Oh, it seems clear to me that Harry has the potential to go bad; he won't end up doing so, because he cares about other people and it would mess up the plot, but I think he would be capable of it. And yes, it takes effort to be good -- although perhaps less for some people, in some ways, t han for others. It's Riddle whose depiction isn't really what I was expecting -- basically, if he were meant to have ignored or squelched his virtue or even doubts, I think we might have needed to see him before they were entirely gone.
There still are parallels. We even had one more introduced--we were very explicitly told that both Harry and Voldemort regarded Hogwarts as the first place they really felt at home. And I think that to some degree Harry is being led to pity Voldemort -- for, as you say, not ever being loved, among other things -- instead of just feeling uncomfortable about having things in common with his enemy. (Of course, pitying his enemy isn't exactly comfortable either.)
I suppose it's challenging to explain evil -- and lead your hero to show compassion -- without seeming to excuse it.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-08-17 07:42 pm (UTC)There still are parallels. We even had one more introduced--we were very explicitly told that both Harry and Voldemort regarded Hogwarts as the first place they really felt at home. And I think that to some degree Harry is being led to pity Voldemort -- for, as you say, not ever being loved, among other things -- instead of just feeling uncomfortable about having things in common with his enemy. (Of course, pitying his enemy isn't exactly comfortable either.)
I suppose it's challenging to explain evil -- and lead your hero to show compassion -- without seeming to excuse it.