Yeah, I'm not done talking about the book yet. As an offshoot of yesterday's conversation, the subject of Rita Skeeter came up. She's another character, who while ostensibly not on Voldemort's side, per se, has at the very least a greyish tint to her character. One of the more interesting things is the question, "Does Rita Skeeter lie?" Think about it. She may not tell the whole truth, and she make take things out of context, but does she ever out and out lie? Typically, she takes an actual incident (out of context) and then poses questions. Harry ran from Dumbledore's death scene (fact). Could there have been more to it? Was he somehow involved? I was struck by the fact that she did often tell the truth (kind of).
Which leads to a bigger question of truth in the book. Many people lie, or at least avoid telling the whole truth. Look at Dumbledore. Look at Snape. Did lying make them automatically evil? Did it work for the "greater good" or did it impede the greater good? How is lying portrayed in the book? It is always necessary for everyone to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? What would have happened had Harry known that he would survive Voldemort killing him? It might have made his actions less noble, but would it have changed the outcome?
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Truth and lying... another great debate.
What do you think about truth in real life? Does it need to be absolute? Is it acceptable to tell half-truths or to not say anything - even when you know the truth?
What do you value "truth" to be? And is it always necessary for everyone to know it? Good question...
Are there times where you lie when you think you're helping someone - or sparing them from something painful or uncomfortable? And if there are those times... then do you consider yourself still "evil" for having lied?
I don't know the answers to all of those things... but I DO agree that the themes in those books make you THINK.
I'm reading a book for Book Club right now that I'm not going to finish... I've only read 80 pages of the 400+ and I'm OUT already. I can't handle the deceit... the lying... the ickiness. It may be too "real" for me to take in my reading material. Wierd how that works that way... =P~
I think there are times when you should avoid saying things that are hurtful, even if they are true. I'm not into out and out lying, but I'll jump through hoops to avoid saying something without lying about it. It just seems if you lie, it ends up worse in the end.
I guess the big question is "Is not saying something the same as lying?" I hope not.
I agree with you wholeheartedly... I try not to hurt people - even if it means being creative in your responses or lack of responses to people. *shrug*
I, too, hate lying. Sometimes it's merited or required but I try not to do it anyway.
And I'm not sure about "omission"... they say sins of "omission" are as bad as sins of "comission". I'm still straddling the fence on this one! =S
In reponse to the last question, if Harry had known he'd come back to life would that have changed the outcome. I absolutely believe it would have. It was that very "nobility" that made the difference. Harry's willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good, just as his mother died for him, was what protected his friends and loved ones from Vodemort at the end. None of Voldy's spells worked on the students, faculty or Order members. That let Harry relax a bit and focus on fighting Voldemort himself. I've always found a lot of religious symbolism in the books, but the whole dying and coming back things went a little far, I think.
Can't agree with you more about the resurrection of Harry. Over the line, imho. I too, think that the whole plan would not have worked had he known he would be ok. Not sure of the logic behind that, but while cruel, it did seem to be necessary.
Oh and that epilogue? Fanfiction. I know she needed to do something to prevent other people from continuing the story, but it was terribly lame.
I was thinking the same thing about the epilogue, pure fanfiction, and not the good kind. I honestly think it was tacked on in an attempt to curb the fanfiction that she hates so much, especially the slash. Even for people who like Harry with Ginny, it was so cheesy and pathetic. Even the kids names were pulled out of fanfiction.
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