel remorse.



Bdclark0423:
Once again, I fail to see why there needs to be the connection of 
labeling someone a psychopath and the inability to love, because 
it's not relevant to the message JKR is giving us. 

Ok, Volde is psycho, born that way or made that way, I'm not 
disputing it.  However, that's not what gives us a reason to read 
the story.  We've got the hero and the villian who come from the 
exact same background.  Both are orphaned, both live in horrible 
conditions, and then they are given the chance to become better 
people when they're accepted to Hogwarts .  We see so many times how 
Harry begins to doubt himself and why this is all happens.  Does DD 
simple say because he's a psychopath?  Too easy....

>From SS to the very end of DH, that is Harry's quest: to not to 
loose sight of the ability to love by looking at where Vold may have 
taken a misstep, apply what he has learned and then make the right 
choice.   
bdclark0423