Lightning Strikes, The Marauders |
 Feb 18 2007, 09:21 PM
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Queen of Scribbuliciousness  Posts: 2,525 Joined: 1:00am October 2, 2005 Location: Deathly Hallows is my Rochester, my Romeo, my Heathcliffe...    |
Lightning Strikes
The Electricity of Life, Death and Redemption By Julia Ross / Narya Please use this thread to discuss Narya's chapter on Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs and their roles in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Will we see James and Sirius again? What will happen to traitor Pettigrew? Will things end well for the kind and gentle Lupin? Clicking on the chapter title in this post will take you to the chapter. This post has been edited by SeverineSnape: Feb 20 2007, 01:21 AM --------------------  Jeeves, I am not awake. I have not had my tea and yet you bring me Fink-Nottles. |
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Feb 24 2007, 10:57 AM
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Founders Groupie  Posts: 1,753 Joined: 8:52pm July 21, 2005 Location: Eating the Holy Grain and watching life return to the Forbidden Forest |
I just love the lightning motif in your chapter, Narya. There is indeed electricity flowing through these four young adults, both in their relationships to each other, and the impact those relationships have had on the Wizarding World. For good or ill, I believe that the Marauders will ride again in the Deathly Hallows--their actions will once again provide crucial grist for the Wheel of Fate.
A lovely read!  PP  -------------------- OPAST, Vault 717, Order of the Holy Grain
Boothies of the World, Unite! picture by fawkes28 Numquam Luna Lupinotuum |
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Feb 24 2007, 11:28 AM
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Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 1 Joined: 8:18pm July 20, 2005 |
[font=Palatino Linotype][color=#333399][font=Palatino Linotype]Nicely done, Narya!
Although it's clear that JKR's theme is love and its redemptive power, it's interesting to note that hatred in canon is almost an equally strong force. Snape, for instance, is bound in relation forever to the four people he hated most: the Marauders. Once he came into contact with them, everything he made of his life was in direct reaction to the events that took place among them. Even after two of them are dead, he is still driven by the force of his feelings about them. So including him in a discussion about the Marauders is very appropriate. I believe that love will conquer hatred in the form of Harry's defeat of Voldemort and his living through the final battle that takes LV's life. But whether Snape can conquer his hatred of the Marauders, living or dead, is another question. In this struggle, his true opponent is himself, and I wonder if he has the level of self-awareness necessary to give up his blood feud with the Marauders (which includes Harry, as their literal or metaphorical heir). Although Snape is a brilliant and gifted man, he has never chosen to subject himself to honest self-examination, instead letting his rage and resentment drive him. Sirius, on the other hand, is motivated by his intuitive understanding of good and evil. His conflict with his parents was caused only by his decision to part ways with them, and that happened very early in his life. By the age of 11 he saw clearly what his parents' belief system would lead, and he was already prepared to make himself into a different sort of person. The essay describes Sirius as the negative energy in the force that was the Marauders, but I think negative is a harsh word to assign to him. No one else in canon made a decision like Sirius's-to reject the wealth, comfort and status of his family out of principle (well, maybe Regulus, belatedly and sub rosa). The force of Sirius's personality was the greatest among the four-only he could command James's obedience. The thoughful, insightful Sirius of book 4 shows us what he might have become without Voldemort in the world. In that book, he is not complimentary to Snape but neither is he irrational. That only comes in book 6 when he is subjected to emotional pressure beyond what he can bear. Snape, on the other hand, had no particular reason to choose the dark side other than a difficult childhood (but no more difficult than, say, Neville's-or Harry's). We don't yet know what the steps were that led him to join the DEs, but someone as clever as Snape should never have been tempted to support LV in the first place. He had nothing to gain. We never see him as desiring power, money or fame-all the things that normally lead people to moral corruption. He seems uninterested in any other human being-except for James, Remus and Sirius. The obvious implication is that Snape made his decision based not on his enthusiasm for LV but on his loathing of his 3 classmates. (Yes, Lily is probably a factor here too, but she was an honorary Marauder anyhow by the time they all left Hogwarts.) So I would assign the negativity to Snape, not to Sirius. I have one question about your essay. Why do you think that James was pampered? I don't remember any textual support for that idea. Laura |
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Feb 24 2007, 03:38 PM
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Chief Mischief-Maker Posts: 8,572 Joined: 5:07pm January 28, 2005 Location: The Marauder's Map never lies ... |
QUOTE(Prongs Patronus @ Feb 24 2007, 03:57 PM) [snapback]1113658[/snapback] I just love the lightning motif in your chapter, Narya. There is indeed electricity flowing through these four young adults, both in their relationships to each other, and the impact those relationships have had on the Wizarding World. For good or ill, I believe that the Marauders will ride again in the Deathly Hallows--their actions will once again provide crucial grist for the Wheel of Fate. A lovely read! PP Thank you, PP. I loved writing the chapter - the Marauders have always been my favourite character in the series. I really do think that the Marauders will each play their part in Deathly Hallows ... James and Sirius fuel the love which Harry is able to feel, and Remus is the one link which Harry has left to his father - apart from Snape himself, of course. Peter, as we know, has a life debt to pay, so whether he influences the plotline for good or ill is one of the most fascinating questions which JKR has yet to answer. QUOTE(mischiefmanager @ Feb 24 2007, 04:28 PM) [snapback]1113677[/snapback] But whether Snape can conquer his hatred of the Marauders, living or dead, is another question. In this struggle, his true opponent is himself, and I wonder if he has the level of self-awareness necessary to give up his blood feud with the Marauders (which includes Harry, as their literal or metaphorical heir). Thank you for your compliment, mischiefmanager. I do agree that Snape has a part to play in the final dénouement of the Marauders' story too, and whether he is able to overcome the vitriol which darkens his personality, especially in relation to James and Sirius, is an interesting question to ponder. The virulence which blighted his relationship with them has carried on to the present day, and of course Harry suffers greatly because of it. For Snape to truly grow as a wizard, he must find it within himself to do so. He has chosen to make himself what he is ... and he now has nowhere left to run. QUOTE(mischiefmanager @ Feb 24 2007, 04:28 PM) [snapback]1113677[/snapback] The essay describes Sirius as the negative energy in the force that was the Marauders, but I think negative is a harsh word to assign to him. It's only negative in the sense that the word itself suggests that the state of negativity is somehow undesirable. In the context of contrast to James as the positive energy, I visualised them both as component parts of a lightning bolt, and used metaphor and symbolism to show that one could not exist without the other. This might explain it a little better: QUOTE The structure of a typical lightning bolt is surprisingly complex. It begins with a large thunderstorm. Through a process that is not yet fully understood, charge separates within the cloud, causing the top to become positively charged and the bottom negatively charged. This negative charge attracts a "shadow" of positive charge on the ground below. When enough charge accumulates, a lightning bolt occurs. from: this website So James and Sirius between them make a lightning bolt of energy ... essentially, it's not so much that Sirius is the "negative" and James is the "positive" - it's their combination which made them what they were, and drove the quartet with its explosive energy. QUOTE(mischiefmanager @ Feb 24 2007, 04:28 PM) [snapback]1113677[/snapback] I have one question about your essay. Why do you think that James was pampered? I don't remember any textual support for that idea. Laura The idea that James was "pampered" isn't explicit in the text, but it comes from JKR's Leaky Cauldron interview in 2005: QUOTE James's parents were elderly, were getting on a little when he was born, which explains the only child, very pampered, had-him-late-in-life-so-he's-an-extra-treasure, as often happens, I think. from: this interview I think that this is important in the context of James's character - he clearly went through an arrogant phase when he was fifteen, but grew out of that to become the "immensely brave" wizard (again, JKR's words) who died trying to protect his wife and baby son. -------------------- Proud Gryffindor
  and OPAST member"Hallows," murmured Dumbledore, "not Horcruxes. Precisely."  |
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Mar 15 2007, 09:24 PM
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Hiding in the Iron Maiden at Borgin and Burkes Posts: 327 Joined: 10:18pm November 9, 2006 Location: alone on a hill, perfectly still |
I see the Dementors as the "negative" force in the book, like black holes drawing energy into themselves where it is lost.
And I do like your idea of the Marauders' positive and negative charges forming a circuit of energy and power. Very nice. Sort of dualistic/Taoist as well: the yin and the yang, each necessary to steady its opposite. -------------------- Come thunder! Come lightning!
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Mar 18 2007, 07:02 PM
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Chief Mischief-Maker Posts: 8,572 Joined: 5:07pm January 28, 2005 Location: The Marauder's Map never lies ... |
Thank you, Lost Centaur.
 Dementors are certainly a pervasive negative force - they sap any happiness which exists - and that's very unpleasant. You've hit on what I was trying to convey with James and Sirius - that's a very clever way of putting it! I see them as two halves of a whole, eternally interlinked ... it's a fitting analogy which describes the bond between them. -------------------- Proud Gryffindor
and OPAST member"Hallows," murmured Dumbledore, "not Horcruxes. Precisely." |
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Apr 2 2007, 06:44 PM
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Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 7 Joined: 5:57pm March 8, 2005 Location: Boise, Idaho :D |
That was quite some essay!!!
I loved how you took the Marauder relationships and put them into such a convincing metaphor. I always enjoy reading anything that has to do with these four young fellows. The relationship they had was so complex. What we know is that James and Sirius pretty much ruled the pack together. Whether the power leaned one way or the other, I'm not sure we can tell. But what I get from their leadership is that: James was the sporty/jocky type leader, while Sirius was the more rebelious (SP?), funny type leader. It's true in canon that they both enjoyed cracking jokes, and creating mischief, so I figure both of them on pretty much on an equal playing field in terms of popularity. Remus, as you so wonderfully showed, isn't near so much popular or the "lightning" of the group. I would like to picture him as getting along just fine with all his other classmates and have several good aquaintances outside the foursome. He strikes me as the type of person you would enjoy a good conversation with in class, but you hardly ever speak to outside the classroom setting. But that could just be me. As for Peter... his character is such a mystery to me. I mean, I know what he became... and I have a good idea of what he was thanks to the pensieve scene, but there are a lot of blanks. Did James just enjoy having him around because of the awe-inspired attention he showered him with? Did the other three feel sorry for him because he was the only boy in their dorm without a friend? Maybe Sirius and James hit it off all by themselves and let Peter and Remus into their tight group as an afterthought? All this we don't know... so many possibilities. All this, I would really love to know! All we can know for sure, is that somehow by the time they reached their fifth year, the four of them were a tight enough of a group to work hard to become animagii for their dear, wolfy friend Remus, and trust another enough to keep it secret. They found out secret-passageways, did brilliant magic, and just generally hung out together. But back to your essay... the symbolism with the lightening was spot-on, in my opinion. The group dynamic seems so much more complex than that of the trio... but then, we see the world through Harry's eyes for the most part, therefore, we see the trio interaction first hand. These discussions are so fun! Thanks for the wonderful essay! I enjoyed it so much! Anna 
-------------------- Always remember, you're unique, just like everyone else |
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