More Tarot (from a rank beginner) (Was Luna (was Re: A Simpler Scenario))

[eloise_herisson]

Kneasy re Luna:

>  As to 'does she add anything' - no, I  don't think she does. Maybe 
she's due
> for a moment or two of glory in book 7. 
> 
> > David, whose Monopoly spelt it 'jail'
> 
> So does mine.
> Perversity rules.
> The OED: jail also goal. With a footnote: "In Britain goal is the 
spelling in 
> official use, but both goal and jail are in literary use."
> Is Monopoly literary? Now there's a question.

I don't know if Monopoly's literary (I highly doubt it), but my OED 
spells it "gaol". <g> Though I would have said the *usual* British 
spelling was "jail". Curious.

Anyway, that was just an aside. Luna does seem to fit into the Tarot 
theme that's developed (or that we have noticed) lately in the 
series. Superficially, she's just "loony", but she actually shares 
many of the charateristics indicated by the Moon card, particularly 
the tendency to believe in illusions. I haven't looked closely at her 
relationship with Harry, but their first meeting is also associated 
with one of the other actions of the card (being fearful or overcome 
by anxiety) as Harry falters when he realises that the others can't 
see the Thestrals and begins to doubt himself.

The opposing card is, of course, the Sun and I was also struck by the 
image of Dumbledore that Harry encounters when he barged into his 
office on that last fateful night. He is staring out of the window 
into the sunset (well, he's looking at the grounds and Fawkes'eyes 
are gleaming gold in reflected light, which suggests the office is 
suffused with the light of the setting sun), as indeed he is when he 
sends Harry out to collect his Cloak. The Sun, with its connotations 
of enlightenment, experiencing greatness, vitality and having 
confidence seems an appropriate image at this point. Of course the 
question is, was Dumbledore filled with false confidence, or was he 
looking beyond the mere retrieval of the locket to a greater plan 
which he did actually enable that night?

~Eloise