JKR has a tendency to lead to dislike someone (note: Snape) and then show us another side of them.
We have to think then, what is Percy's role in the books? If we were writing the series, what would he represent, what side of the story is he showing us?
If I were writing the books, I have to admit that Percy would be there to give us a three-dimensional look at the bad guys; show us how someone with perfectly ordinary motivations (not that evil villain rubbing his hands together 'and now Mr. Bond I will show you the Death Ray and my plan for world domination!') would end up on the wrong side and do perfectly awful things.
As soon as people really hated him, I would have him do something unexpectedly good -- to keep him in a grey zone -- but still have him on the wrong side of the fight, unaware he's on the wrong side. He would be my barometer of the banality of evil, give people insight to show that the 'bad guys' are really very ordinary, selfish people. Not horrid in why they do things, but horrid in what they do. I've seen this over and over in the corporate world.
And, I hate to say this, I would never redeem him, nor would I have him realise his role in the mess even after Voldemort is defeated. In addition, I would make him very successful after the defeat of Voldemort, too, go on to great things... while the good guys are heralded for their role and then forgotten. Just to make the point that just because people win doesn't mean they're in the right.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2003-07-28 01:20 am (UTC)We have to think then, what is Percy's role in the books? If we were writing the series, what would he represent, what side of the story is he showing us?
If I were writing the books, I have to admit that Percy would be there to give us a three-dimensional look at the bad guys; show us how someone with perfectly ordinary motivations (not that evil villain rubbing his hands together 'and now Mr. Bond I will show you the Death Ray and my plan for world domination!') would end up on the wrong side and do perfectly awful things.
As soon as people really hated him, I would have him do something unexpectedly good -- to keep him in a grey zone -- but still have him on the wrong side of the fight, unaware he's on the wrong side. He would be my barometer of the banality of evil, give people insight to show that the 'bad guys' are really very ordinary, selfish people. Not horrid in why they do things, but horrid in what they do. I've seen this over and over in the corporate world.
And, I hate to say this, I would never redeem him, nor would I have him realise his role in the mess even after Voldemort is defeated. In addition, I would make him very successful after the defeat of Voldemort, too, go on to great things... while the good guys are heralded for their role and then forgotten. Just to make the point that just because people win doesn't mean they're in the right.
Icarus