[HPforGrownups] Partnering in the HP books (was Re: Bigotry in the Potterverse)

[Christy]

No: HPFGUIDX 188127


>Sartoris22:

>In a previous post, I reveal my nationality, American, and cite exampes
of the many non-academic unmarried males in the novels. Even if one
>excludes the teachers, there are a considerable number of seemingly
unpartnered people, particularly males, in the books. I cited the
example of >Sirius, a man who has been in prison over ten years but
doesn't seem compelled or pressured to get a woman.

Christy:

Since you use Sirius as an example, I will remind all of us that Sirius is focused on protecting Harry when he escapes prison in POA (a bit more important than meeting a woman) and on the run throughout GOF. For all we know he is sowing some pent-up wild oats off page before he returns to Hogwarts to be near Harry during the tournament (or maybe not, maybe he's too focus on remaining "under the radar" to risk it). Throughout OOTP he was in hiding. Of the women we see come in and out of Grimwald Place, most are not appropriate matches for him. (Molly is married, Fleur is with Bill, Tonks is his cousin, Minerva is much older, Ginny and Hermione are -- well way too inappropriate to even think about). As for other order members we know little or nothing about, for all we know he might have had a fling or two. 

Consider the longevity of a Wizard's life. In our own lives, we
probably have friends who married shortly after finishing their
education (in their twenties) as well as others who married in their
thirties or forties. What is middle age to us, is still quite young to
JKR's wizards. (FYI: I am an American female who got married at 38 to a
man 8 years my senior, who
had been widowed but didn't marry the first time until almost 30.)

Consider also that the political climate is not the best for finding a
mate: who do you trust; who shares your world view? Your circle of
friends and acquaintances is smaller than in an environment of safety
and security. The students at Hogwarts actually have a bit easier
situation to make important judgments regarding friendship and romance since they are with in close quarters with their peers and can see them acting and reacting in a variety of situations on a daily basis. Consider special circumstances, such as Hagrid who has no true peers until he meets Madame Maxine  and Snape whose heart
belongs to Lily to the exclusion of all others. I'm not at all surprised so many are "unpartnered."

In any case, what we speculate about what happens off page is just that -- speculation. It can be fun to speculate, but it doesn't make what we speculate true, no matter how well constructed our arguments  are. And, my former college English professors would have torn up some of those arguments because of the amount of speculation on which they are based. I see some posts (and not necessarily the one I include here -- I use it only to open the door to my own opinions) that I think come dangerously close to trying to make truths out of little to no canon-based fact.

Christy



      

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