CHAPTER DISCUSSION Chamber of Secrets Ch. 3, The Burrow

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 188761

Jerri: 
> I think one of the weaknesses of the series as a whole is this "back and forth" nature.  Sometimes the reader is supposed to think deeply and look for connections.  (Mrs Figg and "well spotted", the time turner, Scabbers, why Moaning Myrtle died in the bathroom, the treatment of house elves, for a few.)  In other cases the reader is best off if they consider it to be a fairy tale, or Cinderella Story and don't look too closely.  (Mark Evans, treatment of Garden Gnomes, hitting the Dursleys on the head with wine glasses, the missing 24 hours, etc.)  

Pippin:
The Weasleys are morally outraged over the mistreatment of Harry,indifferent to the plight of the Elves (Molly'd like one to do the ironing), and downright hostile to the Gnomes. I don't think that's inattention on JKR's part. It's a deliberate irony, IMO, aimed at showing the reader  that moral outrage over the plight of the oppressed is a lot less consistent and a lot more category dependent than the innocent believe. IMO, it's something she very much wants us to think about.

The series overall takes a consistent attitude towards sentient rights:whatever lofty beliefs the characters might have in the rights of others to justice or freedom, they exist only for those who have the willingness and ability  to claim them. 

Pippin