Realistic Resolutions - WAS: Slytherins come back

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 180746

> >>Magpie:
> > In the end the founder's story was repeated--Slytherin was always 
> > a champion of Pureblood supremacy and bloodlines, even if he was 
> > always also about ambition and cunning (so he's a racist with a 
> > desire to promote his chosen group even in underhanded ways). He 
> > was a founder--we don't know why.
> > <snip>
> > There's actually no call on Slytherin whatsoever to change--
> > they are what they are. So we're left with the question asked    
> > here: why are they suffered to remain? To me it seems like the   
> > answer to that question is found in the psychology of the WW and 
> > the author. It's comforting to somebody to have this house in the 
> > form that it exists, periodically gaining power and then          
> > symbolically brought low--but never healed or destroyed. 
> > <snip>

> >>a_svirn:
> I suppose. Only that's ... more than a little unwise of them, is    
> it? Why would they find recreating the Original Rift over and over 
> again comforting?

Betsy Hp:
I was struck by your capitalizing the phrase, "Original Rift".  
Because I think, in the end, we learn there wasn't really a "rift" at 
all.  I think the presence of Salazar, of Slytherin, was a problem 
from the get go.  (Here's hoping this will make sense. *g*)

My pre-DH theory on "how it will all end" depended a great deal on 
Slytherin being a legitimate Founder, a fellow hopeful in that little 
band of witches and wizards hoping for a brighter future (cue Whitney 
Houston).  That "something dark" occured and Slytherin left, but that 
it wasn't due to the innate darkness of Slytherin himself.  That 
there was a good and noble core to his "House Values" that got 
twisted over time, culminating in Voldemort.  That in the destruction 
of Voldemort that darkness would be cleansed from Slytherin House and 
therefore Hogwarts and therefore the WW.  (Harry restores an upset 
balance.)

But that's not how DH panned out.

Salazar Slytherin wasn't a good guy whose message or code became 
twisted over time: he was always the bad snake in paradise.  (Which 
of course begs the question Magpie raised: How the hell did this guy 
get to be a Founder in the first place?)  Fortunately the three good 
Founders figured out Slytherin's not-at-all-hidden agenda (bright 
bulbs those Founders *eg*) and kicked the snake out.  But for some 
odd reason, they left his snake pit behind.  End result? Voldemort.

But based on that, there was never a "Rift" to be healed.  The 
departure of Salazar was a necessary culling or cleansing or 
purging.  If Voldemort accurately interpreted his fore-father's 
agenda (and everything in DH says he did) than why, oh why, is JKR 
keeping the snake pit around?  

> >>a_svirn:
> By maintaining the house of the power-hungry pure-blood 
> supremacists they ensure transmitting their ideology through 
> generations, they help to preserve and develop their social         
> networks.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I suspect (though I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure: JKR is 
remarkably slippery about Slytherin) her idea is that badness is just 
part of the human experience and so it's silly to try and change it.  
Which is why the Potter-series ends without any type of healing (a 
closing of the "Rift" or a purging of the snake pit).  Harry doesn't 
*restore* a balance, he *maintains* one.  

Slytherin *is* bad.  But they're impossible to get rid of, just as 
bad people will always exist in real life, snakes will always pop 
into attempts at paradise.  IMO, it's a morally lazy way of looking 
at things, and would have (among other things) left Hitler running 
rampant, but there are those who feel this way.

I guess it's a sort of fundamental interperation of the "fall of 
man".  (Which, actually goes a long way to explaining to me why 
Slytherin seems so strongly coded as female.  The whole woman=evil 
fallacy.  Can't kill them, 'cause then no babies, but we can keep 
those evil seducers and tricksters *down*.)  

Voldemort got too big for his britches.  He needed to be reminded of 
his place.  Interestingly, it was his refusal to return to his place 
(feel remorse) that kills him, not Harry.  Snape *did* take his 
place.  And in the epilogue we see that Draco is also aware of his 
place.  *That's* why all is well.  Slaves are happily picking cotton 
and the womens are staying quiet and respectful.  All is well.

Betsy Hp (reminded again why she sees this series as, well, sort of, 
kind of, evil <rb*e*g>)