Motherhood in HP
| I thought I would just throw this up as another place to think about and watch in book 7 for major meaning developments. We have always known that the mother figure is important for Rowling (as is the father figure, each in their own distinct way) and this is quite natural, for JKR is herself a mother of 3. For both Harry and Voldy their mother's played important roles in who they are and how they look at the world. But we also see it in other "minor" characters. At a Quidditch match Fred and George are restraining Ron from going after Malfoy physically ... until Malfoy makes a comment about Molly Weasley, and then all 3 Weasleys light into him. And Neville reverences something as small as a candy wrapper given to him by his mother at St Mungo's in book 5. In book 6 we get a "mother drop" on possibly the most central character as far as the meaning of the books goes - Snape's mother, Eileen Prince. It is no small fact that he takes her last name as an emblematic moniker for himself. Be looking for something big about her in book 7. |
Comments on "Motherhood in HP"
-
Pauli said ... (December 17, 2005 1:26 PM)
:
-
Merlin said ... (December 17, 2005 5:17 PM)
:
post a commentHey, I was just meditating on this. Harry has his "mother's eyes" - we read that time after time. What if that has more than just sentimental significance and the repetition is meant to reinforce something deeper? Maybe Harry's father and mother don't just have differently colored eyes, maybe they different points of view about certain people...like maybe Snape for instance? Maybe in the end Harry will finally see Snape with his mother's eyes rather than his father's.
Good observation, I hadn't thought of that but I think it is a really good possibility - even a high probability. There is an unuaully high occurrence of references to Harry having his mother's eyes, so it is most likely important.
"vision" in general is important in the books, especially in book 5 with legilemancy as "mind reading" and I have already stated somewhere my theory that the legilemency communcication we all suspect to have occurred atop the tower, is a communication much broader than simple "statements," more like an instantabeous vision of understanding including ramification and suspicions and fears - "a picture is worth a thousand words."
In addition to that you have the role played by prophetic "visions" in the story, which is, I think, intentionally grey - a question of whether or not divination really holds the type of knowledge or "vision" people seek from it. I think it is entirely likely that she will develop this line of thinking on vision too - Harry needing to see Snape through new eyes.
To quote a band Pauli and I used to be really into in their early days:
"I walked through the day
In my usual way,
looking through a two-by-four"
or David Eugiene Edwards, formerly of the now defunct 16 Horsepower:
"We can't see clearly
No, our eyes are made of wood
Let's bend our knees
like we know we should"