How Alchemy Didn't Work, or The Heinrich Khunrath Wannabe

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 181540

> 
> Goddlefrood in whose VHO alchemy does not assist too
> much in our understanding of the Harry Potter series
> as it stands, whichever way one slices it. Care to
> convince me otherwise?

Montavilla47:

Heh.  Okay, I still think the seven stage *kinda* relate
to Voldemort if you don't think of them too seriously.

Or maybe if you approach it from a general, poetic
perspective and from the experience of the reader
towards Voldemort.

Bear me out...

> 1. Calcination
At the end of PS/SS, our represention of Voldemort
(the man on the back of Quirrel's head) is broken down
and utterly destroyed.  The man burns to death.  (In the
film, which was okayed by JKR, he turns to stone, then
blows away into dust).  It seems quite chemical, if 
magically so.

> 2. Dissolution
In CoS, the representation of Voldemort is Tom Riddle.
At the end of the book, he literally dissolves into the 
waters of the Chamber.

> 3. Separation
I think I made a mistake before in thinking of Peter
as our Voldemort represenative.  There is *no* Voldie
represenation in PoA.  He has entirely separate from
Harry and the story at this point. (Although we still
see the consequences of his actions playing out).

> 4. Conjunction
In GoF, Voldemort comes back into being.  He conjoins
his soul with a body, and is on the way toward his goal
in a personal, not societal way.

> 5. Fermentation
The way you describe fermentation, it sounds like there
is organic growth going on (arts, culture, and so forth?)
But I can't shake the image of Voldemort "fermenting" 
plans in OotP.  Nothing is going on that people can see,
but, like champagne in bottles, there is this general 
anticipation that something could explode at any 
moment.

> 6. Distillation
At this point, I think we need to remember the reader's
(and Harry's) perspective of Voldemort.  It is in HBP that
Voldemort's character is rendered down to its essence. 
Wouldn't that be the point of the journey's into the sieve?
The real Voldemort is not really a part of this book, it 
is his spirit, his quintessence, that Dumbledore is 
trying to teach Harry about.

> 7. Coagulation
Perhaps the title of the first chapter in DH ("The Dark
Lord Ascending") implies that Voldemort is approaching
the pinnacle of his power. As far as Voldemort is 
concerned, everything is going his way (geez, the Order
doesn't even put up a sham opposition!) and he is
in Nirvana.

Of course... we all know that isn't how it ends.  But 
right up to that point, Voldemort is winning all
over the place, right?

Anyway.... it's not scholarly, or even moderately 
researched, but I think it kinda-sorta-works.

And maybe that's the only way it would work, like
the kinda-sorta moral message we got....

(The above is more of a weak excuse than a 
criticism.  I'm not trying to knock JKR here.  Lord
knows, I've it enough elsewhere.)

Montavilla47