thistlechaser | Quickie post, HP thoughts (Reply)

I was bothered by a couple things while reading the book, all of them along the same trend:

- The Slytherins as nothing but a snickering, mocking pack of jackals.
- Peter as a lowly, worthless hanger-on in MWPP.
- Filch actually wanting to really whip kids once he had the chance.

All three of these things were because the characters in question were too simplistic, too one dimensional. Why would the other three keep Peter around if he wasn't a friend? Just to have someone closer at hand to pick on?

But Filch was the reason for this post. JKR really goes out of her way to unfairly set up people as being liked or disliked (see also: Peter). If Filch honestly and truly wanted to whip and torture children, why would Dumbledore keep him around? And yet JKR had him jumping at the first chance, scurrying off to get whatever permission slip from Umbridge's office so he could do it.

My opinion is that there must be something good within him, otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't keep him around and with the children. Sure he's not a nice person, but should he really, seriously want to physically hurt kids? I just don't buy that.

It feels odd saying that an author is writing her own characters wrong, but I believe in this case (and in the case of Peter) she is.

...work calls. Bah.