Death, Killing and Harry's Angst (WAS: A Simpler Scenario

[Lyn J. Mangiameli]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "nrenka" <nrenka at y...> wrote:
> --- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Lyn J. Mangiameli" 
> <kumayama at e...> wrote:
> 
> <snip>
> 
> > Lyn again:
> > At this point, Rowling just hasn't developed enough what she means 
> > by having one's sole ripped, and the possible ramifications. The 
> > only clear consequence of a soul being ripped that she has 
> > presented thus far is actually one of utility, the ability to make 
> > a Hx. She implies that a ripped soul is bad, but she has yet to 
> > demonstrate in what way it is bad for one. She has definitely left 
> > open that one can do good whether or not one's soul has been  
> > ripped. 
> 
> A ripped sole is generally bad for walking on. :)

Lyn:
How embarassing---and funny!
> 
> Not fully developed, no--but it does fit in with her essentialist 
> ideas.  I'm thinking of PoA, and the whole thing there with the 
> removal of the soul being a fate worse than death.  It's clearly some 
> sort of thing, and to damage/remove it is to do something horrible to 
> a person as a person.
> 
Lyn:
This is actually a very interesting point for me. As Rowling seems to mix mind and 
conciousness into her conceptualization of the soul, then it would seem the remaining 
body would rather be without the ability to appreciate any problem, or loss, or future. If 
so, in and of itself it doesn't seem that such an existence would be subject to any pain or 
trouble. So thus, the awfullness of the fate can only be with respect to some lost afterlife, 
which at least thus far JKR has (mercifully IMO) been rather vague and ambigous about.