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Author mary-j-59
Genre informal essay, probably about 500 words long.
warnings none
We've been having a fairly heated discussion about Severus and Remus - and it struck me just now that no one has mentioned the trait these young men have in common. It's a lot more obvious in Severus, at least to me, but Remus shows signs of it, too, if you look carefully.
They are both depressed.
I've gone into detail, in an earlier essay (February 09, on Snapedom) about Severus and his grief. Jodel from aol was perhaps the first to spot Remus and his. He looks worn, tired, and shabby; he suffers from a chronic illness that isolates him - what could be a clearer metaphor for depression? Jodel remarks that In fact there was a curious lack of enthusiasm about Remus John Lupin altogether. There was no “fire” there. She also remarks that, in spite of his strengths, Like both Severus Snape, and Sirius Black, Remus Lupin was a profoundly damaged man
As I've said, one of the things that Severus Snape struggles with is depression - he is a man in mourning. Jodel points out that Sirius, too, is depressed, at least in OOTP, when he is trapped in his parents' house and sliding into alcoholism. And Remus Lupin is like them!
Tonks, too, becomes depressed when Remus rejects her - or so we are told. And what happens to her? She and Remus are both killed. Sirius, too, is killed, and so is Severus. In all four cases, we never see anyone mourn for the dead - not really - and there is no funeral described.
Isn't that odd?
But that is how mourning is treated in the Potterverse. Albus Dumbledore praises Harry when - just about a month after his beloved godfather's death - Harry puts all thought of Sirius aside. It is wrong to mourn, it seems, and if you do, you will be punished. The hero is a person who is able to put aside his grief at will.
So there you have it. Much as they dislike each other, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape do have something in common. They are depressed. And, in the Potterverse, depression is a weakness for which you will be punished. The punishment is death.
As I said, this is just an informal essay, and I may be overstating my case. But I really don't like the way Rowling approaches grief and mourning in these books. What do you think?
Genre informal essay, probably about 500 words long.
warnings none
We've been having a fairly heated discussion about Severus and Remus - and it struck me just now that no one has mentioned the trait these young men have in common. It's a lot more obvious in Severus, at least to me, but Remus shows signs of it, too, if you look carefully.
They are both depressed.
I've gone into detail, in an earlier essay (February 09, on Snapedom) about Severus and his grief. Jodel from aol was perhaps the first to spot Remus and his. He looks worn, tired, and shabby; he suffers from a chronic illness that isolates him - what could be a clearer metaphor for depression? Jodel remarks that In fact there was a curious lack of enthusiasm about Remus John Lupin altogether. There was no “fire” there. She also remarks that, in spite of his strengths, Like both Severus Snape, and Sirius Black, Remus Lupin was a profoundly damaged man
As I've said, one of the things that Severus Snape struggles with is depression - he is a man in mourning. Jodel points out that Sirius, too, is depressed, at least in OOTP, when he is trapped in his parents' house and sliding into alcoholism. And Remus Lupin is like them!
Tonks, too, becomes depressed when Remus rejects her - or so we are told. And what happens to her? She and Remus are both killed. Sirius, too, is killed, and so is Severus. In all four cases, we never see anyone mourn for the dead - not really - and there is no funeral described.
Isn't that odd?
But that is how mourning is treated in the Potterverse. Albus Dumbledore praises Harry when - just about a month after his beloved godfather's death - Harry puts all thought of Sirius aside. It is wrong to mourn, it seems, and if you do, you will be punished. The hero is a person who is able to put aside his grief at will.
So there you have it. Much as they dislike each other, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape do have something in common. They are depressed. And, in the Potterverse, depression is a weakness for which you will be punished. The punishment is death.
As I said, this is just an informal essay, and I may be overstating my case. But I really don't like the way Rowling approaches grief and mourning in these books. What do you think?