Slytherinas/Harry/Buffy

[Mr. Sandy R.Smith]

No: HPFGUIDX 185588

<<lizzyben:

Really I think the best analogy to the Slytherins of Harry Potter are
the vampires of Buffy. The key point about vampires is that they lack
a soul & are therefore incapable of true selfless action or altruism.
They can love & make great sacrifices for the *individual*
person/vampire they love, but they don't give two cents about humanity
as a whole, except as a resource to exploit or use. 

As compared to, say, Harry, who chooses to die to save all humanity,
as Jesus did. I think the comparison is stark and intentionally so. If
Harry is her emblem of pure altruism (dying for all mankind), the
Slytherins are his absolute antithesis (saving their own skins). JKR
never *wanted* to redeem the Slytherins & is probably be puzzled by
fans' desire to do so. 

lizzyben>>

I think what you are leaving out in this analysis is that the Malfoy's are simply redeemed by their inability to kill. This is what makes them human. They do believe in a repungent ideology, but aren't willing to kill even enemies to do this. I'm pretty sure Lucius never uses an AK, and we know Draco's story.      

I've always looked at JKR's world building in terms of the Slytherins as less a depicton of clear morality and more a balance of power between groups. The Slytherins and most of the aristocrat like pure-bloods simply want to hold their power and their society (which is being eroded at the cost of half-bloods and muggle-borns) and thus ally with Voldemort as a way to do this, even if some i.e.the Malfoys don't seem to approve fully of his methods, they do approve of his ideology. There is nothing to suggest that a muggle-born or even a Gryffindor could not be purely evil...nor a Slytherin purely good.

The problem with the Slytherins is MHO has to do with JKR cuts. She clearly meant to give a somewhat more neutral depiction of them. I.e. the cut scenes with the Weasly Cousin Mafalda and Nott.  

Can anyone imagine how much better the series would have been with the Weasley cousin. I think JKR's mistake was waiting to introduce her until too late. She clearly couldn't have fit, like she said where she wanted her, but she probably would have worked had she been introdcued in just a minor way in say the 2nd book.    

DA Jones .  


      

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