Themes and theories

[davewitley]

Carolyn wrote:

> Many others here would argue that the central mystery is a mere 
> bagatelle, of passing interest compared to the 'big themes' that 
the 
> series (allegedly) addresses. 
> 
> From the perspective of a paranoid conspiracy theorist, the 
prospect 
> of a highly conflicted ending and the confirmation of, for 
example, a 
> theory like ESE!Lupin is what will make the series live on for me, 
> and make me re-read long after Book 7 appears.

My own feeling is that the 'big themes' and the 'central mystery' 
are the same thing.

My impression of JKR is that, despite the many elaborate 
speculations that have arisen in fandom, she just doesn't do 
complexity.  She also, IMO, mostly sucks at tight plot construction -
 POA is the least bad, and even there Sirius' actions are hard to 
construe.  I am strongly suspicious that Dumbledore's 'screw-ups', 
for example, are really JKR's screw-ups - or rather, JKR's lack of 
concern for consistency in a magical fantasy series.

However, I feel she has more grip on the themes, and that the 
eventual revelation of the series will be a theme-related one, not a 
plot-related one.  My best guess has been that Voldemort also has 
mother-love protection, but his attempts to reject his father and 
Muggle ancestry and to live forever have progressively undermined 
that.  The crucial clue, in this theory, is Dumbledore's assertion 
that 'Voldemort doesn't understand love'.  Harry's mother love 
protection is the inadvertent means by which Harry is marked (we 
know AK leaves no scar of itself) by Voldemort as his equal.  
Sirius' death advances the theme because while it seems that Lily's 
protection involved a spell, Harry is able to cast Voldemort off by 
direct appropriation of the love between him and Sirius - consider 
the parallel with the Christian sloughing of Mosaic ritual.

But it doesn't matter if I'm wrong about the details here: where I 
think I will be vindicated is that the eventual resolution - the 
defeat of Voldemort, the explanation of the events at Godric's 
Hollow, the resolution of the old conflict among the founders, the 
resolution of Snape's fate - will turn not on a mechanical juggling 
by Dumbledore but on the themes of love, choice, loyalty, unity in 
diversity, and acceptance of the place of death in the universe, 
that have dominated the books to date.

Of course, I do not for a moment wish to deny the speculative plot 
theorists their fun.  However, I don't feel that they really reflect 
the 'big-picture' sense that the text gives.

I could say more about how some of the minor themes trump plot 
consistency, but I think I'll leave it there.

David