CHAPDISC: DH, EPILOGUE

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 185355

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kneazlecat54" <12newmoons at ...>
wrote:
>
> This message is a Special Notice for all members of
> 
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups
> 
> Questions:
> 
> 1.  Authors sometimes conclude novels with a chapter telling
> readers what happened ... In writing the epilogue, then, she
> must have had something specific she wanted to achieve or 
> communicate.  What do you think that was?
> 

bboyminn:

JKR said in an interview that the real heroes of war are not
so much those who won in battle, but those who won or lost,
and then came home and carried on.

That to have endured the pain and misery of battle and death,
yet to still have the strength to not let the horrors of
war destroy you, is a heroic act in itself.

She wanted to show Harry and Ron in that light. She wanted us
to see that they struggled on to be good fathers and husbands.
That they carried on in spite of themselves and what they
has endured. 

I'm inclined to agree. I have great admiration for WWII
veterans who did just that. They didn't complain or whine, the
just carried on and became good fathers and husbands.


> 2. One of the complaints about the epilogue is that it is
> heteronormative.  Is that a fair critique?
> 

bboyminn:

I'm as much a Slasher as the next guy, but the fact is, we
live in a hetro-normative world. That doesn't mean the world
doesn't or can't have a homo-normative aspect. It simply 
means that statistically, what we see is what is most likely to
have happened in the real world. 

Still, I can't deny, I wouldn't have enjoy a Harry/Ron Slash 
ending. But then, that's what fan fiction is for.


> 3. James and Albus have very low opinions of Slytherin House,
> ... They are firmly attached to Gryffindor.  What, then, do 
> you think has changed in the relations among houses ...?
> 

bboyminn:

Well, as I have said when this was discussed before. Even if 
students were assigned to Houses at random, there would still
be House rivalry. It simply can't be avoided. On college 
campuses across the country and the world, residence halls 
are determined that their hall is better than the others. We
throw the best parties. We have the coolest students. etc....

Look at the rivalry between sports teams. Our town has had a
fierce rivalry with the next town over for many many decade. 
A rivalry that frequently results in fist fights. Still, once
you are out of high school, and even while in, those rivalries
don't dictate everything. On the field, your rivals, but at the
party that follows, everyone's friends.

I do suspect things have softened a little at Hogwarts. I think
the rivalries are just as fierce, but probably not quite as 
bitter as they were in Harry's day. I also suspect we have a
very narrow view of House rivalry as we see it mostly through
Harry and Draco's eyes. They were a pair of book ends that
always had their back up against each other, and that colored
their who perspective. 

I suspect many students made, had, and kept friends in other 
Houses including Slytherin. But Slytherin has a reputation 
that goes back 1,000 years, that's not going to fade. 
Especially when Slytherin, to some extent, tend to be the 
elite and ambitious of the lot. That, in itself, tends to set
them against everyone. 

So, while I do think things have improved ... well, you know
...boys will be boys.

> 4. If there is no difference (at least officially) among houses, why
> is there still a Sorting Hat?
> 

bboyminn:

Well, there is a difference in the Houses. There always has and
always will be. When people are sorted based on some 
characteristic rather than at random, that characteristic will 
be exaggerated in that House. Far more exaggerated than if those
of a similar ilk were randomly dispersed. 


> 5. How do the Potter and Weasley children demonstrate JKR's 
> belief that personality traits are hereditary?
> 

bboyminn:

While traits may be hereditary, they don't always manifest 
themselves in the same way. Frequently a father and son who are
at lifelong loggerheads, aren't in conflict because they are
so different, but because they are so much the same. 

I think the Potter and Weasley kids are who they are far more
because of the environment they have grown up in. But at the
same time, certainly do have certain inherited traits. 

Personally, I think we see the influence of the parents in
the kids, but I also think we see a strong degree of 
individualism in them.

So, I'm not sure JKR is really pushing the idea that traits are
inherited. Certainly the idea exists, I just don't think she
is pushing it. 


> 6. What is JKR suggesting by naming Draco's son Scorpius?
> 

bboyminn:

I'm not sure there is much going on here beyond cool names
associated with constellations. I think we are simply seeing
a continuation of tradition.

 
> 7. How do you think Harry feels about Teddy Lupin?  Does he 
> see himself in Remus and Tonks's son?
> 

bboyminn:

I think Harry is very fond of Teddy, and in a small way feels
an element of guilt around Teddy's parents death. I think he
feels a sense of responsibility toward Teddy. Though I think
it is a responsibility that he gladly accepts and thoroughly
enjoys. 

And I assume you mean does Teddy feel like Lupin's son. I think
very much so, to the extent that he is able. He has never 
directly known his father, but I so think those around him
made sure that he understood his father's sacrifice, and his
hope for his son's future. So, yes, I think he does feel like
Lupin and Tonks son. 


> 8. Do you agree with Harry's opinion of Snape?
> 

bboyminn:

I do, though other seem to disagree. Harry said Snape was
brave, and he was. That doesn't mean he was nice, and Harry
doesn't say he was nice. But time, knowledge, and wisdom
soften even the darkest bitterness. I'm sure on some level
Harry is still annoyed at how Snape treated him. But, in the
long run, Snape's bravery means much more than his annoyance.


> 9. In SS, the Sorting Hat considers putting Harry in Slytherin
> because, among his other traits, Harry has "a nice thirst to 
> prove yourself" (SS 121). ... Do you think that any of Harry's
> personality or behavior was influenced by this bit of Voldemort?
> If so, would Harry have changed after the piece of Voldemort's
> soul was gone from his own soul?
> 

bboyminn:

Let's look at the sorting. I think the Hat did sense a bit of 
Tom Riddle in Harry, but I also think Harry really did have
characteristic that would have allowed him to do well in 
Slytherin under other circumstances. 

I don't think the bit of Voldemort influence Harry. That is
I don't think it controlled his decision. Now certainly it
being there and manifesting itself did affect decisions 
Harry made, but not in the sense of controlling him. Merely
in the sense, that things were happening to him and he had
to deal with them. 

I think the only real change to Harry would be a sense of
relief in not having to see Voldemort's thoughts or see 
Voldemort's life in his own dreams. Many times Harry felt
contaminated by this. 

So, there would have been the relief that it was gone, but
for the most part, while it was there and after it was gone,
Harry was Harry, and that didn't change.

> 10. What would Harry see if he looked once more into the Mirror
> of Erised?
> 
> 

bboyminn:

I think Harry would see himself surrounded by his family and
friends. According to Dumbledore, a man of perfect contentment
would only see himself just as he is. But I don't think Harry
has that kind of contentment in himself. His contentment come
from family, friends, and duty. Without those who love him, I
think Harry would feel like nothing. So rather than seeing
himself, he would see those whom he loves and those who love
him. 

Thanks to Laura for a great job.

Steve/bboyminn