100 days to go.

[zaph]

dorrie6 wrote an excellent drabble about Peter Pettigrew and it got me thinking about something that has to be answered in the final book.

Comments

[ellipticcurve]

I disagree--I think Peter IS evil, precisely BECAUSE of his selfishness and fear. The books have been pretty consistent that 1) there are fates worse than death and causes important enough to sacrifice oneself for; and 2) the good guys agree with (1) while the bad guys disagree. When it came right down to it, Peter felt that there was nothing worse than death. That puts him squarely opposite Dumbledore (and, not incidentally, Harry, who chose sacrifice and altruism as early as book 1) and squarely alongside Voldemort.

I don't know if Peter can really be redeemed. Even his death won't expiate his crimes. I do think he has an important part left to play, and will probably be pivotal to Voldemort's downfall, but I think the best he can hope for now is to go out like a hero.

Honestly, I've been disappointed with the short shrift given to Peter's story ever since book 3. I think he's a terrific example of the banality of evil, as well as of a believably-motivated villain: pushed around and never taken seriously by the people he called his best friends, he wanted to be important; having betrayed friends once, he's determined to be loyal to his NEW friends no matter the cost; having grown up in an increasingly dangerous and unstable world, he just wanted to feel safe. That he is basically a pathetic character does not make his actions any less defensible.