Intro & Another Wacky Theory

[boyd_smythe]

boyd:

Hello to all, and thank you for the invitation. Special thanks to 
Carolyn for her thoughtful follow-up.

First my vital statistics (feel free to skip those bullets), then a 
ludicrous--or is it revelatory?--theory.

- Boyd Smythe
- Dallas, Texas (yeehaw, y'all!)
- 35 years old, father of two preschoolers (so as a group member I 
alternate between active and exhausted)
- I'm in the minority in that COS is my favorite. Before kids I read 
most types of fiction except romance, so I'll say this once: I don't 
do SHIPs.
- I love predictions and theories that make me reexamine my 
assumptions in the stories. Having said that, my assumptions are that 
the series is to be taken mostly at face value. Mostly.
- I prefer to think of the series as intelligent, purposeful 
children's books that work on another level for adults. Sort of like 
the better kids' movies, where the kids love the surface stuff and we 
adults love the subtler humor and messages.
- Hobbies: I have two little kids, so they're my main hobby. 
Otherwise, I'm a season ticket holder to the Dallas Cowboys and do 
lots at my church.

Now for the much-too-ludicrous-to-be-true theory. Underlying 
subversive thought: we're seeing good and bad in a starkly black and 
white way, due to Harry's limited POV, but the real truth is in 
between...or maybe black and white are reversed.

The gist: we'll soon find out that LV is actually the only thing that 
can _save_ the WW as we know it, and DD is the leader of the side 
using subterfuge and misinformation to try to destroy magic in the 
world (sort of Magic Dishwasher on acid, so that it's extra-paranoid 
and delusional). Those darned muggle-lovers want to make muggles of 
the whole WW just to end prejudice and magical strife! So of course LV 
wants to stop them by any means possible.

Sure, it's kooky and undoubtedly wrong, but it answers a number of 
nagging questions: why the penchant for muggle studies at Hogwarts and 
by OoP'er Mr. Weasley? why do many magical creatures feel 
uncomfortable siding with the OoP? why did Salazar split with Gryff 
over racism? why do the most powerful wizards seem to side with LV? 
What is the thing worse than death? and why does DD want simple, 
nonmagical socks?

If this theory is true, then JKR is clearly writing a parallel to the 
Bible's story of the fall of man when he ate from the apple of 
knowledge. The moral dilemmas she is addressing in the series: would 
any of us give that knowledge back now that we have it? how hard would 
we fight to keep it? and would we kill those who would reduce us to 
mere beasts again? If this is how LV sees the current situation, then 
it's just the apple conundrum restated: if we could take back the 
eating of the apple, would we? Tough moral dilemma there.

Really this is just an extension of the theory that in the end, 
Harry's choice will be to destroy the magic in the world; it just 
spins it a bit to see how the WW cognoscenti would react to that 
possibility and uses it as a driving force for their actions. Oh, and 
it involves DD on a mission that he has withheld from virtually 
everyone in the most blatant example of exploitation in recent 
fiction. Also, we'll all feel completely betrayed and our children 
will be scarred for life.

Yep, this is one of my craziest thoughts yet, and I am darn proud. I 
think I'll call it DAMN, CRAZED TOME?!?

Dumbledore's
Actually
More
Negative
,
Could
Riddle's
Angry
Zeal
Equal
Defenses

To
Overarching
Magic
Energy
?!?

--boyd
I now return you to your regularly scheduled, less subversive messages