Mermaid / Choices / Ghosts / characters' actions with bad consequences

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

Carole wrote:

<< Suzanne -- where is that mermaid/Sirius erotic epic you promised 
me in 2001? >>

If she has the mermaid, I have the tropical island ... I even have a 
mermaid, but mine's suitably fat for someone who lives in a northern 
ocean... 

Ali wrote:

<< Throughout the series, JKR has juxtaposed the seeming opposites of 
choices against destiny. Dumbledore appears to be the mouthpiece: In 
CoS he tells Harry: "It is our choices, Harry that show us what we 
truly are, far more than our abilities" p245. Thus, Harry and Tom 
Riddle with strong similarities -- backgrounds, physical and even 
mental attributes, can choose such different courses in life. >>

JKR goes on and on about the importance of choices, which *implies* 
free will (that the choices are freely chosen), but prophecy, 
destiny, and time travel are all in the story even tho' they 
contradict free will. Which, in our time-living view, is called 
predestination. Someone pointed out that choices and predestination 
don't necessarily contradict each other. The brilliant listie whose 
name I've forgotten pointed out that Dumbledore's statement about 
choices says they "show" what a person is, not that they "make" what 
a person is. The choice *reveals* the inner destiny, the same way the 
color of the litmus strip *reveals* the pH of the substance. 

Scott wrote:

<< Jo did say that we'd find out why some people become ghosts and 
others don't which I guess we sort of do even if it isn't a straight 
answer...they choose it. But I'm not sure it's so much of a conscious 
choice, Binns didn't apparently even know he'd died so he can't have 
chose to stay, it seems to be the way one lives...but this is another 
topic to which I intend to come back.

Isn't that going to be hard for Harry when he realises that not only 
Sirius but his parents--that they chose not to come back... >>

She wasn't really clear about becoming a ghost ... the person has to 
be a wizard, and she said it's a choice not to go on, but she only 
talked about the choice motivated by fear of the unknown 'next great 
adventure' and not about a choice motivated by wanting to stay to 
help one's young children or one's comrades in the struggle. Does 
that mean that only cowardice (or vengefulness, which I imagine to be 
Myrtle's motive) can power the magic of becoming a ghost? 

Also, is it a forever-binding choice? NHN spoke as tho' it is, as 
tho' he's stuck here forever, but I have trouble believing in 
"forever" and I *want* to believe that there is some way to lay a 
ghost ... for a ghost to be released from this world and belatedly 
go on to the next.  

Barb wrote:

<< Each of them sets out to prevent something happening--Voldemort's 
fall, Harry's being endangered by Wormtail--only to have the thing 
being avoided occur precisely BECAUSE they set out to stop it. >>

The device of a character whose attempt to prevent something from 
happening causes it to happen keeps re-appearing in literature. For 
believers in Fate, it shows that fate (e.g. prophesies) cannot be 
evaded. For believers in free will, it shows that humans are really 
very fallible (which is called "irony"). I think the only way to be 
SURE that one's attempt to prevent a bad thing is not what causes 
that bad thing to happen is for one not to attempt to avoid that bad 
thing. This notion of quietism links this reply to my next reply. I 
suppose you were merely urging Harry to collect as much information 
as possible and think things through instead of rushing off 
half-cocked.

Carole quoted:

<< he gave up on just having faith that things would either work out 
or were as they supposed to be. He decided, instead, to MAKE the 
world work for him. >>

It seems to me that having faith that things will work out okay 
on their own, or that everything is as it is supposed to be, would 
leave to quietism or inertia ... not to trying to make the world a 
better place. The people who struggle against Voldemort are not 
demonstrating faith that everything is as it's supposed to be.