Pearlette to 00sevvie
(Anonymous)
I'm no fan of Dumbledore, and I do think he at least subconsciously 'groomed' Harry to be loyal to him and unquestioning of his decisions, but I agree that the pedophile analogy goes a bit too far.
Just a bit, eh? ;)
Regarding his 'cabin fever:' yes, it's natural to feel that way. But what differentiates the mature from the immature is the attitude one takes towards it and how one handles the situation. A mature person, understanding the risk, would say to themselves 'This is really getting to me, but given the consequences I had better just deal with it the best I can, it won't last forever. My wife and son are in danger, not just me; I can't do anything that might jeopardize them even if I hate it here.' And would just deal with it. Not complain about it and sulk, not keep saying they wish they could sneak out and be reckless again. If they discussed how they felt with their family, it would be more along the lines of 'you know, I really hate being cooped up like this, but I understand why we've got to do it. It won't be forever. I'll do the best I can to handle it.' Given that we never see such an attitude expressed by James regarding everything else, there's not much evidence that he felt that way about hiding, and Lily's letter certainly would still fit with a reading of James as having a rather immature attitude about it all.
But this is projecting onto the text. All Lily’s letter says is that James is a bit unhappy about being cooped up, not that he’s ‘complaining and sulking’ and bugging her about it.
If they discussed how they felt with their family, it would be more along the lines of 'you know, I really hate being cooped up like this, but I understand why we've got to do it. It won't be forever. I'll do the best I can to handle it.'
Well, maybe James did that very thing. Except that he didn’t, nor did he do what you have suggested, i.e. moan and complain, because he isn’t real and none of this ever happened. :D
In any case … this thread is supposed to be about Lily. Back to her parenting skills:
It's the attitude of young inexperienced parents who are sincere in their love but who IMHO still haven't got the responsibility aspect down perfectly.
Or maybe they’re just a couple of young wizards who know very well that a wizarding baby won’t come to any harm if he’s whizzing about on his baby broomstick. It’s not exactly analogous to a real-life situation.
And maybe Lily’s comment about little Harry nearly killing the cat is a joke and not to be taken so literally. That’s how I read it, certainly.
-- Pearlette
Just a bit, eh? ;)
Regarding his 'cabin fever:' yes, it's natural to feel that way. But what differentiates the mature from the immature is the attitude one takes towards it and how one handles the situation. A mature person, understanding the risk, would say to themselves 'This is really getting to me, but given the consequences I had better just deal with it the best I can, it won't last forever. My wife and son are in danger, not just me; I can't do anything that might jeopardize them even if I hate it here.' And would just deal with it. Not complain about it and sulk, not keep saying they wish they could sneak out and be reckless again. If they discussed how they felt with their family, it would be more along the lines of 'you know, I really hate being cooped up like this, but I understand why we've got to do it. It won't be forever. I'll do the best I can to handle it.' Given that we never see such an attitude expressed by James regarding everything else, there's not much evidence that he felt that way about hiding, and Lily's letter certainly would still fit with a reading of James as having a rather immature attitude about it all.
But this is projecting onto the text. All Lily’s letter says is that James is a bit unhappy about being cooped up, not that he’s ‘complaining and sulking’ and bugging her about it.
If they discussed how they felt with their family, it would be more along the lines of 'you know, I really hate being cooped up like this, but I understand why we've got to do it. It won't be forever. I'll do the best I can to handle it.'
Well, maybe James did that very thing. Except that he didn’t, nor did he do what you have suggested, i.e. moan and complain, because he isn’t real and none of this ever happened. :D
In any case … this thread is supposed to be about Lily. Back to her parenting skills:
It's the attitude of young inexperienced parents who are sincere in their love but who IMHO still haven't got the responsibility aspect down perfectly.
Or maybe they’re just a couple of young wizards who know very well that a wizarding baby won’t come to any harm if he’s whizzing about on his baby broomstick. It’s not exactly analogous to a real-life situation.
And maybe Lily’s comment about little Harry nearly killing the cat is a joke and not to be taken so literally. That’s how I read it, certainly.
-- Pearlette