I have a lot of thoughts about this, but the one most pressing on my mind is
What's with all the unforgivable curses?! o_O
Seriously, our brave hero goes around using Imperious and Cruciartis on random goblins and deatheaters? Griphook actually orders harry to use Imperious on his fellow working stiff. McGonnagle uses an unforgivable curse to, and all of this when, for disabling purposes, stuff like petrificus totalus or encarcerus work just as well, if not better than the torture curse, and there's little an Imperioused individual will do that you can't accomplish in the short term with memory modification or confundus. I find this very hard to take, especially considering the utterly offhand and dismissive way in which the unforgivable curses are used. There's no drama, no heart-stopping shock from those around him, no sense of morals betrayed or disillusionment. The two most potent and inhumane spells in all of Rowling-recorded thaumaturgy are hurled about by beloved characters the way monkeys fling crap. It's just plain out of character.
Very disatsifying. =/
There is a way things have to be done in writing stories, stories differ from reality, the heroes have to dabble in illegal things. The heroes have to do everything and anything they can to stop the bad guys. If the heroes had an easy time of it without moral dilemma's, than the villain is obviously not scary/cool enough. Trust me, its good for characters to have this happen. And there were moral dilemma's to it, JK rowling just left us to deal with them, if she showed the repercussions it would slow down the pacing, because they aren't needed. Especially since this isn't the first time we have seen our heroes use them.
If you were on that cart, going into Gringotts and you knew that the only way you could find the thing you need to bring down the bad guy, was to take control of another person, would you do anything different? Would you say to the Goblin...hi, I need to break into somebody's vault, but no, I"m not stealing money, I'm stealing something from you know freakin who, but if I destroy it, it could potentially kill him..." You think he is going to let you? Even if he did, all those freaking death eaters had to do then was torture the goblin into telling them that he helped them. But by you casting that horrible spell on him, you get the thing and help destroy moldymort.
Well then...that is why she used them, sure they are horrible, they are illegal...I mean torture, loss of free will, and murder...I agree that those are prisonable offences...But sometimes the hero has to take matters into his own hand. (I'm still talking about harry potter)
I have a lot of thoughts about this, but the one most pressing on my mind is
What's with all the unforgivable curses?! o_O
Seriously, our brave hero goes around using Imperious and Cruciartis on random goblins and deatheaters? Griphook actually orders harry to use Imperious on his fellow working stiff. McGonnagle uses an unforgivable curse to, and all of this when, for disabling purposes, stuff like petrificus totalus or encarcerus work just as well, if not better than the torture curse, and there's little an Imperioused individual will do that you can't accomplish in the short term with memory modification or confundus. I find this very hard to take, especially considering the utterly offhand and dismissive way in which the unforgivable curses are used. There's no drama, no heart-stopping shock from those around him, no sense of morals betrayed or disillusionment. The two most potent and inhumane spells in all of Rowling-recorded thaumaturgy are hurled about by beloved characters the way monkeys fling crap. It's just plain out of character.
Very disatsifying. =/
I completely agree w/ you! plus there was so much death that by the time Lupin dies it is mentioned as an off handed comment! I had to re-read atleast 4 times for it to really sink in. I thought that was heartless!
Lupin's death wasn't an off hand comment, she used that part to shock people...as you obviously were. Those types of deaths create atmosphere, and pacing. If you are in a battle scene with dozens of characters you care about, the best thing the author can do is cause shock to readers by some people's sudden unexpected deaths. If JK Rowling had spent a lot of time on each characters death, the last chapter would be slow, with exposition interrupting action and emotion. Sure it can be dissatisfiying, but I fail to see how an author could have handled it better than her and still have the heart racing non stop action throughout that she was able to achieve. she handled it beautifully.
First off, I'm not sure I agree with your basic argument, that the ends justify the means and the hero's always have to be nearly as bad as the villains, but even if I accept htat your argument is flawed. They weren't totally necisary. Like I said, a good confundus charm or modify memory can accomplish the same effect as the imperious curse in the short term. Cruciartus isn't used to extract information, it's just used offhand to disable people, a job which Petrificus Totalus can accomplish much better and without the attention-attracting screams. Harry Potter mainly hurls around unforgivable curses because he feels like it. An internal explanation, thoughts, something to adress the moral dillemma >>is<< necisary because these actions are not required, and because the behavior is so totally out of character for Harry, and even more so for Professor McGonnagal. The overall impression is that J. K. Rowling edited in the unforgivable curses at the last minute because she thought the work needed to be darker, with no regard for how or why they were employed.
I can accept that. I think it is Harry Potter's character that is flawed, in my previous post I say JK Rowling seemed to be torn between two characterizations of Harry Potter's character. She wanted him to be an "anti hero" type character who goes around doing dark shocking things, but isn't necessarily a bad guy. The other thing she wanted, was a self sacrificing boy who experiences righteous indignation to bring about his means. What we get, is a boy whos character doesn't match 20 pages after him using an unforgivable curse. And, I agree, Mcgonigal using an unforgivable curse is not cool, at all. She is a powerful witch, and I don't see her using them.
I think the only character she got right, didn't ruin, was compelling, tragic, awesome, and the only character she stayed true to, was Snape.
Topic: Harry Potter 7 Discussion!! (WARNING - SPOILERS) (Read 8421 times)
