[HPforGrownups] CHAPDISC: DH11, The Bribe

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 180556

Thanks, Pippin for a great summary and such thoughtful questions.  I'm
rushing to get ready for work, so I'll respond to more later, but wanted
briefly to touch on these two.

Pippin
5. Harry accuses Lupin both of feeling a bit of a daredevil and of being a
coward. What is Rowling saying about the relationship between recklessness
and true bravery? 

6. What do you think of Lupin's reasons for wanting to leave his family?
Given earlier hints in canon that Lupin is an occlumens, is his apparent
lack of feeling for Tonks only a pretense, or is he truly indifferent?



Sherry now:
Though I knew Lupin was weak, I never had despised him till this chapter.
It really changed my whole impression of Lupin.  I had stopped wanting him
to step into the surrogate parent role to Harry a couple books ago, but
after this scene, I was truly thankful.  His poor-poor-pitiful-me act
finally went too far for me, and apparently for Harry.  I felt his wanting
to go off with the trio wasn't so much about recklessness as it was wanting
to prove he could *do* something, perhaps more to himself than to anyone
else.  And a bit of returning to his fond memories of the Marauders.  But it
seemed to me it was all based on his woe is me, I'm a poor mistreated
discriminated against werewolf.  oh, woe is me.  Yeah, he was a werewolf;
yeah he did suffer terrible discrimination.  So?  It is terrible that all
those things happened to him, but his life is what he made it to a great
deal by all his playing on how terrible it is that he's a werewolf and
nobody will befriend, employ, love him, or whatever.  At last, he's found
acceptance and love, in fact he's had acceptance from some great people for
a long time, and what does he want to do?  He wants to run away from that
love and acceptance, not to mention the responsibility.  Harry was right to
call him a coward.  Apparently it worked, because Lupin appeared to have
finally grown up by the end of the book.  

As a disabled person, and knowing that supposedly Lupin was a metaphor for
disability, I was disgusted with him in this scene.  I'm sure that reaction
is based on my own experiences dealing with serious discrimination
throughout my life, and my own personality that will never let me give into
it, or ever think that just because I'm blind I'm not worthy, not capable or
whatever.  I was taught differently by my parents and taught that not even
society's views of blindness could stop me if I didn't let it.  Yes, I know
Lupin's "disability" can be life threatening, but there are certainly people
in the world who think the same about people with real world disabilities.

Sherry, stepping off her soap box!