CHAPDISC: DH36, THE FLAW IN THE PLAN

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 185263

SSSusan:
> >  So why *did* he go for purebloods as his gang members? 
 
Pippin:
> I think he knew pureblood superiority was a myth. But it was a myth 
> he would have liked to be true, because it organized the world for 
> him. I'm sure he envied the purebloods for their status and 
> familiarity with power, and what he imagined was a grand life, and 
> blamed his Muggle side for depriving him of that. 
> 
> It's not in the nature of a psychopath to be self-critical. 

SSSusan:
I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that it's not in the nature 
of a psychopath to be self-critical.  I have to wonder, though, 
whether it is also in the nature of one (or of Voldy in particular) 
to crave an organized world.  Not saying it isn't; just saying I need 
to think about that one....


Pippin:
> > > Harry really can't play up Slytherin goodness too much without 
> > > sounding like Slughorn praising Lily.  

SSSusan:
> > Is this a good enough excuse, though?  Isn't JKR a talented 
> > enough writer to have found a way to *show* it a little bit?  

Pippin:
> Show us what? Gryffindors and Slytherins holding candles in the rain
> and singing "We Shall Overcome"? 
> 
> Well, that would be nice. But as many have pointed out, the 
> Slytherins *are* judged on the content of their character, and
> it seems to be wanting. 

SSSusan:
Oh please, there's a HUGE gap between "showing it a little bit" and 
holding candles in the rain, singing "We Shall Overcome!"  

You stated that Harry couldn't play up Slytherin goodness too much 
without sounding like Sluggy praising Lily, so I was merely saying 
that I think JKR could have found a way to show some Slytherin 
goodness without having to have it come from Harry, or without it 
coming across Sluggy-on-Lily-like.

And while I'd agree that their overall character is somewhat wanting, 
and fair enough at that, I'm also saying that MANY fans found it hard 
to believe that NOT ONE Slytherin student was shown "being good."  
Having a couple of adult Slytherins (Sluggy, Snape, perhaps Narcissa) 
doing something "good" didn't quite compensate for having *no* 
students doing so.  It was a great disappointment to many.

When you wrote that "Harry couldn't play it up too much," I thought 
you were implying that you believed it *was* possible some of the 
Slytherins were demonstrating goodness but that it was kept behind 
the scenes because we were seeing things from Harry's POV.  Perhaps 
you didn't mean that, but that's the place from which *I* was going 
when I said I thought JKR was a talented enough writer to have shown 
some of it.  

(And if there really *weren't* any Slytherin students demonstrating 
*any* "goodness," I guess I'd say that I do think that's a deficiency 
in the story.  Perhaps the majority of Slytherins needing to deal 
with some things wanting in their character, but *all* of them?  
Yikes.)

But perhaps you & I are talking about different things in the 
response to the question, though.

Siriusly Snapey Susan