Post by Douglas on Jan 11, 2008 18:43:52 GMT -8
This theme came out during a discussion I had with my brother about a particular scene in one of the Harry Potter books (Book 4, The Goblet of Fire). It was the scene in which Harry first duels with Lord Voldemort. Harry is saved from certain destruction by a strange twist of fate in which his wand connects with Voldemorts allowing him time to escape. It has nothing to do with Harry's skill or his strength of character or anything other than dumb luck.
My Brother was very disappointed with this as he was looking for more in the character of Harry. But i think that this might be a major theme in literature. what i mean is that often evil is so powerful that in the end no human strength can over come it. Help comes from some outside power.
An excellent example of this is the scene in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings where Frodo, having travels hundreds of miles to destroy the ring is unable to do so. He is completely overcome by evil and claims the ring as his own. In the end evil is destroyed not by strength but by weakness and dumb luck. Gollum, frodo's arch nemesis, steals the ring and in his glee trips and fall into the fire and there by saves the world.
I think this is a major theme in Star Wars as well. In the end it is the force that wins the battle the more that Luke forces his own self out of the picture and allows the force to work through him the more he can accomplish.
This seems to be a pretty major theme in popular literature. I was reflecting on Homer's Iliad and i believe that it it there as well. Time and time again the strength of the warriors is stripped away and the real powers at work are shown to be the gods. In the end the Iliad is more about an argument between the Gods than a battle between men.
It could even be said to be a biblical theme as well. The bible reveals that Sin is so powerful and seductive that human being on their own can never fully get rid of it. It affects everything we do, say, think, and believe. In the end it is only by the grace of God that we are saved. In our weakness he sent his own son to give men and women what they could never get for themselves: Life.
Maybe i am seeing to much in Harry Potter but this is one of the reasons that i like the books. They do not portray an all powerful hero blasting though walls but a fairly normal fellow who has faithful friends and who has been "called" in a sense to be an instrument of good. It is not because he is stronger, smarter, or more skilled but because he was willing sacrifice himself to overcome evil.
Just some crazy thoughts. Hope someone out there understands what i am getting at.
Douglas
My Brother was very disappointed with this as he was looking for more in the character of Harry. But i think that this might be a major theme in literature. what i mean is that often evil is so powerful that in the end no human strength can over come it. Help comes from some outside power.
An excellent example of this is the scene in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings where Frodo, having travels hundreds of miles to destroy the ring is unable to do so. He is completely overcome by evil and claims the ring as his own. In the end evil is destroyed not by strength but by weakness and dumb luck. Gollum, frodo's arch nemesis, steals the ring and in his glee trips and fall into the fire and there by saves the world.
I think this is a major theme in Star Wars as well. In the end it is the force that wins the battle the more that Luke forces his own self out of the picture and allows the force to work through him the more he can accomplish.
This seems to be a pretty major theme in popular literature. I was reflecting on Homer's Iliad and i believe that it it there as well. Time and time again the strength of the warriors is stripped away and the real powers at work are shown to be the gods. In the end the Iliad is more about an argument between the Gods than a battle between men.
It could even be said to be a biblical theme as well. The bible reveals that Sin is so powerful and seductive that human being on their own can never fully get rid of it. It affects everything we do, say, think, and believe. In the end it is only by the grace of God that we are saved. In our weakness he sent his own son to give men and women what they could never get for themselves: Life.
Maybe i am seeing to much in Harry Potter but this is one of the reasons that i like the books. They do not portray an all powerful hero blasting though walls but a fairly normal fellow who has faithful friends and who has been "called" in a sense to be an instrument of good. It is not because he is stronger, smarter, or more skilled but because he was willing sacrifice himself to overcome evil.
Just some crazy thoughts. Hope someone out there understands what i am getting at.
Douglas
