Merope Gaunt: Character Analysis

Thousand Thanks to HesHPfan (http://www.cosforums.com/member.php?u=52712), who did all the work for this thread. :D




Merope Gaunt, discarded wife of Tom Riddle Sr, daughter of Marvolo Gaunt, descendant of Salazar Slytherin, but most importantly the woman who gave birth to Tom Riddle, later known as Voldemort or rather He Who Must Not Be Named.

She didn't have a happy life and died in miserable conditions. Merope made some courage decisions during her life time. What drove her to these choices?


Eighteen-year-old Merope's hair is lank and dull and she has a "plain, pale, rather heavy face." Her eyes also gaze in opposite directions. Merope's father is extremely abusive to her and derisively calls her a "Squib" (and other dreadful things). It is no wonder that Harry observes that she looks "defeated." In addition to ragged clothing, Merope wears a heavy gold locket that her father claims belonged to Salazar Slytherin (HBP10).

Merope was intensely attracted to the wealthy Muggle Tom Riddle, but there were a couple problems. She knew her father would be violently opposed, and Tom saw her as an object of derision and disgust. However, after her brother and father were sent to Azkaban, Merope tricked Riddle into marrying her with a love potion. It is unknown why, but after she became pregnant she allowed the potion to wear off and Riddle abandoned her. Merope went to London, but was so destitute she sold her priceless gold locket to Caractacus Burke of Borgin & Burke's for a meager 10 galleons. Later she gave birth at a Muggle orphanage and died after naming her child Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Merope= Eyes or face turned (Greek). "The Pleiades are called seven in number, but only six can be seen. This reason has been advanced, that of the seven, six mated with immortals; the seventh was said to have been the wife of [mortal] Sisyphus ... On account of her other sisters she was placed among the constellations, but because she married a mortal, her star is dim."


Some questions to start:

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?



Please remember that this is a discussion thread. Criticism of the character should be constructive. There will be no character bashing. Posts considered to be bashing may be deleted by staff.

I think Merope is a fascinating character. In a way, she was a good person born into the wrong family. I think she is a witch, but that she was abused in a terrible way by her brother and father. The ability to concoct a love potion (or perform the Imperius curse) is to me proof that she was a witch. I think that if she had stayed alive for her son, Tom Riddle would have only ever been Tom Riddle. Or, he may have been a lot like Snape - a bit more of a follower rather than the absolute leader that he turned out to be.
I think that seeing how awful wizards can be (Morfin and Marvolo) made her want to live as a muggle. She saw a relatively decent man in Tom Riddle Sr (her perception), and in her mind muggles were better people than wizards. Therefore, even when she was in trouble, she used muggle means to try to get herself out of trouble.
Her death was not truly suicide, but I think that JK wrote an accurate portrayal of a "defeated" person who saw no reason to live. Harry's statement when he saw her was uncannily accurate, even for Harry. I think she thought it would be better for her son to grow up in an orphanage rather than to grow up with her, because she was already so defeated. In the grand scale she was wrong - it is hard to believe that Voldy would have been so terrible with her in the picture; after all, he turned out as evil as they come - but she had no way of knowing what her son would grow up to be.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?
As chparadise said, a love potion is out of a squib's league. She had talent, at least a little bit, but Marvolo saw only weakness in his Muggle-loving daughter and didn't give her credit for what she really was.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?
An attack of conscience or, as I believe the book said, a fit of self delusion. If it was conscience, she didn't want to have to chain her husband down with a potion and thought he might warm up to her. If it's self delusion, she, after months of keeping him under, convinced herself that he'd love her without the potion. Either way, she was wrong. Maybe she hoped so much that her life with him would be good and different than the one at home that she let him come up from the love potion to make their lives better.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?
A mix of self hatred and lack of knowledge. After getting abused and rejected all throughout her life, it's possible that magically conjuring food or the means to get food either never entered her mind as something she could do or she had no self confidence that she could pull it off. She didn't have a deathwish yet, as procuring funds at all indicates that she wanted to go on at least a little while longer. Also, considering her upbringing, I'm amazed that she managed a love potion at all. I'm guessing she never went to school, and probably wasn't educated much by her loathsome father. It's possible that his antipathy towards her only triggered later in life as she became twitterpated with Senor Riddle, and could thus have learned tricks from her father beforehand (actually, given that she has recognizable skill, this seems at least somewhat likely) and been shunned in later years. Maybe she never got around to learning stuff like that.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?
Read the above answer, and also chparadise's. She may have simply given up at that point. The baby could go to an orphanage and she didn't have to try anymore. I don't think she did this out of hatred for the child, but probably hatred for herself. She was taught that she was nothing and had that lesson beaten into her by life and all those she met. And so, with the baby born and her life weakening, she gave up.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?
Yes, if only by default. I think she would have been a "my childhood sucked so I'm going to try to make yours not suck" type of person rather than a "my childhood sucked so I'm gonna make yours suck too" type of person. Of course, she might've tried to force her unruly child to obey by drugging him, so who knows?

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
Yes. If love really is one of if not the central theme in the story, then yes, a choice to hold on and raise her son in a loving way ought to have had a profound affect on him.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?
Tragic. She had heritage, skills, and a slightly scary at times but still hopeful nature. Are there things that coulda/woulda/shoulda gone differently? Yes. She made some weird and silly decisions and ultimately gave birth to a monster. But it's tough to get down on her as some type of villain. She's sad and lamentable but also no one to be admired or looked up to.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

I agree with the others who have said that the things we saw her do weren't possible for a squib. I think that she was constantly on edge because of abuse. I also seem to remember Dumbledore mentioning something to Harry about how prolonged bad situations like Merope's could potentially sap one's magical powers.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

She probably thought that he would go on loving her. It's the oldest misconception in the book. "If I get pregnant, he'll stay with me."

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

She may be so miserable she's not capable.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

She may not have any magic, or she might have wanted to die. Dumbledore tells Harry that Voldemort's mother made a choice, just like his mother made a choice. Merope wasn't as brave/selfless/whatever as Lily, though I agree, it is difficult in our time and society to imagine a case in which a parent, especially a mother, wouldn't do absolutely anything for her child.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

I would have to think so, simply because she procreated with a Muggle. Not a muggle-born, but a MUGGLE. While I'm sure that there would be some residual effect of the way she was raised, she could never raise her child like she was raised because of who the child's father was--as long as he was alive/she was in love with him (completely disregarding his feelings about her, because that's what she did).

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Of course. Isn't it sickening? But then, JKR says that Snape was loved, and that he's more culpable than Voldy... so now what? Maybe, maybe not.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?
She's just sad beyond belief. I agree with Hermeneutic about her strange decision-making, and I also don't think she's any kind of villain.

As an aside, does anybody recall a scene in which Voldemort talks about her? Nothing is coming to mind, but if there is one, I'd like to re-read it.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

I agree with everyone about Merope's squib status being questionable and more to do with her fathers view of her than with reality.

Maybe Gaunt women have all been second class citizens within House Gaunt. Maybe as a woman Merope has the idea that even if she could do magic, she must not as it is not what generations of Gaunt women have ever done.


2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

If Merope is a cultural squib she may have a lot of screwy mixed up feelings regarding her father and brother. To fall in love with a muggle could be her one act of rebellion that keeps what personality she has, functional. But maybe once she had become Tom Riddle's wife she became profoundly unattracted towards her environment (deeply depressed) Riddle's purpose was to free Merope of her family but she then discovers that she cannot function outside of it.She is aware of the consequences of stopping the love potion but thanatos has her already in it's grip and she lets the events happen.

However after reading Hermeneutic's post which refreshed my memory re: the use of the word "self-delusion", I'm not so sure anymore. Self-delusion seems to imply she was so deeply in love with Tom Riddle that - desiring to be loved for herself, she stopped with the love potion ...hoping against hope ..and well...

Another thought is that Merope is truly a squib and she couldn't make a love potion to save herself. She merely stole a love concoction her father had made (or paid another witch to make some) and it ran out eventually.

By the way, If the potion actually changed Merope's appearance...Tom Riddle was probably under the impression his wife was someone completely different...and yikes! or maybe the potion was simply an elixer to render the poor sod priapic and insatiable vis a vis her. Once the magic seeped from Riddle's supernaturally alert body ...well yikes again.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

She is unable to perform magic because; all she knows is one love potion (or maybe not even that) or she is too depressed and wants to die. She sells the locket thinking money would be a better inheritance for her poor soon to be motherless babe than the Gaunt heirloom.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

All Merope wanted to do (or all she thought she deserved) was die.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

I'm sure she would have wanted to.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Love conquers all.

[B]7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

I have a great deal of sympathy for Merope. She is a tragic figure.

This might be a stretch but I have to wonder if Merope right before she died magically willed it so Tom would have no trace of the Gaunts in his features. I know Dumbledore said she had stopped using magic but he also said he was just guessing

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?
I'm going to agree with everyone else that Merope wasn't a squib. I just think the intense pressure she was under made her make mistakes. It is like Neville in potions. When Snape is there and bullying him, he messes up. But during the OWL exams, when Snape isn't present, Harry notes that Neville looks much happier than he does in their potions classes.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?
I think she probably thought that as she was having his child, that would be enough to keep him there. Perhaps she thought he would be excited about the baby and would grow to love her of his own volition in time. Or maybe she came to realise that forcing someone to love her was cruel and she just decided to stop doing it.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?
She was probably in quite a lot of distress. She had nobody to turn to and I suppose the stress of everything she was going through, weakened her powers again. Also, surely magic can't be used for everything otherwise the wizarding world wouldn't need money would they? So she must have needed it for some things, such as paying for a place to stay. Also, I seem to remember it being said that things conjured from thin air disappear after a while. So even if she was capable of the magic, it isn't really practical having to keep conjuring up your belongings every few hours!

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?
In my opinion, this was one of two things. Firstly, I think perhaps she was just utterly broken and defeated and she didn't have the mental or physical strength to carry on. Life was so hard for her anyway and a baby was going to make it so much harder. Death was a relief/release from the suffering that she had never been able to escape from in life. A second possibility is that she didn't see any worth in her baby. I know that sounds really cruel but it is possible that the baby symbolised her abusive family, the man who never loved her of his own will and then abandoned her, and also her own failings. Perhaps she just couldn't bear the thought that her son would grow up to be as repulsive as her own father or as cold and cruel as his father.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?
I think it is a definite possibility. She obviously didn't have the same prejudices as her father because she fell in love with a muggle.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
Again, I think it is a possibility. Choice is a major theme in the series, so if Merope had made a different choice, perhaps her child would have made different choices too.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?
I feel so sorry for her. Her life was so tragic. Even when she was with Tom Riddle Sr, I doubt she was truly happy, because she knew his love wasn't real. It's so, so sad!

Question four has got me thinking about something else! Just why did Merope name her son Tom Marvolo Riddle? Did she still love Tom Riddle Sr, even after he had abandoned her? If someone had done that to me, I'd have hated them! Also, why did she name him after her father too? I can't imagine her doing it out of love and respect for him. Like I said in my answer to question four, did she perhaps see no hope in her baby? She had no reason to believe that her son would be any different to anyone else in her life. Is it possible that she gave him those names because she thought he would be the same as them and also as she never seemed to have an impact on anybody in her life, perhaps she didn't think she could do anything to stop him from becoming like them. If that is the case, then Tom Riddle Jr didn't really stand a chance did he?!

Question three has got me thinking about something else! Just why did Merope name her son Tom Marvolo Riddle? Did she still love Tom Riddle Sr, even after he had abandoned her? If someone had done that to me, I'd have hated them!

I think she never stopped loving Riddle Sr. That must have been the reason why she stopped with the potion and let him go away. She probably couldn't bear seeing him unhappy. I don't think Merope was really capable of hating anyone not even her family.

Also, why did she name him after her father too? I can't imagine her doing it out of love and respect for him. Like I said in my answer to question three, did she perhaps see no hope in her baby? She had no reason to believe that her son would be any different to anyone else in her life. Is it possible that she gave him those names because she thought he would be the same as them and also as she never seemed to have an impact on anybody in her life, perhaps she didn't think she could do anything to stop him from becoming like them. If that is the case, then Tom Riddle Jr didn't really stand a chance did he?!

Maybe she did, deep in her heart, still love her father or she just named him after her father because it was a tradition in her family.

It could be possible that she really gave up on her son because she thought herself a worthless mother and that she couldn't raise him alone. But I think she gave up because her heart was broken and just couldn't bare that her son might remind him of her former lover and husband.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?
I believe she really was a witch- her father just called her that because of her waning magical powers due to unrequited love with Tom Riddle. Merope's father isn't exactly the type to tolerate anything less than his daughter being a powerful witch. The fact that she is a witch who was losing her powers due to extreme emotion is an important parallel to the situation with Tonks in the present day.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?
Maybe she got tired of tricking him and wanted to make him love her without the potion. Since he'd lived with her for all those years under the influence of the love potion, I think the deception may have made her guilty that she had to keep drugging him in order for him to love her. So she may have stopped so that she could stop living a lie and perhaps have a real marriage with real love.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?
Maybe her powers dropped even lower once Riddle left her so that she was reduced to the equivalent of a true Squib. Having the person she loved all this time abandon her couldn't have been good for her powers, especially if she somewhat lost them when she was pining after him the first time. Also, I wonder if she'd sort of lost the will to live with him gone.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?
As I mentioned above, I think Merope lost the will to live. If this is true, I think this may have a been a bit selfish of Merope to give upon herself and her child. It couldn't have been easy to lose the person she loved, but I humbly believe she could have been stronger for her newborn child. Though that's not to say I don't understand why she may have chosen death over a life without Riddle.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?
I think she might have, considering the way she was treated. Also considering she was in love with a muggle, I have a hard time believing that she agreed with her family's views of pureblood supremacy. So I don't think she'd have taught her son that purebloods were superior to "mudbloods" and "halfbloods".

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
An intesting question. I definitely think her love for Tom could have changed who he might have been. For one thing, I don't think he'd have been so resentful of his parents. But I do think that some of Voldemort's not so nice character traits may still have been present, as some of those traits were likely inborn.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?
Overall, I view Merope as a tragic character. She falls in love with someone who doesn't return her feelings, she comes from a horrible family who doesn't love her because of who she is, and she winds up all alone in the end. But she also made some poor choices, like using the love potion on Riddle.

Its possible that Merope was like most women in abusive situations meaning that after her father screamed and yelled and verbally abused her he apologized and bought her something nice. Making her think that maybe he does actually love her and also making it more difficult for her to leave

[B]
Question three has got me thinking about something else! Just why did Merope name her son Tom Marvolo Riddle? Did she still love Tom Riddle Sr, even after he had abandoned her? If someone had done that to me, I'd have hated them! Also, why did she name him after her father too? I can't imagine her doing it out of love and respect for him. Like I said in my answer to question three, did she perhaps see no hope in her baby? She had no reason to believe that her son would be any different to anyone else in her life. Is it possible that she gave him those names because she thought he would be the same as them and also as she never seemed to have an impact on anybody in her life, perhaps she didn't think she could do anything to stop him from becoming like them. If that is the case, then Tom Riddle Jr didn't really stand a chance did he?!

I would like to have a go at this very interesting question too! Merope named her son in a very traditional way - giving him his father's name as well as his maternal grandfather's - it reminds me of a young girl's daydream ...ie: I'll have a baby and I'll call him after his father and after Dad etc etc" The names may have rolled off Merope's tongue as they were part of her long cherished dream of an idyllic world...or possibly in her final moments she chose to give her child the dignity of his birthright. Okay her son was to be a muggle orphan but he was still her son - she gave him what was his. She loved her baby I think.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

No, I don't think she was exactly a Squib. Her magical ability was obviously as damaged as she was, but she still had some of it left.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I think she simply realised that what she was doing was wrong. She loved Tom Riddle enough to believe that he would accept her. He didn't.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

I think she would raise him differently. She didn't seem to carry any bitterness toward Tom Sr. for abandoning her-- in fact, she names her child after him.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

I believe so. Voldemort does not understand love since no one has loved him. If he had been given good treatment in his life, he would probably have developed a sense of empathy.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

She wasn't really a squib. Squib is not really the worst thing someone can be called, but yes it was mental abuse. Marvolo was obviously mentally abusive, I think this was just an example of him being a jerk.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

Well, I don't really think it was her concience. I think it's probably like Dumbledore thought: she thought he would stay.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

Maybe she wanted to rely as little as possible on magic.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

I think she thought her life was worthless anyway, especially after Tom left her. She died of a broken heart. She didn't kill herself, but she wasn't going to save herself either.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

Definitely.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Probably not. Harry was deprived of love just how Voldemort was up until their first years at school. Harry's and Voldemort's childhoods were so similar, that obviously played a part in it, but in the longrun it all comes down to who a person is. Voldemort would still be Voldemort with or without his mother.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

I feel bad for her. I think she was a very weak character who never really stood a chance.

Its possible that Merope was like most women in abusive situations meaning that after her father screamed and yelled and verbally abused her he apologized and bought her something nice. Making her think that maybe he does actually love her and also making it more difficult for her to leave

Hmmm...interesting! That could explain why Merope was allowed to wear the locket...Then again, perhaps Marvolo just wanted her to wear it to remind her she was a descendent of Slythein or just because he wanted to show it off...:shrug:

I would like to have a go at this very interesting question too! Merope named her son in a very traditional way - giving him his father's name as well as his maternal grandfather's - it reminds me of a young girl's daydream ...ie: I'll have a baby and I'll call him after his father and after Dad etc etc" The names may have rolled off Merope's tongue as they were part of her long cherished dream of an idyllic world...or possibly in her final moments she chose to give her child the dignity of his birthright. Okay her son was to be a muggle orphan but he was still her son - she gave him what was his. She loved her baby I think.

That makes a lot of sense. She obviously did dream of a better world as she attempted to create it when she used the love potion. So I suppose having a nice father who she could take pride in was all part of the dream and in choosing those names, she could at least pretend it was real. Poor Merope! I feel soooooo sorry for her. :upset:

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

She evidently wasn't a squib or she wouldn't have been able to perform the magic she did. I wonder how she learned magic though? It doesn't seem as though Marvolo sent his children to Hogwarts so he must have educated them himself. Perhaps he didn't think a daughter was worth educating properly? But she made a proper love potion, and as we know from Harry's potion lessons, you don't necessarily get them right first time. I think she was probably highly underestimated by her family.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

Dumbledore thought she had persuaded herself that he would love her naturally by now. She must have hoped for that. And perhaps she was finding that love-potion-love wasn't totally satisfying. Did she ever tell Tom that she was pregnant? I thought it said in one of the books that he never knew he had a son?

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

Jo said that you can't conjure food out of thin air - there are rules for magic. I would also suppose that her grief at being abandned by her husband would have seriously interfered with her ability to perform magic.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

Voldemort thought that his mother couldn't have been a witch or she wouldn't have let herself die. "My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died," said Riddle, more to himself than Dumbledore.
But what she was supposed to do to save herself, no-one says. If her powers had waned because of her misery, perhaps she wasn't capable of saving herself. Although I'm inclined to think that she was so depressed by the way her life had turned out that she was beyond caring.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

I don't think she'd have reared him to revere pure-bloods the way she was, as he was half-Muggle himself. I think she'd have been a kind but ineffectual mother, and with a son as strong-willed as Tom was, I think he'd have run rings round her and probably made her even unhappier.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Being loved would have made a difference to Voldemort - at least he would have had some experience of what it was. I don't think it would have softened his character, but it would have taken away one of his excuses. That's assuming she would have been able to love him - she was so defeated that she could have been beyond it.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

Poor, poor girl. She had absolutely nothing going for her. She was ugly and downtrodden, abused verbally by her father, unsupported by her brother, enclosed in a private world by these 2 horrible men, unloved by the man she wanted. Cast out destitute on the world by her husband. I wonder what her mother was like and if she would have been different if her mother had lived?
She had never known love as far as we can tell. I'm glad she never knew her baby turned into the monster he did.

I have a couple things I would like to add to this topic.

First I would like to address Merope "letting" herself die. I don't believe she could have saved herself. If any witch or wizard were able to just heal themselves with magic, then what would be the point of healers? They wouldn't need St. Mungo's, because they would all know how to do it themselves. Merope didn't keep herself from dying because she wasn't a Healer. You also have to remember that LV was born in 1946, just as us muggles didn't know much about child birth complications back then, I'm sure witches and wizards didn't either.

The next thing I would like to tackle is Merope's magical ability. I have to say ferom personal experience, that when someone is emotionally abusing you and basically telling you that you can't do something, you believe them. It took me a very long time (almost 10 years) to finally realize that my step-father was wrong when he told me all the horrible things he told me. I honestly thought that I was no good, and that I was the reason the marriage between him and my mother was failing (because he told me that for so many years), and that I would never amount to anything or that I was worthless. I know what Merope went through, unfortuntely for her, she didn't have a mother to tell her that her father was wrong. She couldn't do magic because in her mind she was a squib, because thats what her father called her. When TR senor left her, in her mind that was just comfirmation that she was worthless.

As far as TR becoming LV had Merope lived. I think she would have loved him with all her heart. To me it is absolutely amazing that someone abused as much as Merope, still had room in her heart for love. We know she loved, because we see she loved Riddle Sr. I think she would have focused every ounce of love she had on her child. Although I do think that TR would have remained a pure-blood extremist. Merope probably would have tried to make him see that muggles are just as good, if not better than wizards, but I think TR would have hated them all simply because his muggle father left them.

In conclusion I really love Merope's character. Maybe it is because I can connect with her. I found myself wanting to help her, I think what Merope needed most, was simply to be loved.

Something else to add: Merope may not have known what it was like to love as a mother, because she may not have had a mother who loved her. There's no mention of her mother anywhere that I can recall, and the lack of a mother growing up for her may have left her with little in the way of an example of how to be a mother. This may have influenced her decision to not be there for Tom Riddle.

She certainly is a sad character. Of all the characters in the series she may have had the worst circumstances (yup, very debatable).

She had a horrible upbringing. From personal experience I know just how bad words can make you feel and how they affect you in what you can or cannot do as well. Yet I do not believe her upbringing justifies her treatment of Tom Riddle, Sr. Tricking him into a sexual relationship is violating him and that is rape. Although I feel bad for her upbringing, I do not use it as an excuse for her actions.

So, why did she do such a horrible thing? My guess is because she desperately wanted to be loved as she defined love in her mind. She thought that using the love potion on Tom, Sr. would make her happy. But, she must have started to realize that the fake love did not do what she intended it to do. That is why I believe she stopped using the potion - to get a taste of "real" love, which, of course, didn't happen.

She seems to have been so heartbroken that she didn't prevent bad things from happening to her by using magic. Maybe she couldn't use it, but if she could she probably thought that magic was bad because it was a magical potion she used to have Tom, Sr. love her. It is possible that her using magic could have prevented her death, but that, of course, is only conjecture.

In her mind she must have still felt love for Tom, Sr. because I do not think she would have named the baby after him if she didn't. When you love someone who doesn't love you back, that is sad indeed (but still doesn't excuse her treatment of him).

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
I have studied psychopaths and Voldemort fits the description perfectly. You are born a psycholpath so Merope's love for her son could not have changed that. If she survived I believe she would have loved her son, but I also believe she would still feel sad and defeated. Though some love would be shown toward him, he would also pick up on his mother's sadness so he would still view love as a weakness. Between being a psychopath and viewing love as a weakness, I do not believe that Merope could have prevented her son from becoming what he is today.

What Loona says! ...ooh and also what chparadise says! (and AF2)

I can't help comparing Merope's upbringing to that of Harry Potter's. Both Merope's and Harry's childhood environments were bad. They both suffered insults and humiliation on a daily basis and yet Harry's magical abilities (among his many other abilities) remained intact. I can only put this down to the importance of mother love. Not only did Lily's sacrifice protect her child from Voldemort - it probably continued to protect him throughout his horrible childhood.*

What Loona says! ...ooh and also what chparadise says! (and AF2)

I can't help comparing Merope's upbringing to that of Harry Potter's. Both Merope's and Harry's childhood environments were bad. They both suffered insults and humiliation on a daily basis and yet Harry's magical abilities (among his many other abilities) remained intact. I can only put this down to the importance of mother love. Not only did Lily's sacrifice protect her child from Voldemort - it probably continued to protect him throughout his horrible childhood.*

An interesting comparison. At least Harry knew love for 16 months before he went to be treated like dirt by the Dursleys. Perhaps that made a difference. A pity we don't know anything about Merope's mother - except that she must have been a pure-blood!

I have studied psychopaths and Voldemort fits the description perfectly. You are born a psycholpath so Merope's love for her son could not have changed that. If she survived I believe she would have loved her son, but I also believe she would still feel sad and defeated. Though some love would be shown toward him, he would also pick up on his mother's sadness so he would still view love as a weakness. Between being a psychopath and viewing love as a weakness, I do not believe that Merope could have prevented her son from becoming what he is today.
I agree that had Merope lived, Tom would have grown to hate her--with a combination of his Father's pride and his grandfather's prejudice. Tom might have been born a psychopath but I think he might have funneled this into different activities if he'd grown up in different circumstances.

I wonder if Merope had continued to give Riddle Sr. the love potion what would have occurred? He would have grown attached to his son I'm sure. Would Tom have figured out his dad was under the influence of the love potion eventually? What would have been his views on non-magic people if the only magic person he knew manipulated someone for years with magic?

Also, If Merope had stopped the potion several years after Tom was born, would Riddle Sr. have taken his son with him? It would have been clear quite early that he was handsome and confident like his father. If he had been raised only by his muggle father what would he have thought of muggles?

I know these are all 'what ifs' but small changes (as we saw in PoA) can change events dramatically.

I have studied psychopaths and Voldemort fits the description perfectly. You are born a psycholpath so Merope's love for her son could not have changed that. If she survived I believe she would have loved her son, but I also believe she would still feel sad and defeated. Though some love would be shown toward him, he would also pick up on his mother's sadness so he would still view love as a weakness. Between being a psychopath and viewing love as a weakness, I do not believe that Merope could have prevented her son from becoming what he is today

I have to Disagree Artemis_Fowl_2 based on the fact that Choice is a major theme of these books. I have no doubt that Tom Riddle's choices would have been very different if he was raised with Love. He would have a conscience for one thing. I also believe that Voldemort better fits the profile of the sociopath.

First I would like to address Merope "letting" herself die. I don't believe she could have saved herself. If any witch or wizard were able to just heal themselves with magic, then what would be the point of healers? They wouldn't need St. Mungo's, because they would all know how to do it themselves. Merope didn't keep herself from dying because she wasn't a Healer. You also have to remember that LV was born in 1946, just as us muggles didn't know much about child birth complications back then, I'm sure witches and wizards didn't either.
It is definitely implied that Merope chose to give up and essentially willed herself to die.

We know she loved, because we see she loved Riddle Sr.
But that wasn't really love. It doesn't seem as if she even really knew him. She was obsessed with him, I think, because she saw him as a means of escape from the life she was living. He was a person who was nearby enough for her to create a fantasy around the notion of him falling in love with her and them running away together. Eventually she realized that falsely-manufactured love wasn't satisfying or fulfilling to her. In my opinion, of course.

In conclusion I really love Merope's character. Maybe it is because I can connect with her. I found myself wanting to help her, I think what Merope needed most, was simply to be loved.
I have a great deal of compassion toward her character as well. It is very sad that she gave up precisely when she had the means to achieve what she most wanted (unconditional love) in her grasp in the form of her newborn son.

At least Harry knew love for 16 months before he went to be treated like dirt by the Dursleys. Perhaps that made a difference. A pity we don't know anything about Merope's mother - except that she must have been a pure-blood!
Harry had that all-important infant bonding time with people who loved him. Tom, Jr. didn't have that, and studies have shown that infants who are deprived of bonding, nurturing and love do not develop normally either emotionally or psychologically.

I have to Disagree Artemis_Fowl_2 based on the fact that Choice is a major theme of these books. I have no doubt that Tom Riddle's choices would have been very different if he was raised with Love. He would have a conscience for one thing. I also believe that Voldemort better fits the profile of the sociopath.
I agree. I think Tom, Jr. could have been a different person if he had even one person who had shown any love towards him.

I think there are several levels of love and I do believe Merope genuinely loved Riddle Sr. But yes she was obsessive too. She wasn't able to see the absurdity of her plan.

We can't really judge the degree of love she really had for him though, because we can't look into her head. However I think that someone who is obsessive wouldn't just set the object of her affection free. Someone who loves obsessively is completely selfish in my opinion and wouldn't consider the feelings of someone else.

I can't help liking, or maybe just feeling sorry for, Merope Gaunt. She seems to me to be a kind of unfortunate Ginny Weasley - I don't know quite why I think this, only that maybe Ginny's fate wouldn't have been much different to Merope's if she had been born into that family.
Also, I agree with Nessy: there is no doubt that she loved her son, despite not having the strength of will to save herself for him. I wonder if she knew she was going to die - why else would she have chosen an orphanage to give birth in, except by chance. It is unlikely that she did it as a precaution - even in those days, death by childbirth wasn't common. And why didn't the people at the orphanage phone for a midwife? Mrs Cole told Dumbledore that Merope died about an hour after giving birth, so that would have been plenty of time in which to get help.
We'll have to wait and see, I'm sure we'll find out the answers on July 21st!!!;)

I can't help liking, or maybe just feeling sorry for, Merope Gaunt. She seems to me to be a kind of unfortunate Ginny Weasley - I don't know quite why I think this, only that maybe Ginny's fate wouldn't have been much different to Merope's if she had been born into that family.

I feel sorry for Merope too, but I think Ginny is a much stronger character then Merope. What we have seen of Ginny is that she never lets anyone bully her. Merope seemed to accept the behavior of her father and brother. Ginny would use her sharp tongue and her magical abilities to stand up for herself.

And why didn't the people at the orphanage phone for a midwife? Mrs Cole told Dumbledore that Merope died about an hour after giving birth, so that would have been plenty of time in which to get help.


Well we don't know if a midwife was present or not. Even when there was one, it wouldn't have been a guarantee that Merope would have survived. Even now there are women that die during childbirth due to complications, which is probably what happened to Merope.

I can't help liking, or maybe just feeling sorry for, Merope Gaunt. She seems to me to be a kind of unfortunate Ginny Weasley - I don't know quite why I think this, only that maybe Ginny's fate wouldn't have been much different to Merope's if she had been born into that family.
Also, I agree with Nessy: there is no doubt that she loved her son, despite not having the strength of will to save herself for him. I wonder if she knew she was going to die - why else would she have chosen an orphanage to give birth in, except by chance. It is unlikely that she did it as a precaution - even in those days, death by childbirth wasn't common. And why didn't the people at the orphanage phone for a midwife? Mrs Cole told Dumbledore that Merope died about an hour after giving birth, so that would have been plenty of time in which to get help.
We'll have to wait and see, I'm sure we'll find out the answers on July 21st!!!;) I haven't seen anyone compare Merope Gaunt with Ginny Weasley before, but when I think about it, Ginny's first, little-girl infatuation with Harry had nothing to do with knowing Harry as a real person. Ginny was infatuated with The Boy Who Lived, an idealized person she imagined him to be. Merope was infatuated with a handsome, rich young man that she didn't know at all, but imagined would rescue her from her wretched life. Interesting…

Merope Gaunt seems to have been suffering from deep depression during her pregnancy. Depression can explain her inability to do magic. Depressed people find it hard to muster the strength to meet their own basic needs, and it would be easier to simply die than try to muster the energy to go on. In such hopeless circumstances I think Merope did make one choice. She chose to stay alive until she could give birth. For a woman who was so defeated by life and prepared to die, I think there was courage and even a sad, last hope in her struggle to see her child born alive.

I feel sorry for Merope too, but I think Ginny is a much stronger character then Merope. What we have seen of Ginny is that she never lets anyone bully her. Merope seemed to accept the behavior of her father and brother. Ginny would use her sharp tongue and her magical abilities to stand up for herself.

On the contrary, Ginny can be a bully, or rather aggressive girl who is ready to take someone on if they oppose/insult her. Whereas Merope wasn't like that, she was submissive and instead of rising against the situation she gave up and let the others dominate, she is a sad character that depicts the abysmal condition of women that still exist in the society...:sigh:

ven when there was one, it wouldn't have been a guarantee that Merope would have survived.

Actually I think Merope didn't want to live, I mean we know that she could have saved herself as she was a witch, this seems to suggest that it was a common muggle illness that could have been cured by magic, but she didn't do that, so what do you think are the possibilities that she asked Mrs Cole not to bring in a Doctor or somebody? :eyebrows:

Actually I think Merope didn't want to live, I mean we know that she could have saved herself as she was a witch, this seems to suggest that it was a common muggle illness that could have been cured by magic, but she didn't do that, so what do you think are the possibilities that she asked Mrs Cole not to bring in a Doctor or somebody? :eyebrows:

I agree that she had given up on her life. I was just pointing out that if a midwife was present, it would not necessarily have survived.

I do think childbirth in the magical and Muggle way is precisely the same and that she just didn't have enough strength. She was already exhausted and weak when she came to London. Childbirth in such a state was just too much for her body.

As for brining in a doctor, I am sure she didn't care anymore what happened to her and didn't ask for anyone.

I do think childbirth in the magical and Muggle way is precisely the same and that she just didn't have enough strength. She was already exhausted and weak when she came to London. Childbirth in such a state was just too much for her body.

Yeah, I agree on that one, it IS stressing and in such a weak state, I don't think many women would be able to survive it. But still I think she should have tried to save herself, for her son, I am not surprised that Voldemort has so much hatred for his up bringing.

Actually I think Merope didn't want to live, I mean we know that she could have saved herself as she was a witch, this seems to suggest that it was a common muggle illness that could have been cured by magic, but she didn't do that, so what do you think are the possibilities that she asked Mrs Cole not to bring in a Doctor or somebody? :eyebrows:

How do we KNOW that Merope could have saved herself because she was a witch? No where in the book does it say a witch can heal herself of any illness or even childbirth complications. If one could heal themselves, what exactly would be the purpose of Healers?

The only passage in the book even suggesting Merope could have cured herself was a young Tom Riddle assume that his mother must have been a muggle, otherwise she wouldn't have died. This isn't proof thyat witches and wizards can heal themselves. Its something that was stated by an uneducated child.

How do we KNOW that Merope could have saved herself because she was a witch? No where in the book does it say a witch can heal herself of any illness or even childbirth complications. If one could heal themselves, what exactly would be the purpose of Healers?

The only passage in the book even suggesting Merope could have cured herself was a young Tom Riddle assume that his mother must have been a muggle, otherwise she wouldn't have died.

Isn't the Paragraph that you are talking about, enough of an evidence that Merope could have saved herself. :huh:

This isn't proof thyat witches and wizards can heal themselves. Its something that was stated by an uneducated child.

Oh yes there is, we have seen Sirius cure his hand with his wand in Ootp while they were cleaning, then we have Snape cure Draco's wounds sustained by Sectumsempra...there are many others if I could remember. But then this proves that they can. ;)

I think there are several levels of love and I do believe Merope genuinely loved Riddle Sr. But yes she was obsessive too. She wasn't able to see the absurdity of her plan.

We can't really judge the degree of love she really had for him though, because we can't look into her head. However I think that someone who is obsessive wouldn't just set the object of her affection free. Someone who loves obsessively is completely selfish in my opinion and wouldn't consider the feelings of someone else.
Well I don't think there is any indication that she really knew him well prior to slipping him the potion, so that's why I believe in the beginning her attraction to him was more an obsession based on a desire to fall in love and run away, escaping the awful situation she was living in. She may have grown to truly love him though during the short time they were married, and actually feeling real love for him may have been why she was unwilling to continue the potion.


How do we KNOW that Merope could have saved herself because she was a witch? No where in the book does it say a witch can heal herself of any illness or even childbirth complications. If one could heal themselves, what exactly would be the purpose of Healers?

The only passage in the book even suggesting Merope could have cured herself was a young Tom Riddle assume that his mother must have been a muggle, otherwise she wouldn't have died. This isn't proof thyat witches and wizards can heal themselves. Its something that was stated by an uneducated child.

I think Dumbledore definitely implies that Merope had a choice, but simply gave up and wasted away.


"But she could do magic!" said Harry impatiently. "She could have got food and everything for herself by magic, couldn't she?"
"Ah," said Dumbledore, "perhaps she could. But it is my belief -- I am guessing again, but I am sure I am right -- that when her husband abandoned her, Merope stopped using magic. I do not think that she wanted to be a witch any longer. Of course, it is also possible that her unrequited love and the attendant despair sapped her of her powers; that can happen. In any case, as you are about to see, Merope refused to raise her wand even to save her own life."
"She wouldn't even stay alive for her son?"
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Could you possibly be feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?"
"No," said Harry quickly, "but she had a choice, didn't she, not like my mother --"
"Your mother had a choice too," said Dumbledore gently. "Yes, Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage."
So, whatever the logistics of it, whether Merope just stopped eating altogether and wasted away or what precisely was the primary cause of death, it's clearly canon according to Dumbledore that she had some choice in the matter and chose to give up and die.

Well I don't think there is any indication that she really knew him well prior to slipping him the potion, so that's why I believe in the beginning her attraction to him was more an obsession based on a desire to fall in love and run away, escaping the awful situation she was living in. She may have grown to truly love him though during the short time they were married, and actually feeling real love for him may have been why she was unwilling to continue the potion.

I think you are right on that one, she had a crush on him and decided that she would make him take her away, and when they were away she fell in love with him and decided to stop giving him the love potion.....

BTW- thanks for the quote HC. :)

It's not surprising Merope got obsessed with Tom Snr. He lived nearby and she would see him often riding past. Who else did she get to see? He seemed cheerful (at least when we saw him in the pensieve memory) and was very handsome. All she had at home was ugliness and unkindness. He must have seemed like an ideal to her.

Having said that, it seems to me that making the love potion and slipping it to Tom Snr was the only positive thing she ever did in her life. Everything else was done with a defeatist attitude.

Odd to think that if Marvolo and Morfin hadn't been jailed for resisting the Ministry, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to run off with Tom, who would probably have married someone else. And Voldemort would never have been born! Which all shows somewhere along the line that crime doesn't pay!!

Doesn't your ability to perform magic becomes hard to do when you are experiencing unwanted love? Tonks wasn't able to do her Metamorphmagus because she fell for lupin and he wouldn't except it? Why do we expect Merope to save herself when she was going through depression, lost love and pregnancy. That is major compare to Tonks' situation. I don't believe Merope had that much of a choice.

When it comes to this and Voldemort choosing to be evil, Jo is inconsistent. Maybe if Voldemort was loved by someone, he wouldn't turn out the way he did. So he didn't really choose to be evil. Tonks fell in love with someone and she becomes a mess and starts having trouble with her magic, yet we expect Merope to have saved herself when she was dealing with huge emotional problem due to abusive family and everything else.

I agree Som. There are a lot of parralles bewteen Merope not using magic and Tonks being weaker.

On a side note, healing small superficial wounds is a lot different then using your magic to save your life. If it were that easy why didn't Arthur heal himself when he was bitten by the snake?

And Snape didn't cure Draco, he still had to bring him up the the hospital ward. He was just able to stabilize him so him would be ok.

I'm not saying Merope didn't want to die. She didn't even try to fight it, but when your weak its hard. DD also said that they were going on speculation, I believe that Jo has DD say this purposely, so we know that we can't take everything DD says at face value during the lessons after he says that. We know that usually DD's word is it, no doubt about it. But DD clearly states that he is speculating and that he has been wrong, and could be wrong.

So Merope gave up, but what if she had fought for her life? Personally I think it would have only delayed her death.

Well I don't think there is any indication that she really knew him well prior to slipping him the potion, so that's why I believe in the beginning her attraction to him was more an obsession based on a desire to fall in love and run away, escaping the awful situation she was living in. She may have grown to truly love him though during the short time they were married, and actually feeling real love for him may have been why she was unwilling to continue the potion.


Hmm maybe you have point there. I doubt popular Tom Riddle (Sr) would have paid any attention to Merope, coming from an extermely strange family.

I wonder what would have happened to Merope if Marvolo and Morfin had not been arrested. Would she have had the courage to follow the same path? Or would she never have had the chance, since she was always kept close to the house (at least that is what I imagine)?

Hmm maybe you have point there. I doubt popular Tom Riddle (Sr) would have paid any attention to Merope, coming from an extermely strange family.

I wonder what would have happened to Merope if Marvolo and Morfin had not been arrested. Would she have had the courage to follow the same path? Or would she never have had the chance, since she was always kept close to the house (at least that is what I imagine)?

I think that if Morfin and Marvolo stayed out of jail, Merope would have either died in that house, or Marvolo would have married her off to someone. I could almost see Marvolo being abusive enough to sell his daughter.

I think that if Morfin and Marvolo stayed out of jail, Merope would have either died in that house, or Marvolo would have married her off to someone. I could almost see Marvolo being abusive enough to sell his daughter.

I hope this isn't too base an observation - but I suspect Marvolo would have married Merope off to Morfin! I get the idea that the Gaunts were exclusive to the nth degree - like snakes in a snake-pit. Merope being the exception.

Well, it does say that they married their cousins, and presumidly wouldn't be scared enough to go the full mile.

What i want to know is why they didn't marry into the Blacks when they were declining?

Possible the Gaunts considered the Blacks parvenus...:lol: Or more likely - the Gaunts had declined to such an extent that the Blacks did not even know they existed.

Well, it does say that they married their cousins, and presumidly wouldn't be scared enough to go the full mile.

What i want to know is why they didn't marry into the Blacks when they were declining?

Haha, I could see the Black's thinking they were too good to marry such people. Even if they were heir to Slytherin.


Nessy, you make a good point. I could see that actually. Marvolo is the type to want to keep the blood "pure"

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I've always assumed that being loved by someone under compulsion doesn't prove as satisfying as she had hoped, and she needs to know he loves her through his own choice to have any self-esteem.

Interestingly, I just noticed on re-reading CoS that young Tom Riddle gives another reason why his father left his mother - he believes that TR Snr left Merope "just because he found out she was a witch", not because of the potion being stopped. It is, of course, probable, that he either didn't know about the potion or is deliberately putting a different spin on the story to make him and his mother seem more like victims. But it did make me wonder if there's more to the story than DD has told us.

Interesting. But i think it's because she stops the potion because she just wanted a child with the man, but stays with him until he realizes that she is a witch (maybe she tells him herself?).

hope that came out okay.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?
I don't believe she was a Squib. I believe that she was so afraid of her father and brother, that she was too nervous to be able to perform a decent piece of magic.
2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?
Personally, I think she felt guilty. I think that she realised that tricking him to be in love with her was the wrong thing to do, and perhaps she hoped that he would stay with her as they were already married and she was carrying his child.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?
We saw in HBP the effect unrequited or forbidden love can have on a person when Tonks was unable to be with Remus. I think Merope was going through the very same thing. She was so unhappy that the man she loved was no longer with her, she just didn't have the strength to use magic. It's also possible that she didn't want to use magic, as that was part of the reason Tom Riddle Snr wanted no more to do with her. Maybe she just wanted to be a Muggle.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?
See above for the reasons!:lol: Also, I believe that after years of abuse from her father, she thought that she wasn't good enough to look after her child. She had had it drummed into her so often that she was useless, she probably thought the baby would be better off without her.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?
I think so. She fell in love with a Muggle, and he became the father of her child. If anything, I think she would have tried to raise him without magic at all.
6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
I don't think so. Perhaps he may not have been quite as evil, but from what we found out about young Voldemort, it seemed he had sadistic tendencies from a very young age. I'm not sure that Merope's love would have been enough to completely rid him of that.
7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?I think she was a very innocent, badly treated young woman who never had a hope of having a decent life with her father and brother around, knocking her down at every opportunity.

I've always assumed that being loved by someone under compulsion doesn't prove as satisfying as she had hoped, and she needs to know he loves her through his own choice to have any self-esteem.
That was my first impression as well. I've considered that it is a combination though of her not only finding the manufactured love unfulfilling, but also her growing to feel some level of genuine love towards Tom, Sr. and therefore respecting him enough not to want to take away his free will any longer?

Interestingly, I just noticed on re-reading CoS that young Tom Riddle gives another reason why his father left his mother - he believes that TR Snr left Merope "just because he found out she was a witch", not because of the potion being stopped. It is, of course, probable, that he either didn't know about the potion or is deliberately putting a different spin on the story to make him and his mother seem more like victims. But it did make me wonder if there's more to the story than DD has told us.
This is a really interesting question. Of course Tom, Jr. could have given only a partial answer there. Tom, Sr. probably realized she was a witch and that he'd been bewitched at the same time, so it's rather tied together I would think. I've always assumed that since Tom, Jr. was so interested in finding out about his father while at Hogwarts, that he would have probably heard much of the same information that Dumbledore did when he went to the village to investigate. :hmm:

That was my first impression as well. I've considered that it is a combination though of her not only finding the manufactured love unfulfilling, but also her growing to feel some level of genuine love towards Tom, Sr. and therefore respecting him enough not to want to take away his free will any longer?

Yes, I like that idea. That also makes her abandonment of young Tom more understandable - she spent her whole childhood being forced to meet others' needs, with no-one putting her needs first, then as an adult the one time in her life she made a selfless decision it rebounded on her, so would she be too scared to ever put someone else first again.

I've always assumed that since Tom, Jr. was so interested in finding out about his father while at Hogwarts, that he would have probably heard much of the same information that Dumbledore did when he went to the village to investigate.

I'd always assumed that, too, but actually I don't think there's any evidence that he went to Little Hangleton until after he left Hogwarts, when he went to kill his family. He probably wouldn't have had any information about the muggle Riddles from the wizard world, so it's possible that at the age of 16 all he knew about his parents is what the orphanage and DD had told him. But, in that case, how did he know that his father left his mother because she was a witch? It's all a bit of a puzzle.

More things that puzzle me: the old chestnut of why Merope left her son with Muggles, not wizards. Is there some magical protection in being raised by Muggles that we don't know about, which could link in with why Harry was left with the Dursleys (and why house elves and people who care about Harry seem to want him expelled from Hogwartsand sent back to the Muggle world).

And are we absolutely, completely certain that Merope is definitely dead. I need to re-read HBP to check, but I seem to remember that being left as a bit of an assumption.

But, in that case, how did he know that his father left his mother because she was a witch?

I think his Uncle, Morfin Guant told him about the fact that his father had left his mother, I mean he lived right across the Riddle House and therefore he would obviously have noticed that the muggle, Voldemort's father had returned. Dumbledore knew all this and we know that he had interrogated Morfin, so I think it would be safe to assume that. ;)


More things that puzzle me: the old chestnut of why Merope left her son with Muggles, not wizards. Is there some magical protection in being raised by Muggles that we don't know about, which could link in with why Harry was left with the Dursleys (and why house elves and people who care about Harry seem to want him expelled from Hogwartsand sent back to the Muggle world).

I don't think that there is any magical protection or something like that involved with Tom Riddle Jr. it is just a matter of coincidence that the house that Merope found for help turned out to be an orphanage, moreover who would have taken care of Tom Riddle, the Guants wouldn't have accepted him, and Merope had no other living relative, so I think it was her only choice to give birth to her child in an orphanage that could take care of him/her. ;)

And are we absolutely, completely certain that Merope is definitely dead. I need to re-read HBP to check, but I seem to remember that being left as a bit of an assumption.


Yeah, it is canon that she had died, Mrs Cole confirms that, though we don't have her speaking it to us directly, Dumbledore tells us about it in the lesson where he and Harry were discussing Voldemort's previous life. ;)

I'd always assumed that, too, but actually I don't think there's any evidence that he went to Little Hangleton until after he left Hogwarts, when he went to kill his family. He probably wouldn't have had any information about the muggle Riddles from the wizard world, so it's possible that at the age of 16 all he knew about his parents is what the orphanage and DD had told him. But, in that case, how did he know that his father left his mother because she was a witch? It's all a bit of a puzzle.



Actually we know that he went to the village before he left Hogwarts, because in Slughorn's memory, Tom Riddle Jr. is wearing Morphin's ring.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

I believe she, like many other, that she wasn't a squib. Yet, I think that she wasn't a very talented whitch and being poorly raised, plus haven't attended to school and of course being mistreated and despised, didn't help her developing her magical powers. So my conclution is that she wasn't very powerful but she wasn't a squib either.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I believe that falling in love with a muggle was a significant event in her life. By this she proved to be different from everyone else in her family: she did not hate muggles (and mud-bloods), she was also able to love them, to fall in love with one of them.
Even though she got Riddle only with a potion she proved us to be a better person when she decided to stop fedding her husband with the love potion. She believe that he could come to love her. But she was wrong. She loved Riddle Sr. so much that she could not continue giving him the potion.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

I think she felt lost and confused. She wasn't well instructed on magic and all she had left was the locket. She was forced to sell it in order to live and to keep her baby alive as well.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

I believe that she was exhausted of living. Life had given her nothing but disgrace. She used her every last streght to keep alive long enough to give birth. I think, as I stated before, that she wasn't powerful enough to use her magic to save herself and her baby, and she was too weak. I think she used every streght in her body and every magical power she had to save her child. Once she achieved that, she could peacely die.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

I believe she would have raised him differently. Because she was different from her family. I would like to add now that I think she prefered her son to be raised with muggles in order to avoid the prejudcies that her own family would have imparted him. She chose to fall in love with a muggle and I think she wanted her son to be open minded about this. That's why I think she left him at the muggle arphanage. She would be away from his awful family and he wouldn't hate muggles because he would live with them.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

I don't think she could have. It was in Tom M. Riddle's nature to become what he became. Voldemort is what Tom Jr. really was. She didn't have the character to control the boy's evil. He was evil from within. Let's compare it with herself, even though she was raised with hatred she was good. So what makes us think that a Voldemort raised with love wouldn't be evil? I think being evil is who he is, and nothing in the world could have changed that.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

I think she was a brave woman, than even facing adversity tried to be happy. She couldn't find that happiness with her father, she couldn't find it with her brother and, she couldn't even find it with her husband. Every man in her life dispised her and rejected her and yet, she didn't hate them, she even named her own son after them. She couldn't live to enjoy her son but, she did live enough to forgive those who mistreated her, she did so by naming her only child, her only joy after the two men in her life who ment something to her: Tom Marvolo Riddle.
I think that by dying she could see her son as pure and good as she wanted him to be. If she had lived to see him become something worst than everyone else in her family, then she would have died regretful and sad. But in the way she actually died, I think she believed she was doing the best she could do, and she was happy to give up her life so that her son could have his.

^_^I just love this character and I think she was a great woman ^_^

I believe she, like many other, that she wasn't a squib. Yet, I think that she wasn't a very talented whitch and being poorly raised, plus haven't attended to school and of course being mistreated and despised, didn't help her developing her magical powers.

To add to that, I think that her abilities as a witch were kinnda suppressed due to fear of her father and brother, she was always nervous and scared and that is not a very good situation to perform magic, seeing that most spells require clear and concentrated mind. ;)

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

First of all I think that she was not exactly in love with Tom Riddle senior, she had this infatuation and she believed that he was a saviour for her, she wanted to escape the wrath of his father and brother and for that she needed a male to accompany her, and seeing the location in which she lived the only option was Tom Riddle Senior, a good looking, gentle guy, who wasn't as harsh as he was assumed to be. She was attracted to his personality and the rest of the trick was done by her urge to escape.

As for the reason why she stopped giving him love potion, that has been answered in the book by Dumbledore assumption that she thought that her love would have seduced Tom Riddle Sr. enough to make him stay with her.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

Dumbledore has answered that one as well, he says that the fact that her love had been unable to generate any emotion in Tom Sr. and she had the opinion that it was all because of the love potion she had used, she blamed the love potion for her failed love and therefore had started despising her magical abilities, therefore stayed away from using magic even for subsistence. ;)

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

This shows her weakness of character, I think she acted as a loser and accepted what was easy, rather than what was right, this point of what is right and what is easy has been brought out in the book exceptionally well. I think she lost hope and decided that it would be better she gave her life. She might have viewed it as a sacrifice in order to justify it to herself but I don't think that it is justified in that way. :no:

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Indeed, she could have prevented the formation of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort became what he became due to the fact that he couldn't stand that he the descendant of great Salazar Slytherin was treated in the way he was, he had great anger for his father, who left his mother, but had Merope lived she could have told him the truth and this would have reduced his hatred, then there was no place for love (which has been so prominently brought up in the series) in Tom Riddle Jr because he had never seen a living relative who could give him his share of love. Had Merope lived this would not have been the case....these are the few reasons why Merope's death lead to the formation of Lord Voldemort. ;)

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion? Personally, I believe Merope was a metamorphamagus and that is how she "tricked" TR Sr. It could have been her pregnancy that prevented her from morphing and that's why TR Sr. left her. If anyone would like to read more, here's the thread

Was Merope REALLY a metamorphmagus?

http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=99905

Personally, I believe Merope was a metamorphamagus and that is how she "tricked" TR Sr. It could have been her pregnancy that prevented her from morphing and that's why TR Sr. left her. If anyone would like to read more, here's the thread


A metamorphamagus? They are very rare and we have never seen any signs of it. However we have read that Merope used a potion to trick Riddle Sr. Why would she have used that potion, if she could change her appearance at will, to capture Riddle's affection?

A metamorphamagus? They are very rare and we have never seen any signs of it. However we have read that Merope used a potion to trick Riddle Sr. Why would she have used that potion, if she could change her appearance at will, to capture Riddle's affection?That's why she wouldn't use a potion. But I'm getting into the topic of another thread here, so here's the original thread

Was Merope REALLY a metamorphmagus?

http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=99905

That's why she wouldn't use a potion. But I'm getting into the topic of another thread here, so here's the original thread

Was Merope REALLY a metamorphmagus?

http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=99905

Ehm this thread discusses everything about Merope Gaunt's character and what she has done in her life, therefore if you think she is a metamorphmagus and have canon to back it up, it's allowed to be discussed here. At least as far as I know.

Ehm this thread discusses everything about Merope Gaunt's character and what she has done in her life, therefore if you think she is a metamorphmagus and have canon to back it up, it's allowed to be discussed here. At least as far as I know.You misunderstand me! I would like to discuss it here as well, but since I started a thread on it elsewhere I don't want to upset the mod by discussing it here as well.

That's why she wouldn't use a potion.
But this doesn't make sense. Like HesHPfan said we have it black on white that Merope used Love Potion to attrack Riddle. There's really no need for potion if she had the possibility to change her look into an beautiful woman.

You misunderstand me! I would like to discuss it here as well, but since I started a thread on it elsewhere I don't want to upset the mod by discussing it here as well.

I think it okay to discuss it here, if not we will hear it :)


Indeed, she could have prevented the formation of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort became what he became due to the fact that he couldn't stand that he the descendant of great Salazar Slytherin was treated in the way he was, he had great anger for his father, who left his mother, but had Merope lived she could have told him the truth and this would have reduced his hatred, then there was no place for love (which has been so prominently brought up in the series) in Tom Riddle Jr because he had never seen a living relative who could give him his share of love. Had Merope lived this would not have been the case....these are the few reasons why Merope's death lead to the formation of Lord Voldemort.

But don't you think that Voldemort has such a natural desire for power, that even if Merope had shown him love, the hunger for power would still have dominated every other emotion. Merope could have given him a sense of wrong and right. But I don't think she could have prevented him from becoming what he is now. Abused and mistreated childrenm are more vunerable to fall victim to crime, but even the most loved child can't always be saved by a loving mother. I am not saying that Merope's love would have been totally wasted, but I doubt that Voldemort would have turned out to become a normal wizard if she had lived.

Erm, yes, as long as you can provide canon to back up a theory about a certain character there is not reason why you cannot discuss this theory in terms of character analysis. :)

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?
I think that there is evidence to pont out that she is a squib, but I don't think that she actually was one. If she was a squib then when she took Riddle off the potion she wouldn't have had to tell him she's a whitch because technically she would'nt have been.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?
As much as I'd like to think that she became noble and decided that she wanted to find out if she truly loved him I can't honestly see her character doing that. It could have been a mistake that she forgot to give him the love potion or something as simple as that:shrug:

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?
4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?
I think that after her husband abbandoned her she decided to give up on her magic roots, being depressed about what they caused. This is why she didn't get herself basic provisions or keep her life through magic. Either that or she wasn't educated enough, I don't believe it ever said she went to Hogwarts...

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?
I think that because she was opressed by her father who believed in that supremacy she wouldn't have raised him in the same way. Not to mention her son would have been a half-blood so she would be really lowering his self esteem.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
In my opinion, because Voldemort was concieved under a love potion, he was born evil. It is almost fortunate that Merope died and didn't have to witness that.

Wow!

... If she was a squib then when she took Riddle off the potion she wouldn't have had to tell him she's a whitch because technically she would'nt have been.


AND

...In my opinion, because Voldemort was concieved under a love potion, he was born evil.


I can't help but be impressed by the logic of this! I think this is a great post.

cheers
Nessy:tu:

Like HesHPfan said we have it black on white that Merope used Love Potion to attrack Riddle

I am sorry Tenshi, we do have it on Black and White, but that is mere speculation on Dumbledore's part...

'Can you not think of any measure Merope could have taken to make Tom Riddle forget his Muggle companion, and fall in love with her instead?'
' The Imperius Curse?' Harry suggested. 'Or a love potion?'
'Very good. Personally I am inclined to think that she used a love potion.....'


I know that Dumbledore's speculations turn out to be true, but that doesn't mean that we can rule out irmaprince's theory outright. ;)

but even the most loved child can't always be saved by a loving mother.

Bartemius Crouch Jr. :)

but I doubt that Voldemort would have turned out to become a normal wizard if she had lived.

I agree, I am not suggesting that it would have prevented him from trying to gain, power, but I think that it would certainly have reduced some of his passions that were given fire by the fact that his own mother didn't bother to save herself for him, we know that he had huge hatred burning inside him just because of that. If Merope would have lived, atleast this would have been lessened. ;)

If she was a squib then when she took Riddle off the potion she wouldn't have had to tell him she's a whitch because technically she would'nt have been.

Like I have pointed out in my post that her giving love potion to Tom Riddle Sr. was just speculation on Dumbledore's part. ;) Personally I think that the fact Tom Riddle Jr. became the heir of Slytherin and his magical prowess prove that Merope couldn't possibly have been squib. Moreover this part from Dumbledore also makes it clear that she couldn't possibly have been a squib...

'I think you are forgetting,' said Dumbledore, 'that Merope was a witch. I do not believe that her magical powers appeared to their best advantages when she was being terrorized by her father. Once Marvolo and Morfin were safely in Azkaban.....she was able to give full rein to her abilities and to plot...

The bold makes it clear that she was a witch. ;)

In my opinion, because Voldemort was concieved under a love potion, he was born evil

Um...how does taking birth under the action of a love potion make him evil? :hmm:

I agree, I am not suggesting that it would have prevented him from trying to gain, power, but I think that it would certainly have reduced some of his passions that were given fire by the fact that his own mother didn't bother to save herself for him, we know that he had huge hatred burning inside him just because of that. If Merope would have lived, at least this would have been lessened.

Well maybe she could, all depends on what kind of mother she would have been. Her own childhood was without love. You would imagine that she didn't want this for her son. But maybe she was so damaged by her father and brother's behavior that she wouldn't have been able to give her son love and the hatred would have still have been there. Tom could still be full of hate then.


Like I have pointed out in my post that her giving love potion to Tom Riddle Sr. was just speculation on Dumbledore's part. ;) Personally I think that the fact Tom Riddle Jr. became the heir of Slytherin and his magical prowess prove that Merope couldn't possibly have been squib. Moreover this part from Dumbledore also makes it clear that she couldn't possibly have been a squib...

'I think you are forgetting,' said Dumbledore, 'that Merope was a witch. I do not believe that her magical powers appeared to their best advantages when she was being terrorized by her father. Once Marvolo and Morfin were safely in Azkaban.....she was able to give full rein to her abilities and to plot...

The bold makes it clear that she was a witch.

Well Dumbledore believes she is a witch and that her magical powers didn't come to full bloom among her family. That means that we have only his opinion and we have almost no other evidence to support his theory. However I agree that it's very unlikely that she would be a squib though. For the reason, that if she indeed used a love potion, which Dumbledore imagined, then she wouldn't have been able to make that as a Squib.


In my opinion, because Voldemort was concieved under a love potion, he was born evil. It is almost fortunate that Merope died and didn't have to witness that.

A love potion wouldn't have influenced Voldemort's evil genes (if such a thing even exists, which I don't know, but it sounds good) but the genes from his Gaunt ancestry certainly would have something to do with him becoming evil.

Well maybe she could, all depends on what kind of mother she would have been. Her own childhood was without love. You would imagine that she didn't want this for her son. But maybe she was so damaged by her father and brother's behavior that she wouldn't have been able to give her son love and the hatred would have still have been there. Tom could still be full of hate then.

Very true, I think you have a point there, but being a mother I think some emotions would have existed and this would have had some effect if not a major one. ;)

but the genes from his Gaunt ancestry certainly would have something to do with him becoming evil.

Exactly, Slytherins were never on the good side, they always had some evil in them...and I think it worked like the poison works in the food chain, it slowly goes on increasing in concentration and finally it becomes huge...I think something like that happened with Voldemort. ;)

Exactly, Slytherins were never on the good side, they always had some evil in them...and I think it worked like the poison works in the food chain, it slowly goes on increasing in concentration and finally it becomes huge...I think something like that happened with Voldemort. ;)

...but doesn't that undermine the entire "choice as to what you become" theme that underpins the series? No one is automatically good or evil in Rowling's world. Just because you're a Slytherin doesn't mean that you're either a pureblood fanatic or a power-mad psychopath. Slughorn is a great example of a Slytherin who's at the very least benign, if not actively on the good side. Simiarly, just because you're in Gryffindor doesn't mean you're some brave, loyal defender of the oppressed (Pettigrew, anyone?). Everyone has good and evil in them, and everyone has full control over which side controls their actions.

I think it's far more likely that Tom Riddle Jr. made the choices that he did because of the fact he's Tom Riddle Jr., rather than because he's inherited some "evil gene" from his ancestors. Just in the same way Harry made the choices he did because he's Harry, not because he's predetermined (preinclined, perhaps) to act in a certain way.

Slughorn is a great example of a Slytherin who's at the very least benign, if not actively on the good side.

But unlike Tom Riddle Jr... Horace Slughorn is not the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. What I am trying to say is that he had the genes of Salazar Slytherin who was never very good, seeing that she had made the Chamber of Secrets and kept a basilisk there in order to kill the Muggle borns...a good person won't do that...:no:...therefore it is not an anomaly to say that Voldemort has those evil genes in him. ;)

But unlike Tom Riddle Jr... Horace Slughorn is not the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. What I am trying to say is that he had the genes of Salazar Slytherin who was never very good, seeing that she had made the Chamber of Secrets and kept a basilisk there in order to kill the Muggle borns...a good person won't do that...:no:...therefore it is not an anomaly to say that Voldemort has those evil genes in him. ;)

Since we know that Salazar Slytherin was Godric Gryffindor's best friend, there must have been something good about him. I think that Slytherin gets a bit of a bad rap because people don't often consider how the average muggle viewed witches and wizards when Slytherin was alive. Because of the murders of suspected witches and wizards that were happening at the time, Slytherin may have seen muggleborns as a threat to the safety of Hogwarts which would make his reasons for only admitting those from magical backgrounds extremely understandable.

Um...how does taking birth under the action of a love potion make him evil? :hmm:


Well...perhaps there are truths and truths. As a literary truth - the evil Lord Voldemort being conceived under the effects of magical co-ercion (ie: his conception was not a voluntary loving act on everyone's part) well...it sets the tone dunnit?:blush: In literary truth you could say it all began with a lie. ETA: also Tom Riddle Snrs choices were made for him and that's not a good thing in the Harry Potter universe.

Wow! I can't help but be impressed by the logic of this! I think this is a great post.

cheers
Nessy:tu:

Thanks:)


Well Dumbledore believes she is a witch and that her magical powers didn't come to full bloom among her family. That means that we have only his opinion and we have almost no other evidence to support his theory. However I agree that it's very unlikely that she would be a squib though. For the reason, that if she indeed used a love potion, which Dumbledore imagined, then she wouldn't have been able to make that as a Squib.

She could have very well brewed a potion if she was a squib. A quote from Filch's Quikspell letter:

Kwikspell is an all-new, fail-safe, quick-result, easy-learn course. Hundreds of witches and wizards have benefited from the Kwikspell method!


Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes:
"I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke! Now, after a Kwikspell course, I am the center of attention at parties and friends beg for the recipe of my Scintillation Solution!..."


And as you pointed out, Dumbledore's theory is the only word we have to go by and while he's right most of time, he is human and makes mistakes.



A love potion wouldn't have influenced Voldemort's evil genes (if such a thing even exists, which I don't know, but it sounds good) but the genes from his Gaunt ancestry certainly would have something to do with him becoming evil.

I'm not saying that I know for sure that it would have altered his genes but don't you think it is a plausible explination? We don't know any side effects of wizarding "drugs", for lack of a better word. If it were a strong enough love potion then it could very easily cause some sort of birth defect.

Amortentia or another love potion may lead to a bad egg, so to say. I like the comments that in a literary sense, it makes sense that a son concieved under false pretenses leads to a bad apple.
In the muggle world many, many drugs are known to affect the developing fetus; and it's quite common to see drugs being prescribed with the warning that they should not be taken by women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. I'm curious as to how JK would bring this concept over to potions in the wizarding world.
Back to Merope: I think she was a witch; she did attempt spells in front of Ogden in the memory Harry saw. She just wasn't confident, so she couldn't really display her talent. Harry's description of her as the most defeated person he'd ever seen is one of the many examples accumulated through HBP where Harry is becoming very, very perceptive in his evaluations of others.

I'm not saying that I know for sure that it would have altered his genes but don't you think it is a plausible explination? We don't know any side effects of wizarding "drugs", for lack of a better word. If it were a strong enough love potion then it could very easily cause some sort of birth defect.
I see where you're coming from, definitely. I like the idea that a child conceived under false pretences such as a love potion could possibly be "different". Although I do wonder if Dumbledore may have brought that up if it were true...
But unlike Tom Riddle Jr... Horace Slughorn is not the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. What I am trying to say is that he had the genes of Salazar Slytherin who was never very good, seeing that she had made the Chamber of Secrets and kept a basilisk there in order to kill the Muggle borns...a good person won't do that......therefore it is not an anomaly to say that Voldemort has those evil genes in him.
I absolutely agree.:agree:
Back to Merope: I think she was a witch; she did attempt spells in front of Ogden in the memory Harry saw. She just wasn't confident, so she couldn't really display her talent.
Assuming of course she wasn't so miserable that all the power she had had been squashed out of her by her father and brother.

She could have very well brewed a potion if she was a squib. A quote from Filch's Quikspell letter

Well if she was a squib, in theory she could have followed a course at Quickspell. However I doubt she would have done it. Because those courses undoubtedly cost a lot of money, something the Gaunts didn't seem to have and Merope was never let out of her family's sight. But in theory it could have happened.

I'm not saying that I know for sure that it would have altered his genes but don't you think it is a plausible explination? We don't know any side effects of wizarding "drugs", for lack of a better word. If it were a strong enough love potion then it could very easily cause some sort of birth defect.

If the woman was the one who had used the love potion, yes then there could have been some possible side effects. But I think not, when the man has used the potion. But maybe we shouldn't take these technicalities any further in this thread.

Well if she was a squib, in theory she could have followed a course at Quickspell. However I doubt she would have done it. Because those courses undoubtedly cost a lot of money, something the Gaunts didn't seem to have and Merope was never let out of her family's sight. But in theory it could have happened.

I'm not saying she had taken that specific course, just that it is possible for a squib to brew a potion.

If the woman was the one who had used the love potion, yes then there could have been some possible side effects. But I think not, when the man has used the potion. But maybe we shouldn't take these technicalities any further in this thread.

Of course, no technicalities involoved, a child's 46 chromosomes that make up their genes are taken 23 from the mother and 23 from the father. So if the love potion alters the genes then it is very possible that the father's 23 chromosomes could contain the mutation gene.

I'm not saying she had taken that specific course, just that it is possible for a squib to brew a potion.

Yes Squib might be able to brew simple potion which don't involve anything magical. But if Merope had been a Squib, I doubt she would be able to brew a love potion that strong.



Of course, no technicalities involoved, a child's 46 chromosomes that make up their genes are taken 23 from the mother and 23 from the father. S if the love potion alters the genes then it is very possible that the father's 23 chromosomes could contain the mutation gene.

I don't know anything about this, so I guess you are right.

Yes Squib might be able to brew simple potion which don't involve anything magical. But if Merope had been a Squib, I doubt she would be able to brew a love potion that strong.

It really depends on how much magic brewing potions takes. I mean, is it ever specified if there's more to it than just putting in ingedients in the right order and stirring them in a particular fashion? If that's all it requires I'm sure Merope could do it.

I don't know anything about this, so I guess you are right.

This is just from one of the few times I decided to pay attention in biology:p

Since we know that Salazar Slytherin was Godric Gryffindor's best friend, there must have been something good about him. I think that Slytherin gets a bit of a bad rap because people don't often consider how the average muggle viewed witches and wizards when Slytherin was alive. Because of the murders of suspected witches and wizards that were happening at the time, Slytherin may have seen muggleborns as a threat to the safety of Hogwarts which would make his reasons for only admitting those from magical backgrounds extremely understandable.

Being friend with Godric Gryffindor isn't a proof of being innocent or not being evil. :no: The fact that he was ready to kill potential witches and wizards is enough of a proof that makes me believe that he was evil. Moreover he was a Parselmouth, that too signifys that he has some evil in him....I know that just being a parselmouth doesn't prove that he is evil but then if it is a general trend then he must have it in him, moreover Harry is an exception.




Well...perhaps there are truths and truths. As a literary truth - the evil Lord Voldemort being conceived under the effects of magical co-ercion (ie: his conception was not a voluntary loving act on everyone's part) well...it sets the tone dunnit? In literary truth you could say it all began with a lie.

Sounds interesting....maybe even convincing. :p

I see where you're coming from, definitely. I like the idea that a child conceived under false pretences such as a love potion could possibly be "different". Although I do wonder if Dumbledore may have brought that up if it were true...

I can see where you're all coming from, and the genetic mutation angle is evry interesting, but I don't like the idea of Voldemort being born evil for two reasons -

(1) it eliminates the idea of moral choice, which has been central to the series

(2) I know it is wise to be wary of drawing too many conclusions from biographical parallels, but I think it unlikely that an author who has campaigned tirelessly for the rights of single parents would choose to portray children conceived without love as being innately evil.

For me, the damaging thing that TR Snr and Merope did to Voldemort was to fail to love him, not fail to love (or feed love potions to) each other.

I would like to kindly ask that everyone refrain from speculating on JKR's personal life decisions, especially where her children are concerned.

Thank you

I would like to kindly ask that everyone refrain from speculating on JKR's personal life decisions, especially where her children are concerned.

Thank you

I didn't think I was speculating - I thought I was alluding to widely known biographical fact. Nonetheless, I have amended my post in the light of your comments, and I hope that what I have written is more acceptable.

I can see where you're all coming from, and the genetic mutation angle is evry interesting, but I don't like the idea of Voldemort being born evil for two reasons -

(1) it eliminates the idea of moral choice, which has been central to the series

(2) I know it is wise to be wary of drawing too many conclusions from biographical parallels, but I think it unlikely that an author who has campaigned tirelessly for the rights of single parents would choose to portray children conceived without love as being innately evil.

For me, the damaging thing that TR Snr and Merope did to Voldemort was to fail to love him, not fail to love (or feed love potions to) each other.
I totally agree. Considering the number of children that are born on a daily basis in every country of the world without love as a component of their conception, I can't imagine that JKR would assert that conception without "real" love had anything to do with Tom, Jr. becoming a very bad person. If either parent had actually loved him, he might very well be a very different person.

I didn't think I was speculating - I thought I was alluding to widely known biographical fact.
:hmm: No, it's certainly not speculation in my opinion since JKR has publically spoken about that time period in her life on quite a number of occasions. The fact that she has campaigned both for the rights of single parents and against the use of cage beds in orphanages that still use them seem to lend themselves to discussion of where she may think Tom, Jr. was damaged as an infant.

The fact that she has campaigned both for the rights of single parents and against the use of cage beds in orphanages that still use them seem to lend themselves to discussion of where she may think Tom, Jr. was damaged as an infant.

Good point!

I'm not really sure if I made this clear or not, though I'll try to explain again. I don't think the whole genetic mutation thing came from there being a lack of love. If this was true a good population of our race would be born evil. I think that the potion acted as kind of a drug, altering the "good" or "bad" or whatever you want to call it gene.

I totally agree. Considering the number of children that are born on a daily basis in every country of the world without love as a component of their conception, I can't imagine that JKR would assert that conception without "real" love had anything to do with Tom, Jr. becoming a very bad person. If either parent had actually loved him, he might very well be a very different person.


:hmm: No, it's certainly not speculation in my opinion since JKR has publically spoken about that time period in her life on quite a number of occasions. The fact that she has campaigned both for the rights of single parents and against the use of cage beds in orphanages that still use them seem to lend themselves to discussion of where she may think Tom, Jr. was damaged as an infant.

I can see your first point but I don't think the orphanage has much to do with how he turned out. Voldemort was incapable of love from the start. As for other emotians like pity or mercy, if he ever had them they woulld have stopped as he ripped his soul into smaller pieces.

The presence of a mother in Tom Riddle's life would have changed Tom Riddle. How it would have changed Tom Riddle is hard to specify - plenty of bad apples come from good homes as kids - but it's hard to think that Tom Riddle would have turned out the exact same way that he did if Merope hadn't died.

Merope may not have known a mother's love herself - we get (to my knowledge) no mention of who her mother is - so it may not have seemed an awful thing for her to deprive Tom Riddle of a mother. She was probably in such a bad state mentally at that point that she felt it hardly mattered whether she lived or died.

I posted some thoughts on this topic upthread, but I'll repeat one now - Harry's description of Merope as "the most defeated person he's ever seen" seems quite accurate. The influence of the men in her life seemed to just drain her of her will to be a witch and her will to live.

Because of the lack of mention of Merope's mother (Marvolo's wife), we can also guess as to what became of her. I can't imagine that she and Marvolo fell in love with each other. Maybe her family pushed her into the marriage (or arranged it) in order to be related to the descendents of the famous Salazar Slytherin. My guess is that Mrs. Gaunt either died or left the family. Either way it would only have a negative effect on Merope.

Because of the lack of mention of Merope's mother (Marvolo's wife), we can also guess as to what became of her. I can't imagine that she and Marvolo fell in love with each other. Maybe her family pushed her into the marriage (or arranged it) in order to be related to the descendents of the famous Salazar Slytherin. My guess is that Mrs. Gaunt either died or left the family. Either way it would only have a negative effect on Merope.

It has been stated in HBP that the Gaunts were so obsessed with being pure-blood and being descendants of Slytherin that there was inter family breeding going on. This shows with the way Merope and Morfin look and act. I believe that they were both inbred. I don't have time to look it up at this moment, but I will try to get the quote for you later.


Also I would like to point out something about LV being evil. I believe that if Merope had stayed alive, LV wouldn't have been as bad as he is now. He probably would have turned out to be more like Snape. His whole quest is based on living forever. He is afraid of death because his mother, a witch, could not save herself from it.

The quote is
"Marvolo, his son, Morfin, and his daughter, Merope, were the last of the Gaunts, a very ancient Wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins."
DD said this (p. 212, US Hardback), but did not give any hints about Merope's mother.

I agree with you Loona that it's a good possibility that Merope and Morfin's mother may have been related to Marvolo. It would explain a lot. But she could also have been forced into a marraige, which would also explain a lot. Personally I'm beginning to like the idea that Merope's mother was forced into marrying Merope's father. Then she herself left, leading to Marvolo's bitterness towards women, and thus his treatment of his own daughter.
No canon to support my guess...just a bit of psychoanalysis :p.

Then she herself left

Or was killed by Marvolo? :eyebrows:

I agree with you Loona that it's a good possibility that Merope and Morfin's mother may have been related to Marvolo. It would explain a lot. But she could also have been forced into a marraige, which would also explain a lot. Personally I'm beginning to like the idea that Merope's mother was forced into marrying Merope's father. Then she herself left, leading to Marvolo's bitterness towards women, and thus his treatment of his own daughter.
No canon to support my guess...just a bit of psychoanalysis :p.

I think this is possibly true, I can hardly imagine Marvolo would have been a pleasant husband to live with.

Maybe she did the same as Merope, she could have given up on her family. You can hardly blame her and it could have been an example to Merope.

Erm, yes, as long as you can provide canon to back up a theory about a certain character there is not reason why you cannot discuss this theory in terms of character analysis. :)Since I have an ok from Madron, here's greater part of my Merope was a metamorphamagus theory.

I wanted put this option out there and get other reader's opinions. There were plenty of things that bothered me about Merope using a love potion on TR Sr. First, there is the general "ick factor." Also, others have pointed out that Merope could have been too magically weak to brew a love potion or Merope did not have enough money to buy a love potion. But what if Merope did not need a love potion, in that she was a metamorphamagus and turned herself into a stunningly beautiful women in order to marry TR Sr.?

As I reread the chapter "House of Gaunt," I noticed that at one point Harry describes Merope as if she wanted to blend into the wall. This phrase immediately reminded me of a chameleon, in how they can change their appearance in order to blend into their surroundings. Then I remembered that Harry does not notice Merope for a long while once he enters the Gaunt house. Was it because he didn't notice her, or was it because he couldn't notice her, in that she actually had blended into the wall? Furthermore, in reading the description of Merope as depressed with lank hair I remembered the description of Tonks in HBP as being depressed and having mousy hair. Both Tonks and Merope are dejected, both are dejected because they cannot be with the men they want, and both are described as have have "down" appearances. Could this be a clue that they are both metamorphamagi?

Merope being a metamorphamagus would explain a peculiar comment Morfin makes to her in "House of Gaunt." Morfin say to her in essence, "so, TR Sr. didn't want you, did he?" This comment makes no sense. In specific, it indicates that there was a possibility in the first place that TR Sr. would have liked the appearance of Merope. And it clearly stated in the text that Merope was very unattractive. So what hope would there have been for TR Sr. to have seen her and fallen for her on sight? Very little. Then why did Morfin make that comment, which inherently implies that Merope had a chance to attract TR Sr. with her looks? The comment does make sense if Merope was a Morphus and transformed herself into a moderately attractive person in order to catch TR Sr.'s eye when he rode by. Then Morfin's comment is appropriate, in that he is saying, "you morphed yourself into a better looking person and he still didn't want you, did he?" So Merope being a metamorphamagus would explain why Morfin acted as if she would have been able to attract TR Sr. with her appearance.

When I was looking at the Gaunt family names I saw a pattern. The name Morfin could be related to Morpheus and thus have something to do with sleep. But a homonym root for Morfin is "morph," as in metamorphamagus. What if being a metamorphamagus ran in the Gaunt family and that is why Morfin got his name? Later, I found out that Marvolo is similar to "marvros," the Greek word for "black." So perhaps Marvolo got his name because his mother was born a Black (his mother could have still been his father's cousin in her mother was Gaunt and her father a Black). And being a metamorphamagus could run in the Black family (Tonks, and I suspect Regulus) just as Parselmouths run in the Gaunt family. So if Marvolo is a descendant of the Black family as well at the Gaunts, then naming his son "Morfin" could be a way of acknowledging that heritage.

If Merope could have changed her appearance, this would explain how she could have "tricked" TR Sr. without using a potion. Once her father and brother went off to Azkaban, she would have been much happier and may have been able to use her morphing abilities to a greater extent. This would be congruent with Tonks in HBP. In that book, Tonks is depressed and as a result she is having trouble morphing, as Hermione tells Harry in HBP. But when she is happy at the end she is able to morph well again, as her vivid pink hair represents. By this logic, once Merope was happier she may have been able to morph herself into a fantastically beautiful woman. And with that fantastic beauty she may have been able to entrance TR Sr. enough for him to start carrying on with her and to leave Cecelia.

The main problem with Merope changing her appearance into that of a beautiful woman is DD's comment regarding the villagers' reaction to her marriage to TR Sr.. DD says that there was a scandal in the village when the squire's son ran off with the tramp's daughter. Now, if Merope changed her appearance, how would the villagers have known that she was the tramp's daughter? Once explanation is that DD was just speculating when he made the comment. But there could be another. In OotP when Harry first meets Tonks she is has short purple hair and a heart shaped face. Later at Grimmaund Place Tonks has long red hair and turns her nose into a hooked nose to entertain the kids. And when Harry sees Tonks before going to St.Mungo's she is an old woman. Now, if a Muggle who knew nothing of magic saw a girl with short purple hair, a girl with long red hair and a hooked nose, and an old woman, would the Muggle think they are the same person? No. So it could have been the same with Merope. Specifically, Merope kept her true, deformed appearance at home but when she went to town with Marvolo she could have morphed into a normal looking girl so that the villagers would not harass her. And if the villagers saw a normal looking girl in town with Marvolo and a deformed girl in the yard around Marvolo's house, they would assume that they are two different girls and that they are both Marvolo's daughters since the villagers see the "two" girls either with Marvolo or at Marvolo's home.

Once Marvolo and Morfin go to Azkaban, Merope would be happy enough to use her morphing abilities to their fullest and would turn herself into unbelievably beautiful-Cecelia who?-Merope and then stand in her yard until TR Sr. rode by. And when a stunned TR Sr. came up to talk to her, Merope could just say, "Oh, I'm the youngest Gaunt sister. My father could not afford to raise me so he sent me to live with my aunt. I'm just visiting, yada, yada, yada, whatever." TR Sr. would be so smitten that he really wouldn't care what Merope said. But the important point is if the villagers saw TR Sr. and beautiful Merope together in the town, they would ask TR Sr. who she is and TR Sr. would say beautiful Merope is Marvolo Gaunt's youngest daughter. And when TR Sr. marries beautiful Merope, thus the scandal of the squire's son running off with the tramp's daughter.

Merope being a metmorphamagus could also explain why TR Sr. left her. In HBP, Dumbledore suspects that Merope stopped using a love potion of TR Sr. because she didn't want to have a "fake" relationship with him anymore. When I first read this, it did not make sense. Why would Merope, who was unethical enough to use a potion on TR Sr., suddenly develop a sense of morality? But what if Merope, instead of choosing to stop tricking TR Sr., had to stop tricking him. In specific, what if being pregnant affected her ability to morph? What if being pregnant forced Merope's body to return to it's original form so that her biology would be compatible with her baby's? In normal human biology, the body will protect the baby even if it means killing the mother. So what if it the same with Metamorphamagi, in that their bodies will not allow them to morph if morphing endangers the baby? If being pregnant prevented Merope from being able to morph, then she would have been forced to return to her true, unattractive appearance. And once she stops morphing TR Sr. will see her true appearance and would leave her. That would explain why TR Sr. left Merope when she was pregnant. This also explains TR Sr. saying that he was fooled, in that he was fooled by her appearance, rather than by a potion.

Merope using her appearance to get TR Sr. would also add an interesting aspect to the series. In CoS, we "know" that TR. Sr. left Merope when he found out that she was a Witch, thus making TR Sr. the villain and Merope the victim. Then in HBP, we "find out" that Merope used a potion of TR Sr., making Merope the villain and TR Sr. the victim. With Merope lying with her appearance and TR Sr. leaving Cecelia and then Merope based on solely on the women's looks, both are to blame and this gives a more balanced allotment of fault and a final twist to the story.

So there it is. It is being discussed in the original thread, which can be found here

Was Merope REALLY a metamorphmagus?

http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=99905

Since I have an ok from Madron, here's greater part of my Merope was a metamorphamagus theory.

I wanted put this option out there and get other reader's opinions. There were plenty of things that bothered me about Merope using a love potion on TR Sr. First, there is the general "ick factor." Also, others have pointed out that Merope could have been too magically weak to brew a love potion or Merope did not have enough money to buy a love potion. But what if Merope did not need a love potion, in that she was a metamorphamagus and turned herself into a stunningly beautiful women in order to marry TR Sr.?


As I reread the chapter "House of Gaunt," I noticed that at one point Harry describes Merope as if she wanted to blend into the wall. This phrase immediately reminded me of a chameleon, in how they can change their appearance in order to blend into their surroundings. Then I remembered that Harry does not notice Merope for a long while once he enters the Gaunt house. Was it because he didn't notice her, or was it because he couldn't notice her, in that she actually had blended into the wall?

Merope was being abused by her brother and father, she didn't want to be noticed because then they would abuse her again. That's why she wanted to blend with the wall.

Harry didn't see her at first. Merope was silent, she didn't move or make a sound, Harry's attention was focussed on Ogden and Marvolo who were arguing, not on how the room looked and who else was there.

Furthermore, in reading the description of Merope as depressed with lank hair I remembered the description of Tonks in HBP as being depressed and having mousy hair. Both Tonks and Merope are dejected, both are dejected because they cannot be with the men they want, and both are described as have have "down" appearances. Could this be a clue that they are both metamorphamagi?

Both women were suffering of an unanswered love for someone else. When you suffer from this, it's not unusual that you neglect your appearance. You just don't care anymore but all energy goes to thinking about your love. Both were miserable, but this is something that happens to all women not just metamorphamagi. I am sure this isn't a characteristic of metamorphamagi.

Merope being a metamorphamagus would explain a peculiar comment Morfin makes to her in "House of Gaunt." Morfin say to her in essence, "so, TR Sr. didn't want you, did he?" This comment makes no sense. In specific, it indicates that there was a possibility in the first place that TR Sr. would have liked the appearance of Merope. And it clearly stated in the text that Merope was very unattractive. So what hope would there have been for TR Sr. to have seen her and fallen for her on sight? Very little. Then why did Morfin make that comment, which inherently implies that Merope had a chance to attract TR Sr. with her looks?
The comment does make sense if Merope was a Morphus and transformed herself into a moderately attractive person in order to catch TR Sr.'s eye when he rode by. Then Morfin's comment is appropriate, in that he is saying, "you morphed yourself into a better looking person and he still didn't want you, did he?" So Merope being a metamorphamagus would explain why Morfin acted as if she would have been able to attract TR Sr. with her appearance.

Merope believed she has a chance, because she loved Riddle Sr and was blinded by her love for him. Morfin knew this, he knew that his sister believed in her chances. He said that comment as means to tease Merope, as confirmation that he was right. I think he might have said to her beforehand that she had no chance, but she didn't believe him.

When I was looking at the Gaunt family names I saw a pattern. The name Morfin could be related to Morpheus and thus have something to do with sleep. But a homonym root for Morfin is "morph," as in metamorphamagus. What if being a metamorphamagus ran in the Gaunt family and that is why Morfin got his name? Later, I found out that Marvolo is similar to "marvros," the Greek word for "black." So perhaps Marvolo got his name because his mother was born a Black (his mother could have still been his father's cousin in her mother was Gaunt and her father a Black). And being a metamorphamagus could run in the Black family (Tonks, and I suspect Regulus) just as Parselmouths run in the Gaunt family. So if Marvolo is a descendant of the Black family as well at the Gaunts, then naming his son "Morfin" could be a way of acknowledging that heritage.

We haven't seen a Gaunt on the Black family tree have we? Therefor I am not sure if Marvolo got his name from a Black connection. But his name suits him, he had a black heart. Since there isn't a known family connection with the Blacks, there isn't any canon proof that metamorphamagi are in the Gaunt family too.


The main problem with Merope changing her appearance into that of a beautiful woman is DD's comment regarding the villagers' reaction to her marriage to TR Sr.. DD says that there was a scandal in the village when the squire's son ran off with the tramp's daughter. Now, if Merope changed her appearance, how would the villagers have known that she was the tramp's daughter? Once explanation is that DD was just speculating when he made the comment. But there could be another. In OotP when Harry first meets Tonks she is has short purple hair and a heart shaped face. Later at Grimmaund Place Tonks has long red hair and turns her nose into a hooked nose to entertain the kids. And when Harry sees Tonks before going to St.Mungo's she is an old woman. Now, if a Muggle who knew nothing of magic saw a girl with short purple hair, a girl with long red hair and a hooked nose, and an old woman, would the Muggle think they are the same person? No. So it could have been the same with Merope. Specifically, Merope kept her true, deformed appearance at home but when she went to town with Marvolo she could have morphed into a normal looking girl so that the villagers would not harass her. And if the villagers saw a normal looking girl in town with Marvolo and a deformed girl in the yard around Marvolo's house, they would assume that they are two different girls and that they are both Marvolo's daughters since the villagers see the "two" girls either with Marvolo or at Marvolo's home.

Marvolo would have never allowed that. That would have been like giving into what the muggles want.

I don't think Merope would have cared about the opinion of other people, she was in love, Riddle Sr was in love with her, due to the potion. She had all what she wanted, why should she change her appearance to go outside? She had been used to being looked down up during her whole life.

Once Marvolo and Morfin go to Azkaban, Merope would be happy enough to use her morphing abilities to their fullest and would turn herself into unbelievably beautiful-Cecelia who?-Merope and then stand in her yard until TR Sr. rode by. And when a stunned TR Sr. came up to talk to her, Merope could just say, "Oh, I'm the youngest Gaunt sister. My father could not afford to raise me so he sent me to live with my aunt. I'm just visiting, yada, yada, yada, whatever." TR Sr. would be so smitten that he really wouldn't care what Merope said. But the important point is if the villagers saw TR Sr. and beautiful Merope together in the town, they would ask TR Sr. who she is and TR Sr. would say beautiful Merope is Marvolo Gaunt's youngest daughter. And when TR Sr. marries beautiful Merope, thus the scandal of the squire's son running off with the tramp's daughter.

Riddle Sr would never have believed that Cecelia was a Gaunt. He must have known her very well, it's likely that they moved in the same social circle. Arrogant as the Riddle's where, they would have known about the family she came from. Cecelia looked nothing like the Gaunts.

And what has happened to the real Cecelia? Suddenly disappeared?

Merope using her appearance to get TR Sr. would also add an interesting aspect to the series. In CoS, we "know" that TR. Sr. left Merope when he found out that she was a Witch, thus making TR Sr. the villain and Merope the victim. Then in HBP, we "find out" that Merope used a potion of TR Sr., making Merope the villain and TR Sr. the victim. With Merope lying with her appearance and TR Sr. leaving Cecelia and then Merope based on solely on the women's looks, both are to blame and this gives a more balanced allotment of fault and a final twist to the story.

Well it shows where Voldemort has it's arrogance and it's bad blood from that's for sure.

Well if she was a squib, in theory she could have followed a course at Quickspell. However I doubt she would have done it. Because those courses undoubtedly cost a lot of money, something the Gaunts didn't seem to have and Merope was never let out of her family's sight. But in theory it could have happened.
Not only they probably cost a lot of money, but they are also useless. Squibs can never perform magic and we don't know how much magic you really need to make a potion.

So either Merope is a witch and brew it herself or she's a squib and bought one or still made it herself, what I doubt.

Not only they probably cost a lot of money, but they are also useless. Squibs can never perform magic and we don't know how much magic you really need to make a potion.

So either Merope is a witch and brew it herself or she's a squib and bought one or still made it herself, what I doubt.

Well remember what JKR said... that someone late in life will perform magic. So it's not entirely impossible that a squib could do this too, if Merope was a Squib, which I don't believe, but if she was... it could have been possible that she was capable of it.

I think she brew it herself, she did all the cooking, so I am sure potions were no problem when she was rid of her family members and could use her abilities to the fullest.

Well remember what JKR said... that someone late in life will perform magic. So it's not entirely impossible that a squib could do this too, if Merope was a Squib, which I don't believe, but if she was... it could have been possible that she was capable of it.

Section: Extra Stuff
SQUIBS

I have been asked all sorts of questions about Squibs since I first introduced the concept in ‘Chamber of Secrets’. A Squib is almost the opposite of a Muggle-born wizard: he or she is a non-magical person born to at least one magical parent. Squibs are rare; magic is a dominant and resilient gene.

Squibs would not be able to attend Hogwarts as students. They are often doomed to a rather sad kind of half-life (yes, you should be feeling sorry for Filch), as their parentage often means that they will be exposed to, if not immersed in, the wizarding community, but can never truly join it. Sometimes they find a way to fit in; Filch has carved himself a niche at Hogwarts and Arabella Figg operates as Dumbledore’s liaison between the magical and Muggle worlds. Neither of these characters can perform magic (Filch’s Kwikspell course never worked), but they still function within the wizarding world because they have access to certain magical objects and creatures that can help them (Arabella Figg does a roaring trade in cross-bred cats and Kneazles, and if you don‘t know what a Kneazle is yet, shame on you). Incidentally, Arabella Figg never saw the Dementors that attacked Harry and Dudley, but she had enough magical knowledge to identify correctly the sensations they created in the alleyway.

link (http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=19)
Squibs can't do magic at all. You are either magical or non-magical. Merope was a witch, but her powers were suppressed by abuse and low self-esteem, then by a broken heart.

Squibs can't do magic at all. You are either magical or non-magical. Merope was a witch, but her powers were suppressed by abuse and low self-esteem, then by a broken heart.

I have written it wrongly. Someone could first be considered a Squib with all the characteristics, like Merope was called a Squib by her father and then later perform magic. But like I have said a few times before I consider her a witch.

Thanks for the quote anabel.

Here's the quote of what Jo said about the person who will perform magic later in life.


Question: Will there be, or have there been, any "late blooming" students in the school who come into their magic potential as adults, rather than as children? By the way, I loved meeting you, and hearing you speak, when you came to Anderson's in Naperville. I can hardly wait until you tour again.

Ahhh! I loved the event at Anderson's. It was one of my favorites. That is completely true. No, is the answer. In my books, magic almost always shows itself in a person before age 11; however, there is a character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare in the world I am writing about.

But Jo also said that this is very rare and it will only happen to one out of 100s HP characters in the books. Merope, in case she's was a Squib, was still young and in the quote it refers to "late in life". So it doesn't refer to her in this case.

Thanks for the quote anabel.

Here's the quote of what Jo said about the person who will perform magic later in life.


Question: Will there be, or have there been, any "late blooming" students in the school who come into their magic potential as adults, rather than as children? By the way, I loved meeting you, and hearing you speak, when you came to Anderson's in Naperville. I can hardly wait until you tour again.

Ahhh! I loved the event at Anderson's. It was one of my favorites. That is completely true. No, is the answer. In my books, magic almost always shows itself in a person before age 11; however, there is a character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare in the world I am writing about.

But Jo also said that this is very rare and it will only happen to one out of 100s HP characters in the books. Merope, in case she's was a Squib, was still young and in the quote it refers to "late in life". So it doesn't refer to her in this case.

I didn't say that Merope was the person who Jo meant, she is death so unless Harry would find a way to go back in someone's memories or travel back in time she won't turn up again. I just said that it might have been possible for someone to get magical abilities later on.

I can't wait to find out who does magic late in life! But it's a bit confusing. Would that be someone who refused their place at Hogwarts, do you think?

Now do you think Merope attended Hogwarts, in case she was a real witch? Or did her father refused to send her there?

I can't wait to find out who does magic late in life! But it's a bit confusing. Would that be someone who refused their place at Hogwarts, do you think?

I really can't think of anyone except our two well known squibs. But TENSHI and you have kinda shot that down for me now. Since Petunia isn't the one, who can it be. Vernon? I rather hope not... a Vernon without magical abilities is scary enough already.

We are so going off topic ;)

Now do you think Merope attended Hogwarts, in case she was a real witch? Or did her father refused to send her there?

No, I think Marvolo kept her and Morfin at home. He wouldn't have liked having his offspring socialize with inferior wizards and witches. Besides he needed Merope to take care of the household.

No, I think Marvolo kept her and Morfin at home. He wouldn't have liked having his offspring socialize with inferior wizards and witches. Besides he needed Merope to take care of the household.
Yes, also my thought. Also from her behaviour it seems that she didn't left the house much. She was kept under control by her father and letting her attend Hogwarts would mean that she would be out of his reach. She could be influenced by other people as well.

Yes, also my thought. Also from her behaviour it seems that she didn't left the house much. She was kept under control by her father and letting her attend Hogwarts would mean that she would be out of his reach. She could be influenced by other people as well.

Yes, imagine the horror Marvolo would feel if Merope would become friends with halfbloods or muggles. She might have changed a lot at Hogwarts, learned how to stand up for herself and refuse to be bullied anymore.

I just looked this up for another thread, and it struck me that it is relevant to the question of Merope being a witch or a Squib.
Merope:
One of the Pleiades in Taurus, or Seven Sisters. She married Sisyphus, by whom she had a son, Glaucus. Merope was the only Pleiad to marry a mortal, and the star that she represents shines less bright than those which represent her sisters.

http://users.winshop.com.au/annew/Merope.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MeropeShe's named after a goddess who married a mortal and had a son with him, which does rather imply that Merope Gaunt is a witch!

Yes, imagine the horror Marvolo would feel if Merope would become friends with halfbloods or muggles. She might have changed a lot at Hogwarts, learned how to stand up for herself and refuse to be bullied anymore.
That would be indeed horrible. And imagine what big blood traitor she would be, interfering with Half-bloods or Mudbloods.

I just looked this up for another thread, and it struck me that it is relevant to the question of Merope being a witch or a Squib.She's named after a goddess who married a mortal and had a son with him, which does rather imply that Merope Gaunt is a witch!
So you're saying that she's a witch because, her name derives from a Goddess? Interesting thought.

So you're saying that she's a witch because, her name derives from a Goddess? Interesting thought.

Specifically because Merope the Pleiad married a mortal and Merope Gaunt married a Muggle.

Interestingly that first link you gave anabel also says the following:

This is the seventh of the sisters. She alone, married a mortal man, Sisyphus, and she repents of it, and hid her face in shame at being the only one not married to a god and from shame at the deed, she alone of the sisters hides herself in the sky

Could shame have been the cause that she quit feeding Riddle Sr the love potion and eventually caused her to give up her on her life? Although I think it unlikely that she cared about the reputation of the Gaunt family name, it could have been that she was ashamed of what she had done. Because it was morally wrong.

Could shame have been the cause that she quit feeding Riddle Sr the love potion and eventually caused her to give up her on her life? Although I think it unlikely that she cared about the reputation of the Gaunt family name, it could have been that she was ashamed of what she had done. Because it was morally wrong.
I agree. I don't think she cared too much about the family name either. And I too think it could have been shame that caused her to stop feeding Tom Snr the potion. Although there is a small part of me that thinks she also had convinced herself that he would have actually fallen in love with her for real by then.

I agree. I don't think she cared too much about the family name either. And I too think it was shame that caused her to stop feeding Tom Snr the potion. Although there is a small part of me that thinks she also had convinced herself that he would have actually fallen in love with her for real by then.
Of what should she be ashamed?

I am in favour of the second possibility. I do think that she thought that he would still love her, even without potion.

Of what should she be ashamed?

I am in favour of the second possibility. I do think that she thought that he would still love her, even without potion.

She shouldn't be ashamed of anything, but we don't know what her reasons were to stop with the potion. It could be that she really thought Riddle Sr would love her either way, that she was blinded by her love for him. It could also be that she got a guilty conscious and decided it was wrong what she was doing. That she was ashamed of her behavior, which isn't very likely to me but you have to keep all options open.

In her eyes, it may have been shameful to keep on giving him the potion, she may have been feeling remorse and had qualms about going on doing it.
The other option, that she probably thought he would still love her is more possible. But we really do not know for sure.

Specifically because Merope the Pleiad married a mortal and Merope Gaunt married a Muggle.

I agree that there can be a reference to the Pleiad Merope. JK has always selected the names for her characters very wisely.

In her eyes, it may have been shameful to keep on giving him the potion, she may have been feeling remorse and had qualms about going on doing it
Precisely. I think it's very possible that she could have felt that way. Perhaps after time she realised that feeding Tom the love potion was tantamount to her father keeping her at home because it was what he wanted. Maybe she cared enough about Tom that she decided to let him make his own choice.

Precisely. I think it's very possible that she could have felt that way. Perhaps after time she realised that feeding Tom the love potion was tantamount to her father keeping her at home because it was what he wanted. Maybe she cared enough about Tom that she decided to let him make his own choice.

I agree. Obviously Merope didn't find a relationship based on Love potion sufficient, so it's quite likely that she also felt ashamed of what she had done.

Not only that Merope saw Tom Riddle Snr as her escape route. She came from an abusive family. In the early thirties most the womans place was meant to be the home looking after the men of the family. Merope had dreams and goals of her own but were squashed by her father and brother. I don't think Merope was not sent to Hogwarts because she would mix with "mudbloods and Muggle Lovers" as a descendant of Salazar she would obviously go to Slytherin house in her fathers eyes. She didn't go because she was female and her only duty was to look after the house and the family.
I also think that she stopped giving Riddle the potion because she felt that it was just to get him to notice her that once he did he wiuld see how wonderful she was and fall in love with her for real. She hoped for a knight in shining armour instead she was abandoned and used

Precisely. I think it's very possible that she could have felt that way. Perhaps after time she realised that feeding Tom the love potion was tantamount to her father keeping her at home because it was what he wanted. Maybe she cared enough about Tom that she decided to let him make his own choice.
I agree that she cared for Tom, but the problem was that he didn't for her and that's why she needed to use love potion. Otherwise he wouldn't care a little bit for her. Not sure if she was ashamed of her behaviour that she stopped giving it to him. I agree with Sile here and rather think that she hoped that he started to love her (like said in the book, I think), what was an illusion.

Not only that Merope saw Tom Riddle Snr as her escape route. She came from an abusive family. In the early thirties most the womans place was meant to be the home looking after the men of the family. Merope had dreams and goals of her own but were squashed by her father and brother. I don't think Merope was not sent to Hogwarts because she would mix with "mudbloods and Muggle Lovers" as a descendant of Salazar she would obviously go to Slytherin house in her fathers eyes. She didn't go because she was female and her only duty was to look after the house and the family.
Even if she would be in Slytherin (what's for sure IMO) she still would have met mudbloods and half-bloods during her lessons.

Yes, she was treatend like a slave and without her they perished. I don't think that her father and her brother ever moved one finger to help her.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?



1. I think the constant abuse growing up made it so her powers weren't able to work properly from mental stress, and when she couldn't do what her father wanted her to, he called her the most insulting thing he could think of.
2. I'm sure she hated tricking Tom. He was the only man who ever showed her compassion (even though it was from the potion), and she felt too guilty to keep a hold on him like that.
3. It was magic that drove Tom Sr. away, so she was tiered of it. Also, she must have been so depressed that she couldn't manage magic anyhow. It was kind of like when Tonks was depressed about Lupin.
4. She felt too sorry for herself. She let her self-loathing win over the desire to care for her child.
5. I think she would have hidden magic from him all together since she hated it so much.
6. Yes, he would then have known what it's like to be loved and become a normal person.
7. I think she is the saddest character in the series, but if she hadn't let the loss of Tom Sr bring her down and raise her son in a loving home, he would have never become Voldemort.

5. I think she would have hidden magic from him all together since she hated it so much.

Would that have made a difference though, keeping magic away from her son? Because in the muggle orphanage he didn't come in contact with magic at all and even then his magic abilities came out. I am sure Merope could have showed him love and maybe that love would have had some influence. But I am sure his powers would have surfaced, whatever Merope would have done.

I don't think she would have hidden magic from him. I rather see her trying to show him the better side of magic. She went alone to London and left her family. Alone with Tom she would have the chance to use her own magic ability, which seemed to be oppressed by her father, who told her over and over again how useless she is.

I don't think she would have hidden magic from him. I rather see her trying to show him the better side of magic. She went alone to London and left her family. Alone with Tom she would have the chance to use her own magic ability, which seemed to be oppressed by her father, who told her over and over again how useless she is.

Even if she would have tried, it wouldn't have worked. I mean Tom Riddle was under the enchantment of the Love Potion and didn't have his own identity, to register something.

Even if she would have tried, it wouldn't have worked. I mean Tom Riddle was under the enchantment of the Love Potion and didn't have his own identity, to register something.

I think TENSHI means Tom Riddle Jr/Voldemort, not Riddle Sr ;)

I don't think she would have hidden magic from him. I rather see her trying to show him the better side of magic. She went alone to London and left her family. Alone with Tom she would have the chance to use her own magic ability, which seemed to be oppressed by her father, who told her over and over again how useless she is.

That is an option too, I do think that she would have been happier away from her family. But only if she had managed to forget about Riddle Sr and her disastrous marriage. Without that burden she might have done something good with her abilities and maybe even helped her son a little bit in a good way.

What Hes said. What I mean is that when everything would have worked out. When Merope didn't die after giving birth and she and her son had the possibility to live together without the influence of her family.

That is an option too, I do think that she would have been happier away from her family. But only if she had managed to forget about Riddle Sr and her disastrous marriage. Without that burden she might have done something good with her abilities and maybe even helped her son a little bit in a good way.
You think, if alive she would have used her magical abilities for bad things, because of the things that happend to her?

Well, at least the love factor would be another one for Junior, at least I think so. But would have Merope loved her son, even if he was from a man who rejected her? And why did she gave him the name of the two man who hurt her that much ...

I see Merope is more complexe than expected. :no:

What Hes said. What I mean is that when everything would have worked out. When Merope didn't die after giving birth and she and her son had the possibility to live together without the influence of her family.

Oh, well I got confused between Sr and Jr. I didn't realize that you were talking about a hypothetical situation. Well I agree but I don't really see her affecting Tom as much. I know that Tom has some of his hatred because of the fact that his mother didn't save herself for him, and that he wasn't given true guidance, but his mind was evil from the very beginning and it would have been hard to contend him. He is a very good actor and I think he would have kept things away from his mother as well. :shrug:

Oh, well I got confused between Sr and Jr. I didn't realize that you were talking about a hypothetical situation. Well I agree but I don't really see her affecting Tom as much. I know that Tom has some of his hatred because of the fact that his mother didn't save herself for him, and that he wasn't given true guidance, but his mind was evil from the very beginning and it would have been hard to contend him. He is a very good actor and I think he would have kept things away from his mother as well. :shrug:
But in case that she would have survived the "I hate her, because she didn't didn't safe herself for me" point wouldn't be valid anymore. We can only speculate what effect Merope would have had on her son and I'm sure that the outcome would be a better one than it is at the moment.

You think, if alive she would have used her magical abilities for bad things, because of the things that happend to her?

No, I don't think she has a bad character and would have misused her abilities. The love potion was just a sign of helplessness in my opinion. It wasn't morally right, but it was understandable if you look at it from her point of view. If she had survived childbirth and had the power to go on I think she would have had a good chance to either live somewhere in the muggle world without use of her abilities. Or inside the Magical world and just like any other witch use it for daily life.

Well, at least the love factor would be another one for Junior, at least I think so. But would have Merope loved her son, even if he was from a man who rejected her? And why did she gave him the name of the two man who hurt her that much ...

I see Merope is more complexe than expected. :no:

I think the still felt attached to her father and her former husband. She couldn't push them out her life, I have no idea why, but she just couldn't and therefore named her son after them.

We can only speculate what effect Merope would have had on her son and I'm sure that the outcome would be a better one than it is at the moment.


We can only hope, but I don't see much difference. Merope isn't a strong woman. She wouldn't be able to stand up against her son if he is doing wrong, she would rather try to overlook it, living under the false pretense that her son can't be wrong. Moreover I don't think Voldemort would disclose his doing to her. He is smart enough to keep her in dark.

There has been a certain amount of speculation about whether Tom was suffering from an attachment disorder as a result of living in the orphanage from birth. Children who are adopted after the age of six months are at risk for attachment problems. Normal attachment develops during the child's first two to three years of life. Problems with the mother-child relationship during that time, orphanage experience, or breaks in the consistent caregiver-child relationship interfere with the normal development of a healthy and secure attachment. There are wide ranges of attachment difficulties that result in varying degrees of emotional disturbance in the child. One thing is certain; if an infant's needs are not met consistently, in a loving, nurturing way, attachment will not occur normally and this underlying problem will manifest itself in a variety of symptoms.

When the attachment-cycle is undermined and the child’s needs are not met, and normal socializing shame is not resolved, mistrust begins to define the perspective of the child and attachment problems result[3]. The cycle can become undermined or broken for many reasons[4]

* Multiple disruptions in care giving
* Post-partum depression causing an emotionally unavailable mother
* Hospitalization of the child causing separation from the parent and/or unrelieved pain. For example, stays in a NICU or repeated hospitalizations during infancy.
* Parents who have experienced their own relational trauma, leading to neglect, abuse (physical/sexual/verbal), or inappropriate parental responses not leading to a secure/predictable relationship
* Genetic factors
* Pervasive developmental disorders
* Caregivers whose own needs are not met, leading to overload and lack of awareness of the infants needs

The child may develop basic mistrust (Erikson), impeding effective attachment behavior. The developmental stages following these first three years continue to be distorted and/or retarded, and common symptoms emerge. It is very important to realize that when one is trying to parent a child with attachment difficulties one must focus on the cause of the behaviors and not on the symptoms or surface behaviors. Furthermore, the following behaviors can be indicators of a variety of problems. A child exhibiting several of these behaviors should receive a comprehensive evaluation by a licensed mental health professional to determine the cause of these symptoms. Many of these symptoms can be seen in children who have experienced complex trauma [5], attachment difficulties and other issues [6] [7] .

* Superficially engaging and charming behavior, phoniness
* Avoidance of eye contact
* Indiscriminate affection with strangers
* Lack of affection in a reciprocal manner
* Destructiveness to self, others, and material things
* Cruelty to animals
* Crazy lying (lying in the face of the obvious)
* Poor impulse control
* Learning lags
* Lack of cause/effect thinking
* Lack of conscience
* Abnormal eating patterns
* Poor peer relationships
* Preoccupation with fire and/or gore
* Persistent nonsense questions and chatter indicating a need to control
* Inappropriate clinginess and demandingness
* Inappropriate sexuality

It is important to get a thorough evaluation as one symptom can have many causes. There are a variety of evidence-based methods to assess a child's pattern and style of attachment such as the Strange situation developed by Mary Ainsworth and a variety of narrative methods. Among adults, the Adult Attachment Interview is a frequently used research method.

link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_disorder)If this is Tom's problem, then Merope could have prevented it just by being there. However, maternal depression can also cause an attachment disorder, and it's clear Merope was very depressed. And there is always the chance that Tom was always going to be a psychopath ...

If this is Tom's problem, then Merope could have prevented it just by being there. However, maternal depression can also cause an attachment disorder, and it's clear Merope was very depressed. And there is always the chance that Tom was always going to be a psychopath ...
Thanks for posting that anabel. Merope really wasn't the most stable person around, but maybe after being away from her family for a longer time she could start to enjoy her life.

We can only hope, but I don't see much difference. Merope isn't a strong woman. She wouldn't be able to stand up against her son if he is doing wrong, she would rather try to overlook it, living under the false pretense that her son can't be wrong. Moreover I don't think Voldemort would disclose his doing to her. He is smart enough to keep her in dark.

When we see Merope in the pensieve and hear about her, she doesn't appear to be strong. However all this time she is under influence and control of her family. She can't be the person she has the potential to be because she is repressed. This repression has damaged her powers. But if she had survived and as a result lived in an environment away from her former oppressors, she might have changed. Maybe she would have had the ability to stand for her self a bit more and maybe she could have been a strict mother to Riddle Jr.

I don't think she would have been a mother like Petunia Dursley, never accepting that your son is wrong.

But if she had survived and as a result lived in an environment away from her former oppressors, she might have changed.

Um...she had stayed for long enough, away from the oppression of his father and brother, with the love of her life but she didn't seem to find enough courage to live for her only son, the last reminder of her love. Throughout the series we have been pointed out about choice between what is right and what is easy. Merope here chose what was easy and not what was right, and this shows that she isn't strong enough (brave/courageous enough) to face the circumstances. That is why I don't think she would have fought against her son for his wrongs.

Dumbledore has said that it takes great courage to stand against one's friends, then Tom would be her son and it would be that much more difficult for her. So I don't see her standing against the wrongs of her son. :no:

Um...she had stayed for long enough, away from the oppression of his father and brother, with the love of her life but she didn't seem to find enough courage to live for her only son, the last reminder of her love. Throughout the series we have been pointed out about choice between what is right and what is easy. Merope here chose what was easy and not what was right, and this shows that she isn't strong enough (brave/courageous enough) to face the circumstances. That is why I don't think she would have fought against her son for his wrongs.

Do we know exactly for how long she stayed with Riddle Sr?

And yeah it's about choices she made, but that she made some bad choices and didn't stand up to her family doesn't mean that she would have stayed like that forever. Even "weak" and abused persons can suddenly get courageous and stand up for themselves.

Do we know exactly for how long she stayed with Riddle Sr?
Yes. within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife.But young Tom was born a year after the wedding, so they must have been together for at least 3 months.

Even "weak" and abused persons can suddenly get courageous and stand up for themselves.

Anything is possible in fiction. But if we go by general human behavior and character trait then I don't see that happening. :)

Anything is possible in fiction. But if we go by general human behavior and character trait then I don't see that happening. :)

What about neville? He seemed more timid, until he stood up to the trio

But young Tom was born a year after the wedding, so they must have been together for at least 3 months.

Ahhh thanks!

So the influence of her family must have had some damaging effects on her :hmm:

Anything is possible in fiction. But if we go by general human behavior and character trait then I don't see that happening. :)

It doesn't matter anyway since she isn't alive anymore, but I stay convinced she could have changed, you will have to work on changing of course ;)

What about neville? He seemed more timid, until he stood up to the trio
Neville wasn't abused. His grandmother was rather overpowering and made him feel inferior, but she was kind to him. Merope was systematically abused and bullied all her life by her own father.

While it's true that Merope did not stand by her child, it's also true she never had anyone to stand by her.

Didn't her own mother die giving birth to her?

And no one in her life was truly kind to her until the very end, when the orphanage took her in, but by then she was so worn down physically and emotionally, that it was too late.

It's amazing in a way that Merope had any ability to love, even in the shallow way she probably first fell in love with Tom Riddle. And apparently she did love Riddle enough, after marriage, to want more than an illusion of love on his part. And she even loved her father enough to perpetuate his name.

Riddlemort's blaming her for not staying alive for him is how a child might likely feel, but also consistent with his general self-centered attitude: everyone is judged only in relation to his own needs and wishes.

Didn't her own mother die giving birth to her?

That is something we don't know exactly. What happened to Mrs Gaunt has never really been explained. She might have died or left.


Something I have been pondering on. Merope wears the Salazar Slytherin locket that has so much value and meaning to the Gaunt Family. He called her a Squib, which pretty much means not fit to be called a Gaunt and still he lets her wear a priceless heirloom. Why did Marvolo let her wear it?

Didn't it say in the book that she just didn't like to use magic much? I thought that Morvolo more or less called her a squib strictly for the fact of abuse. I thought it said she used magic after she left her fathers house a bit then stopped after Riddle left because she wanted nothing to do with that life style anymore

Didn't it say in the book that she just didn't like to use magic much? I thought that Morvolo more or less called her a squib strictly for the fact of abuse. I thought it said she used magic after she left her fathers house a bit then stopped after Riddle left because she wanted nothing to do with that life style anymore

Yes calling her a Squib was a way of abusing his daughter. However what I meant was not that she was a Squib. Calling her a Squib was my example of how he thought about his daughter.

I mean that if Marvolo thought his daughter was such a disgrace for the family, which he must have otherwise he wouldn't have abused her, why he still let her wear the locket.

While it's true that Merope did not stand by her child, it's also true she never had anyone to stand by her.

Didn't her own mother die giving birth to her?

And no one in her life was truly kind to her until the very end, when the orphanage took her in, but by then she was so worn down physically and emotionally, that it was too late.

It's amazing in a way that Merope had any ability to love, even in the shallow way she probably first fell in love with Tom Riddle. And apparently she did love Riddle enough, after marriage, to want more than an illusion of love on his part. And she even loved her father enough to perpetuate his name.

Riddlemort's blaming her for not staying alive for him is how a child might likely feel, but also consistent with his general self-centered attitude: everyone is judged only in relation to his own needs and wishes.

Nice post. :tu:

Alright I agree to the fact that she had never had someone who would have loved her and thus it is hard to expect from her to stand up against all odds. Moreover since she is a Slytherin it isn't really a big surprise. But that is what makes it even more difficult for one to believe that she would fight against the wrongs of this Son, when she never fought against the wrongs of his father or brother. :shrug:

Alright I agree to the fact that she had never had someone who would have loved her and thus it is hard to expect from her to stand up against all odds. Moreover since she is a Slytherin it isn't really a big surprise. But that is what makes it even more difficult for one to believe that she would fight against the wrongs of this Son, when she never fought against the wrongs of his father or brother. :shrug:

Standing up again a father and brother like Marvolo and Morfin is something which even the strongest character would have had trouble with. They aren't exactly kittens and wouldn't have hesitated to kill her.

Standing up to your son is different, the relationship would be different. I am not saying that she would have been capable to stop Voldemort, far from it. But she could at least have acted like a mother does, trying to show him what is wrong and what is right. Who knows, if Merope might have lived and little Tom was loved by her, she might not have been able to prevent him from becoming Voldemort... the Gaunt genes are present in him after all... but she could have softened him. Although it's hard to believe, I know that.

Standing up again a father and brother like Marvolo and Morfin is something which even the strongest character would have had trouble with. They aren't exactly kittens and wouldn't have hesitated to kill her.

Neither is Tom Marvolo Riddle, he is infact the strongest character who wouldn't have thought twice before killing his mother had she tried to interfere to much, like he killed his father and Grand parents.

But she could at least have acted like a mother does, trying to show him what is wrong and what is right. Who knows, if Merope might have lived and little Tom was loved by her, she might not have been able to prevent him from becoming Voldemort... the Gaunt genes are present in him after all... but she could have softened him. Although it's hard to believe, I know that.

I agree that she must have affected him a bit and only a bit, but then I don't think she would have managed to stop him because he might have had a different motive then, he would see his mother's suffering and he would take revenge for this, like he did anyways, and then once he had done that, there would be no looking back and he would become what he is. ;)

Neither is Tom Marvolo Riddle, he is infact the strongest character who wouldn't have thought twice before killing his mother had she tried to interfere to much, like he killed his father and Grand parents.

We won't ever know that for sure, yes Riddle Jr is a ruthless killer when it comes to other people. Yes he killed his father and grandparents, but that doesn't mean he would just as easily have killed his mother. If his mother had lived, he might not have been pure evil, Merope could have broken through to that barrier he uses to protect himself. But anyway it's no use speculating on this, because Merope and her son have never had the chance to interact together.


I agree that she must have affected him a bit and only a bit, but then I don't think she would have managed to stop him because he might have had a different motive then, he would see his mother's suffering and he would take revenge for this, like he did anyways, and then once he had done that, there would be no looking back and he would become what he is. ;)

You don't believe in rehabilitation eh? Hmm maybe you are right and what ever Merope had tried, her son would still have become evil even after one bad step and her efforts to get him back on track.

It would have been interesting to know what Tom Riddle's thoughts would be on his mother. From what we know, all he knew was that she was a pureblood and his father abandoned her and their offspring so he felt sorry for her. I don't think he did much research on what she was like and what her motives were nor did he take the time to investigate but future events may had been different if he saw the picture for what it was.

It would have been interesting to know what Tom Riddle's thoughts would be on his mother

Indeed, it would be quite interesting to see what Voldemort would have thought about his mother. We haven't seen anything but contempt in him for his mother and her actions, leading to contempt for the wizarding world in general. :sigh:

Poor Merope, no one ever loved her, and she died before she even gave her son a chance to love her. What a sad, miserable life she had. Tom Riddle,Sr. might have loved her if she could have loved herself first, he could have seen the good in her and given her a new life, but they never had a real chance.

Poor Merope, no one ever loved her, and she died before she even gave her son a chance to love her. What a sad, miserable life she had. Tom Riddle,Sr. might have loved her if she could have loved herself first, he could have seen the good in her and given her a new life, but they never had a real chance.
I think the possibility of Tom Snr loving her, knowing she was a witch is very slim. In the beginning of GoF the Riddles were described as "rich, snobbish and rude". I don't believe that Merope's feelings about herself affected Tom's feelings for her. Just the knowledge that she was a witch was probably enough to have him running for the hills. Add to that, the fact that she had been tricking him for all of their married life....not a good combination.

Merope had a terrible life. To me, she's the saddest character in the whole series. She's mentioned so few times, but she's one of the most memorable. It's a testament to JK's skills as a writer that a character mentioned so little is so memorable, although in a sad way.

It's clear that Merope suffered from abuse at the hands of her father and brother, but she was also isolated from others -- peers, women, and any kind of positive role model or reinforcement of healthy ways of thinking:
Certain patterns of thinking seem to fuel depression. These patterns are often a reaction to chronic situational circumstances such as growing up in an alcoholic, abusive or highly dysfunctional family environment, or being in an abusive relationship. The most common patterns of thinking that fuel depression are hopelessness and self-loathing.

Hopelessness is a pattern of thinking where individuals believe they are trapped in misery with no expectation of things ever getting better.

Self-loathing is a pattern of thinking where individuals believe they are bad, worthless, evil, unsuccessful, unlovable and/or incompetent.

Both patterns of thinking are common reactions to childhood abuse, trauma, neglect, or overwhelming loss where no substantial adult support was available to help these children deal with their painful situations.

Additionally, you can see where her ability to cope with these stressors had a direct impact on her decision to manipulate Tom Riddle, Sr., and I think, contributed to her decision to give her child up for adoption. Perhaps it even resulted in her death:
Very often these children grow into adults who do not know how to take care of themselves emotionally, physically, spiritually or in relationships. Thus, these patterns of thinking emerge as a reaction to the original pain (the childhood trauma or dysfunction) and then persevere into adulthood when theses individuals struggle, often unsuccessfully, to find their places in relationships and in the world. -- Depression: Hopelessness and Self-Loathing (http://serenityonlinetherapy.com/depression.htm)

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

Personally, I believe Merope was a Squib and Dumbledore did not catch Marvolo calling her one because DD does not understand Parseltounge (DD didn't hear the Basilisk in CS). Merope could have bought a love potion, if that is how she tricked TR Sr., and the way she violently and uncontrolably moved the pot meshes with JKR's description of what would happen if a Muggle used a wand. Merope being a Squib would explain why she didn't go to St.Mungo's (it's magically hidden and as a Squib she wouldn't have been able to find it), why she had to sell the locket instead of transfiguring something into Muggle money and buying food in the Muggle world, and why she didn't use magic to save herself after giving birth (she couldn't use magic). If Merope truly didn't care enough for her son to use magic to save her life and be a protector to him, then she would have just thrown herself into the Thames and not have bothered to live long enough to give birth to TR Jr.

There was a good thread about this, but it got really mean and personal so people stopped posting in it and it faded away. So I thought I'd just mention it again here.

I think Merope became a Squib because of her fathers mental abutse i think he made her believe that she was really a Squib even though she probably could have been a very talented Witch.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

Latter, not sure why this is a question, as JKR has already said Muggles (which probably means Squibs too) cannot make potions, as Merope did...


2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I believe Dumbledore when he said she thought Riddle might stay for the sake of the baby. I don't think she would want her son to have a father under the influence of love potion, either.


3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

Again, I don't dispute Dumbledore's view on things...


5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

An interesting question, as it's unclear precisely why Voldemort developed his genocidal hatred of non-purebloods. I think it's safe to say, however, that Merope had disowned the Gaunts (if not, they had certainly disowned her). This question cannot be answered without answering...

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Yes. It was his own curiosity that compelled Riddle to look up his genealogy and eventually develop genocidal hatred. Voldemort is a quintessential psychopath. However, if Merope had the will to use magic to save herself and her son, consider what might have happened: Riddle possibly wouldn't believe that wizards are meant to be immortal, a thorough disowning of the Gaunts would not compel Riddle to look up his genealogy and discover he was the Heir of Slytherin, which leads to him becoming Voldemort, a probable raising in a Muggle environment cancels out any anti-Muggle sentiment he had, etc.

However, to be perfectly honest, I am somewhat split on this. On one hand, I like the idea that Tom Riddle Jr would not become Voldemort if he had a loving mother like Harry (I disagree with the statement that Merope did courageous things - she died so that her son could live, just like Lily, yes, but the difference is that Merope died of her own accord while Lily never had a choice of whether to die) on the other hand, there's the simpler theory that the reason Voldemort was born a psychopath is because he was concieved under the influence of love potion - false love. However I think the first theory is more fitting.


7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

Merope is just as much of a reverse parallel to Lily as Voldemort is to Harry.

If nothing else, I think we all feel some pity for Merope Gaunt. She lives in an abusive home and consequently she had been degraded into nothing but a souless maidservant who fears her father's temper and her brother's aggressiveness. She has been abused verbally, mentally, and probably physically. Yet, if this had not been the case, I imagine she would be a fair-minded witch with a quiet dignity. One gets this feeling when we encounter Merope in the House of Gaunt.

She is truly a case of being born into the wrong family. She may not be brave like a Gryffindor, but not cunning and cruel like her Slytherin ancestors.

As Dumbledore explains, she probably died in response to her son's birth due to the fact she had her fighting spirit and strength beaten out of her by a brutal home. I am very glad JK has presented this sort of character to such a wide audience - the issues that Merope would've put up with if she had been real need to be known.

10 galleons for an heirloom? Well, a pregnant woman has to eat. She was desperate and I would suspect she never cared about the ring in the first place. Maybe this was one of the reasons her father so loathed her. Speaking of which, was Merope truly a Squib? I would expect yes. I believe this is the reason that her father condemned her - not her gender as some guess.

Anyhow, thanks for creating this analysis thread because Merope wins "Most Intriguing, Wish-JK-Had-Written-More-About-Her, Character in HP" in my book! :err:

she probably died in response to her son's birth due to the fact she had her fighting spirit and strength beaten out of her by a brutal home.

Actually she lost her fighting spirit and strength because she had faced rejection from the one she loved. This broke her apart and thus she gave up and embraced death. ;)

ATTENTION PLEASE

I'd like to direct your attention to:

REVISED: Character Bashing/Worship: aka Shades of Gray (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=108021)

Please read it carefully and post accordingly!

And no, this is not a thread warning. I want to make sure that everyone reads the revised guidelines.

To get the thread started again:

The relationship between Merope and Morfin

How do you view the interacting between those two?
What feeling does Merope have towards her brother and vice versa? Hate? Love? Simple acceptance?

To get the thread started again:

The relationship between Merope and Morfin

How do you view the interacting between those two?
What feeling does Merope have towards her brother and vice versa? Hate? Love? Simple acceptance?

I don't think that they ever had a good relationship, Morfin behaved like the typical teenage boy, but much more extreme. He bullied his sister and took advantage of her weakness. He knew she wasn't capable of defending herself, he knew he was stronger, more intelligent and quicker in anything they did.

Merope was probably scared off Morfin, but she might have had some love for him too, but only because she was aware this was her duty as a sister. She was repressed by her father and constantly hearing him go on about the Gaunt heritage and what was good for the family.

So acceptance from Merope and loathing and a feeling of superiority from Morfin's side is how I see their relationship.

Her brother, was a bully really. So was her father. So, I think she had a bit of a strained relationship with them. She probably wanted to show them that she wasn't worthless, but everyime she got the chance, she'd get nervous and scared, and her magic suffered. That and Morfin's teasings caused everyone to just, not give her a second thought. That's why when she finally broke away from her abusive father and brother, she was free, she could preform magic freely, and she wasn't frightened of them.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?
I don't think that she was a Squib. I think it was purely abuse. She manages to whip up a decent Love Potion to get Riddle Sr, so she has some sort of magic in her.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?
I think that she thinks that having the Love Potion for so long must have made Riddle actually fall in love with her, or the fact that she is pregnant may convince him to stay. I think it is the first one to be honest because as Dumbledore says, she seemed the romantic type, because he says that a Love Potion would be the more romantic of that or the Imperius Curse...

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?
Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. She's in London, she has no money and no food- you can't make food out of thin air and you can't make money out of thin air. She needs money to buy some sort of food, and she could transfigure more then. There is also the point that she may have stopped using magic after Riddle left her...in that case she needed money to feed herself as she couldn't make any more.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?
As she had stopped using magic she wouldn't have used magic to keep herself alive. I think that she wanted her baby to be safe and that was it. She saw no reason to live once Riddle Sr had gone.


5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?
Marvolo hated mudbloods- he also hated Merope because she wasn't exactly what he wanted-she wasn't all that good at magic. In Marvolo's eyes that made her a Squib-almost as bad as a mudblood. I think that because of this upbringing she may not have cared so much about blood supremacy had she lived to look after Riddle Jr.


6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
Yes. There is a possibility that she could have tamed his love for violence, and treated his Parseltongue as a gift to be used sparingly...but we'll never know

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?
She's a pathetic character overall. The poor thing is hated by her father, the man she loved left her, and when she did have him, she had to keep him there with magic.

As it is widely accepted the Gaunt's inbreeding is an explanation to violent tendecies of Marvolo and Morfin, it got me thinking about what else has their inbreeding caused.
Is it possible that their inbreeding has caused a lack of ability at magic? Neither Marvolo, Morfin, or Merope seem talented at magic, and Marvolo goes as far to call Merope a Squib.



Also, since I just discovered (though it has already been brought up):


In either legend the Pleiades (daughters of Atlas and Pleione) were turned into stars and now, along with their half sisters, the Hyades, make up the star constellation Taurus. Merope is the faintest of the stars because she married a mortal. Her sisters had relations with gods and bore them sons, but Merope married Sisyphus and lived on the island Chios. Merope gave birth to Glaukos, Ornytion, and Sinon. Merope is often called the “lost Pleiad” because she was at first not seen by astronomers or charted like her sisters. One myth says that she hid her face in shame because she had an affair with a mortal man, another says she went to Hades with her husband, Sisyphus.

Merope being disowned for marrying a lesser being fits Merope Gaunt perfectly. Though the later myth suggests that Merope and her husband are reunited in the afterlife. Any thoughts?

I was wondering if Merope was unable to do magic in the last few days of her life. Dumbledore does say that emotional stress can cause wizards or witches to lose their powers. We hear that Tonks had trouble with her metamorphosing when she was unhappy.
Maybe Merope was simply unable to perform magic to save herself rather than made the choice to abandon her son.

I think it was stated that Merope grew to hate the magic that had tricked the man she loved then caused him to leave her o she refused to use it in the last days of her life. I think you're probably right though, she'd show that while living with her abusive father and brother she was unabled to perform simple magic, it seems likely that after such an emotional and stressful time she would lose some if not all of her magical ability.

It would be interesting to see what would have happened had she lived. I think it likely that she would have brought up Tom with a very different set of values than she was by her own father, whether that would have affected her sons future depends on whether Tom Riddle was inherently evil or not.

In Muggle terms, she was probably clinically depressed. Or.... heartbroken.

[QUOTE=gertiekeddle;4319100]
1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

I think it was mental abuse on the part of Marvolo - we are told she had a wand - he instructed her to use it. I think, considering Marvolo's obsession with his ancestry - Slytherin's last descendants - and all wizards - Merope might have been killed or thrown out if she had truly been a Squib. Plus, she would have needed to be a witch to make the love potion -or to source one from the wizarding world if it was too complicated a potion for her.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I think possibly she felt guilty about the love potion and/or she had convinced herself that Tom Sr had grown to love her himself. Or that he wouldn't leave if he knew of the baby.
Do yuo think she found out she was pregnant before or after he left?
Also, I don't think she loved Tom Sr - not at first anyway. I believe you have to know someone to love them. I think she developed an obsession with this handsome, wealthy man and saw him as an escape from her terribly unhappy life.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

Food can't be conjured out of thin air, so she'd have needed some food to multiply. Plus, it seems that she gave up on magic, or that she was so despairing that she couldn't focus on magic -a more extreme version of Tonks being unable to change her appearance in HBP.


4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

Again, I believe she either gave up on magic or was so unhappy she couldn't perform magic. Even more, I think she gave up on life - she was alone in the world with her child, deserted by her husband, with a biological family who ill-treated her, I think she truly could not see any happiness in her future. Perhaps it was selfish of her to abandon her child, but I don't feel she was thinking clearly at that time. Perhaps she hadn't ever been able to think clearly, given the environment she grew up in.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

Given that the man she developed an obsession with was a Muggle, I would think she didn't place as much of a priority on blood as her family did and may have raised her son to be more accepting. However, the fact that she felt it acceptable to use a love potion on a Muggle to control him suggests a lack of respect for Muggles.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Maybe she could, maybe not. I don't believe that he was born evil, I don't think anyone is. However, he may have developed a resentment towards Muggles on account of being abandoned by his Muggle father. Also, considering Merope's poverty, he may have been bitter about his circumstances. I don't think we can blame Merope for how Voldemort turned out -at some point, his decisions have to become his own responsibilty, but I do think he may have been different if he'd had a parent.

[B]7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

I think she's a tragic figure, who was driven to a terrible act by despair due to her lot in life. I think she lacked strength of character -she wanted to escape with a man, rather than on her own. Although, perhaps this dependence may have been created as a result of the emotional abuse from her father.

In Muggle terms, she was probably clinically depressed. Or.... heartbroken.

That makes a lot of sense.

Yeah in muggle terms she was depressed but did she run of and marry him or did he leave her forever? and she fathered a son alone i always forget that part :argh:

I don't think Merope loved Tom Riddle Sr., not really. Like you said, he was more of an obsession. It's like Slughorn(or whoever it was)said, never underestimate the power of obsessive love.

I've always been fond of obsessive characters, especially characters obsessed with someone else. But it's not a love obsession, it's a different kind of obsession? They're quite fascinating, I think. Probably because I have OCD myself. Fortunately, I don't have it with other people. And obsessions are quite powerful. What I wonder most is, how powerful was Merope's. I wonder if Marvolo and her brother(I forget his name)would not have gone to Azkaban. Would she still have say, taken the risk, and given Riddle that potion?

I supposed she also seeked love, as her father and her brother obviously didn't love her, which could be why she stopped giving Riddle the potion, in part. But Voldemort would probably not been much better if Riddle hadn't abandoned her. Voldemort could still have grown to hate Muggles if he saw Riddle mistreat Merope. I wonder if he ever thought about her in the orphanage. He seems to have thought of Riddle at first, anyway. Or he could have grown to hate Merope because she was so weak.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?
I don't think she was a squib - she could, after all, produce a potion (although I'm not sure if that requires any genuine magical ability as long as you have the ingredients and know what to do) but she definitely was not a particularly skilled witch. I think a large part of this was due to her father and his abuse - plus, she doesn't seem particularly educated. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she never even went to Hogwarts or any other wizarding school.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?
I'm gonna go with Dumbledore on this one - she believed that he might love her without the potion, especially since she was pregnant.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?
I think losing the love of her life basically sapped her of her powers - kind of like what Tonks went through in HBP. And anyway, didn't we learn in DH that even witches and wizards can't just make food appear out of air?

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?
Once again, her magical abilities were practically gone. Plus, even if she had lived, how could she have raised her son? She had no home, no money, no future - she wouldn't have been able to provide for herself, let alone her son.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?
I think she would have tried to, but she never knew any other way.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?
Didn't Jo once say something to this effect? Anyway, I believe the answer is yes. Voldemort is evil not just because he can't love but because he has no understanding of what love is. Had Merope survived, even if they had been poor and homeless, her love would have stopped him from becoming as evil as he did.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?
I feel sorry for her. I think she was in a situation that is almost unbelievable to most of us, and tried to get out using the only means she believed possible. Unfortunately, these led to her doom.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

No, she was not a squib. We do see her attempt magic in the book. Marvolo was just insulting her.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I think she was deeply in love with him and just thought that maybe now Riddle had come to love her. It could also be that she realized that what she was doing wasn't right and stopped doing it in the hope that Riddle would still stay with her.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

I think she was unable to do magic because of the emotional stress she was under. I don't think she was a very competitive witch in the first place and what little ability she had would have deserted her. We've actually seen a scene where she doesn't react well to pressure exerted by her dad. I think all the pain of Riddle leaving her, the effect of carrying a baby and all the stress took a big toll on her.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

I'm not sure whether Merope had a choice in the matter. I would like to know why Merope ended up in a muggle orphanage instead of a wizarding one. Did they send her away because she had no money ?
In any case, magic is not a silver bullet and there is no guarantee that it can save life. Merope would have needed someone who knew how to handle her case and not just magically try and heal herself. I think there would have been a whole host of complications and she'd lived a very hard life after Riddle had left her. It just took too much out of her. She probably gave it her all to stay alive long enough to have the baby.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

I don't think she'd have taught him the pureblood supremacy ideology given that she fell in love with a muggle. I think she'd have taught him to be more open minded.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Not really. Voldemort had lot of things going against him from the time he was born. He would have needed professional help from a very young age for their to be any sort of change. I do think that some difference could have been made if Merope was alive even if it only meant him having a different outlook on certain topics.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

I think she was tragic figure. She was born in a crazy family, to a father who didn't care much for her. She fell in love with one of the worst muggle's around. The Riddle's were a sort of muggle version of the Gaunts IMO. I think Merope's biggest mistake was trying to force Riddle to love her. It might have worked with another muggle but unfortunately for her, she chose the wrong person. If you think about it, she had a miserable life with the possible exception of the time she spent with Riddle.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

We see Merope making use of magic and know that she had possession of a wand, and therefore I think the idea that she was a true squib is disproved in canon. I have no doubt that that her magical abilities were stunted by mental and possibly physical abuse, and that she probably lost them completely later on, but I'm sure that had she been born into better circumstances she could have been a normal witch- perhaps a very good one, considering she came from an long, if somewhat degenerated, family of wizards. Dumbledore expresses the theory that she may have briefly made use of her full powers after escaping the negative influence of her family, and even suggests that the later loss of those powers was a conscious decision on her part- a symbol of her grief and mourning.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I would like to believe that she truly loved and trusted him, and thought that he would make the honorable choice of staying with her after learning that he had married her and had become the father of her child. Unfortunately she was mistaken, and good old Tommy decided to abandon her. I don't know that he can be entirely blamed, though... it would be a rather freakish experience to come out from under the influence of a love potion or some such spell and find yourself with a rather odd wife claiming to be pregnant with your child! :err: He might have believed himself to be going crazy, or been fearful of staying with her because of traditional superstitions involving witches and magic and so forth.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

She was a young woman from an extremely warped background, with nothing to draw on for either strength or comfort. She briefly believed she had gained happiness through the use of magical trickery, and then saw her dreams falling down around her; she may have blamed magic for ruining her life and forsworn it after Tom abandoned her, or simply lost the capacity to perform it.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

As I said above, she had led an extremely messed-up life until that point, and was utterly alone in the world. She probably viewed a marriage to Tom Sr. as her one chance at happiness, and when he abandoned her she saw no reason to pick up the pieces of her life and try to reconstruct them into something worthwhile. Dying probably looked like the easiest way out at that point. She had brought her child into the world, and had no courage or strength left for anything else.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

I don't see Merope as someone with any incredible strength of character, due more to her father's abuse than to any fault of her own. I can't see her making the choice to deviate, in any drastic way at least, from the beliefs she was taught; although if she had made the choice to live and care for Tom Jr. she might have naturally developed more strength. And her father was certainly never a good parent to her; had she lived, she might have ended up rebelling in every possible way against the prejudices and biases she was raised with. Unfortunately, we'll never know now.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

It would have depended largely on the way she raised him. She undoubtedly would have spoken of his father with tenderness and respect, preventing him from developing the burning resentment towards Muggles which he wound up with as a result of his mother's death. I doubt his development in that particular direction would have been as drastic as it was, although he might not have wound up as the most admirable character either.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

I don't really blame her for anything that happened, either before or after her death. She lived a terrible life, and made a desperate bid for happiness which turned out to be a dismal failure. She despaired and died. I doubt she even lived to be twenty. Had she possessed a stronger character, things might have turned out differently, but I can't blame her for not having one. She was a product of her environment, more to be pitied than scorned or blamed. I'd say she's one of the most enigmatic and tragic figures in the entire series. :(

I would like to know why Merope ended up in a muggle orphanage instead of a wizarding one. Did they send her away because she had no money ?


I think she felt indifferent to everything at that time, although she might have done it on purpose. Assuming it was an intended act, perhaps she decided to fully refrain from the wizarding world and simultaneously scorn her prejudiced lineage by handing over her only son to Muggles in the hope that he would grow up holding a different view on them?

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

She wasnt a squib, but for some reason she didnt use magic very much. Her father was basically using the word in order to bully her.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

Dumbledore mentions this. He said that perhaps Merope fell deeply in love with him and didnt wish to ensnare him by magical means. She also thought he was truly in love with her in turn. Turns out she was wrong. Also maybe she thought he would stay for the sake of the child.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

I doubt she could really do magic at that point. She was so emotionally spent, her powers basically went foom. She was from a horribly abusive family, and her husband had abandoned her and she was pregnant. Very bad situation. She was on her own and really didnt know how to take care of herself.


4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

I personally believe she was simply too weak to carry on. She couldnt use magic (see above) and so she couldnt save herself. I think also she couldnt really provide for the child anyway.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

Probably not. She loved a muggle after all, even if he cruelly left her. Its hard to say if she herself, thought wizards were superior.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

I doubt it. Its very possible that her powers were sapped permanently. Little Voldy may have grown to resent this had she lived. He would have known love but who knows if he would have chosen a different path.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?
I think she tried her best given the circumstances but didnt really know how to take care of herself. By this, she becomes a rather sad figure. Abuse, neglect, abandonment, etc.

I would like to know why Merope ended up in a muggle orphanage instead of a wizarding one. Did they send her away because she had no money ? I think she felt indifferent to everything at that time, although she might have done it on purpose. Assuming it was an intended act, perhaps she decided to fully refrain from the wizarding world and simultaneously scorn her prejudiced lineage by handing over her only son to Muggles in the hope that he would grow up holding a different view on them?
they way I see it that she tried to escape the Wizard world for so long. She left her family to live with a muggle. Perhaps she choosed the Muggle orphanage, because she feared that she will be dragged back to her family if they found out that she's not really an orphan.

She fell in love with one of the worst muggle's around. I'm curious about why you have this opinion of Tom Riddle Sr; the glimpses we have of his character are few, and I personally never found any of them to be particularly damning.

I would like to believe that she truly loved and trusted him, and thought that he would make the honorable choice of staying with her after learning that he had married her and had become the father of her child. Unfortunately she was mistaken, and good old Tommy decided to abandon her. How is the honorable choice for a man who was forced into marrying and impregnating a woman he didn't know staying with her once he is no longer being held prisoner? I'm just trying to understand the line of thinking. I can't understand finding any blame for someone put in his situation. Inspiring and inviting her love are two different things, and before she somehow slipped him a potion that took his reason from him and forced him to bend to her will, we are shown that he hardly knows she exists. "Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp named Gaunt, and his children. The son's quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village-"
The girl laughed. The jingling, clopping noises were growing louder and louder. Morfin made to get out of his armchair.
"Keep your seat," said his father warningly, in Parseltongue.
"Tom," said the girl's voice again, now so close they were clearly right beside the house, "I might be wrong - but has someone nailed a snake to that door?"
"Good lord, you're right!" said the man's voice. "That'll be the son, I told you he's not right in the head. Don't look at it, Cecilia, darling." In fact, we are shown that not only does he not really know who she is, but he already has a woman in his life he is close enough to to be going on horse rides with and call "darling". Merope took him from the woman he was with that day for herself.

I don't really blame her for anything that happened, either before or after her death. ... She was a product of her environment, more to be pitied than scorned or blamed. I find it quite difficult to grasp the concept that she should be blameless in her imprisonment of Tom Riddle Sr; should she really be excused of her crimes merely because her life to that point had been wanting?

How is the honorable choice for a man who was forced into marrying and impregnating a woman he didn't know staying with her once he is no longer being held prisoner? I'm just trying to understand the line of thinking. I can't understand finding any blame for someone put in his situation. Inspiring and inviting her love are two different things, and before she somehow slipped him a potion that took his reason from him and forced him to bend to her will, we are shown that he hardly knows she exists. "Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp named Gaunt, and his children. The son's quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village-"
The girl laughed. The jingling, clopping noises were growing louder and louder. Morfin made to get out of his armchair.
"Keep your seat," said his father warningly, in Parseltongue.
"Tom," said the girl's voice again, now so close they were clearly right beside the house, "I might be wrong - but has someone nailed a snake to that door?"
"Good lord, you're right!" said the man's voice. "That'll be the son, I told you he's not right in the head. Don't look at it, Cecilia, darling." In fact, we are shown that not only does he not really know who she is, but he already has a woman in his life he is close enough to to be going on horse rides with and call "darling". Merope took him from the woman he was with that day for herself.
She was like a prisoner herself her whole life, being abused by her father and brother. It's no wonder that Riddle didn't acknowledge her excistance, I bet she was hardly seen outside.

I find it quite difficult to grasp the concept that she should be blameless in her imprisonment of Tom Riddle Sr; should she really be excused of her crimes merely because her life to that point had been wanting?I don't think she was entirely blameless, but her past suggest to me that she wasn't right in her mind. She wanted something and did desparate things, I don't know if she even knew how wrong it was. I think she was too mentally limited to grasp it all.

She was like a prisoner herself her whole life, being abused by her father and brother. It's no wonder that Riddle didn't acknowledge her excistance, I bet she was hardly seen outside. So do you think she retaliated in kind by imprisoning Tom Riddle Sr?

I don't think she was entirely blameless, but her past suggest to me that she wasn't right in her mind. She wanted something and did desparate things, I don't know if she even knew how wrong it was. I think she was too mentally limited to grasp it all. I don't disagree with your analysis of her. What bothers me is that it seems to make what she did almost acceptable, if not for everyone else, at least for her because her past was so tragic. Should that really exclude her from blame and punishment?

So do you think she retaliated in kind by imprisoning Tom Riddle Sr?
I don't know how this would have worked. By enchanting Riddle how is she punishing her family?

Na, I think her giving him the potion was only because she really wanted to be in a relationship with him and not because revenge.

Her family didn't seem to be too bothered about this, if they were I guess she'd have been dead soon after they found out.


I don't disagree with your analysis of her. What bothers me is that it seems to make what she did almost acceptable, if not for everyone else, at least for her because her past was so tragic. Should that really exclude her from blame and punishment?Difficult question. Exclude her from blame, not really. I mean there was a reason, not an excuse, for what she did. From punishment, I guess it depends. Like said before I think she was mentally handicapped. In general I don't think that punishing someone who doesn't understand that they did something wrong is the right thing to do.

For clarification:
I understand that giving someone a potion and make them love you against their will is unacceptable, it's like drugging someone and carry them away. If it was another person carrying it out, then i probably would think otherwise. But with Merope I think that people feel sorry for her, because of her past. I for one am one of them. It makes you wonder what turned her into someone who does something like this. I think it's just tragic, her life, her character, her actions.

I think that Merope was clearly, in the Muggle definition at least, severely mentally ill. She's obviously depressed, for one, and one could argue that she suffers from some form of Battered Wife Syndrome (I know she's Marvolo's daughter and Morfin's sister, but still).
In the same way that insanity is a defence in a Muggle court of law, I would argue that Merope's actions, wrong as they were, are somewhat defensible because she was clearly not in her right mind.

Her family didn't seem to be too bothered about this, if they were I guess she'd have been dead soon after they found out.


I disagree. Her father was utterly shocked when he heard of it, which I think was a contributing factor to his sudden death. Merope's brother was presumably in prison at that time.

But with Merope I think that people feel sorry for her, because of her past.I too feel sorry for Merope, though I don't like or condone her actions. Given the abuse she received from her family, she tried to take action to help her survive, physically and emotionally by getting herself removed from her family's household with someone who "loved" her. Of course, she took an action that, in a way, made her no better than her family: like they enslaved her, she enslaved Riddle.

I'm curious about why you have this opinion of Tom Riddle Sr; the glimpses we have of his character are few, and I personally never found any of them to be particularly damning.


Well, I based this on the reactions of the villagers upon their death. They weren't too bothered and apparently didn't want to waste their breath pretending to be sad.

Well, I based this on the reactions of the villagers upon their death. They weren't too bothered and apparently didn't want to waste their breath pretending to be sad. Do you think that his personality at least fifteen years later could have been shaped by the traumatic experience Merope put him through? I would imagine being kidnapped and forced to bend to another's will and forced to feel as though you liked it would do a lot in terms of changing a person.

As for Merope not knowing it was wrong...I suppose I'll just be on my own little island over here then (:lol:) because I'm of the opinion that she knew it wasn't right (that's not necessarily the same as knowing it was wrong) and yet went ahead with it anyway. I also believe that by the time she released Riddle, she unequivocally knew what she had done was, indeed, wrong. I view her release of him, however it came about, as some sort of belated attempt to rectify her mistakes that backfired quite spectacularly.

I also believe that by the time she released Riddle, she unequivocally knew what she had done was, indeed, wrong. I view her release of him, however it came about, as some sort of belated attempt to rectify her mistakes that backfired quite spectacularly.


I always thought she stopped feeding him the love potion because she had begun to live the lie. I think she really believed that he loved her and that, if she stopped giving him the potion, he would still love her.

As for Merope not knowing it was wrong...I suppose I'll just be on my own little island over here then (:lol:) because I'm of the opinion that she knew it wasn't right (that's not necessarily the same as knowing it was wrong) and yet went ahead with it anyway. I also believe that by the time she released Riddle, she unequivocally knew what she had done was, indeed, wrong. I view her release of him, however it came about, as some sort of belated attempt to rectify her mistakes that backfired quite spectacularly.

Dumbledore has a different explanation for her decision though. He says that she probably came to be convinced he had started to love her for who she was, and not because of the potion, and that's why she stopped drugging him. If this was indeed the case, then I think it supports the view that she did not realise what she was doing was wrong, because she believed it had led to actual love, rather than horror and scorn, which she would have been fearing had she known exactly what her actions meant and entailed.

How is the honorable choice for a man who was forced into marrying and impregnating a woman he didn't know staying with her once he is no longer being held prisoner? I'm just trying to understand the line of thinking. I can't understand finding any blame for someone put in his situation. Inspiring and inviting her love are two different things, and before she somehow slipped him a potion that took his reason from him and forced him to bend to her will, we are shown that he hardly knows she exists.

I'm not condoning her actions, or suggesting that she took the right course that day. However, Tom left to starve in the ditches, making no provision for the child he had, wittingly or not, fathered. We are shown that he was well-off in the world; surely he could have ensured that she didn't starve, at least? Hopefully he would have done the same for any pregnant woman who came to his attention; Merope was pregnant with his child, and it seems rather callous of him to completely and utterly abandon her after learning what had happened.

But, as I said in my last post, I don't entirely blame him either. The honorable course of action would, in my opinion, have been to ensure that she had food and shelter at least until she gave birth; but how many people would have done that? It would have been an extremely traumatic experience for him; doubly so considering he was a Muggle with no former knowledge of magic. His instinct would have been to put as much distance between himself and her as possible; she would have inspired revulsion and horror in him, and he would never have wanted to see her again- and I doubt he would have been able to find her again, even had he wished to.

So don't think I see Merope and Tom's unhappy relationship as being black-and-white, with one person as a saint and the other a villain. I don't. They both could have comported themselves more wisely; she, before giving him the potion and he after coming out from under the influence of it and learning what had befallen. However, as others have pointed out above, I don't think we can hold Merope to the same standards as we would other characters. She had close to no moral training, and what she did have was skewed and perverted. She probably wasn't discerning enough to view the use of magic in order to gain what she wanted as wrong. She wanted something desperately and was free for the first time in her life, and she knew how to gain what she wanted. She was weak, and she took advantage of that. I really can't blame her too much. But as I said, I can't blame Tom Sr. for his actions either; they were understandable, if not entirely acceptable. I see the whole occurrence as extremely tragic, with both parties eventually suffering for what they did.

And then, of course, Voldemort was the result of it all... :rolleyes: There's a moral judgment for you!

Do you think that his personality at least fifteen years later could have been shaped by the traumatic experience Merope put him through? I would imagine being kidnapped and forced to bend to another's will and forced to feel as though you liked it would do a lot in terms of changing a person.


I would assume that such an experience would make someone highly paranoid and possibly spend more time as a recluse. He would have been classed as weird not unpopular. His parents did not get much sympathy either so I don't think it was caused by that particular experience.
I see Tom Riddle Sr as a muggle version of Draco Malfoy. I guess I exaggerated when I said that he was one of the worst. He certainly wasn't a pleasant person though.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

She could make a potion, and she did have a wand, so I don't think she was a squib. I guess her father just called her that, like, to abuse her. I do wonder why he hated her so much. Just because she was a girl? But he already had a son.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

I think she wanted him to love her for her. Maybe she thought that the potion did create love? And as he'd taken it for such a long time, he'd have learned to love her. Or maybe she thought now that she was pregnant, he would have no other choice but to stay, as they were going to have a baby.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

I think she was just so depressed. Or like Dumbledore said, she didn't want to be a witch anymore. Maybe she wanted to be Muggle. Like, Riddle left her because he didn't like magic, Voldemort said.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

I don't really think anyone really makes a choice to die. Not really. Unless it's suicide. Losing the will to live is one thing, I think. Actually choosing to die, is like suicide. She just stopped caring. After all, the dead find peace. Something which is rather foreign to the living. Maybe she couldn't bear to see her baby, and be reminded that Riddle left her and all that.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

That would have been extremely hypocritical of her. She married a Muggle, and her own son wasn't pure blood, anyway. He was a half blood.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

Possibly. I've always thought Voldemort hated and feared death a lot because it took his mother.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

I feel very bad for her. She led a very miserable life. Though maybe it was better that she didn't see what her son became.

I guess her father just called her that, like, to abuse her. I do wonder why he hated her so much. Just because she was a girl? But he already had a son.

I wondered that too. :hmm: But I guess it makes sense that a man already violently prejudiced, in so many other ways, and against so many other things, would also be sexist.

I always thought she stopped feeding him the love potion because she had begun to live the lie. I think she really believed that he loved her and that, if she stopped giving him the potion, he would still love her.
That is always how I interpreted it too. Merope had gotten so wrapped up in her own lie she began to believe it, and though Riddle would love her without the potion.

1. Merope was called a squib by her father Marvolo. Do you think that she might have been a real squib or did her father just called her this name as a form of mental abuse?

Probably mental abuse. Seems likely that rather than being unable to perform magic, Merope was afraid to, because nothing she did would have satisfied her unbalanced father.

2. Falling in love with Tom Riddle Sr proved to be a decisive event in Merope’s life. Via a love potion she manages to "trick" Riddle Sr into marrying her. Later when she is pregnant, she stops feeding him love potion. What could be the reason for stopping with the potion?

We don't know for certain that it was a potion. If we presume it was, then the explanation provided in the book seems likely, that she either got tired of living a lie, or honestly thought by that point he was in love with her anyway.

3. Riddle Sr abandons Merope and she moves to London. Being poor forces her to sell Slytherin's Locket for 10 galleons. She needs the money, but why doesn’t she use magic to provide for food?

If she was a squib, that would explain why. If she wasn't, then it's possible that she choose not to perform magic, because being a witch may have been the reason Tom Riddle abandoned her, so she didn't want to remind herself of that.

4. After arriving on the doorstep of the Muggle orphanage Merope dies shortly after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr. Why does she make the choice to die instead of using her magical abilities to save herself and be a mother to her baby?

See my above answer.

5. Merope herself was raised in a family that hated 'Mud bloods' and believed in the supremacy of 'Pure bloods'. If she had survived giving birth to her son, would she have raised him in a different way then she has been raised herself?

The fact she was in love with a Muggle suggests she personally didn't place much belief on the concept of blood supremacy. Given her nature, which appeared to be benevolent, there's no reason to doubt that she wouldn't have been a good natured mother.

6. Could Merope have prevented Voldemort from becoming the most feared wizard alive, if she had lived and loved him?

I would say so yes.

7. To conclude, what is your opinion on Merope's character?

From what we do know, she appears to be quite endearing and sympathetic.

Definitely one of the most interesting characters in the series for sure.

Well, I based this on the reactions of the villagers upon their death. They weren't too bothered and apparently didn't want to waste their breath pretending to be sad.
Why should they be sad to lose a bunch of freaks who nail snakes to their doors and are generally considered to be weird and who you leave alone. The Gaunts never attemtped to be involved with Muggles, so the people not caring about them is only natural.

Do you think that his personality at least fifteen years later could have been shaped by the traumatic experience Merope put him through? I would imagine being kidnapped and forced to bend to another's will and forced to feel as though you liked it would do a lot in terms of changing a person.[/question]
I wonder how much he really remembers from being put under the potion and if it was joyfull for him during that time.


[quote=LoonyForMoony;5502510]I wondered that too. :hmm: But I guess it makes sense that a man already violently prejudiced, in so many other ways, and against so many other things, would also be sexist.
I always thought it's because she showed a lack of magic ability. As descedants of Slytherin and what he possibly thought the greatest wizard family, they produce such a worthless creature like Merope, who can't get her magic right.

Why should they be sad to lose a bunch of freaks who nail snakes to their doors and are generally considered to be weird and who you leave alone. The Gaunts never attemtped to be involved with Muggles, so the people not caring about them is only natural.


I was talking about their reaction when the Riddle family was killed.

I always thought it's because she showed a lack of magic ability. As descedants of Slytherin and what he possibly thought the greatest wizard family, they produce such a worthless creature like Merope, who can't get her magic right.

I've always thought of it as having been the other way around; Merope lacked significant magical ability because her father abused her, he didn't abuse her because she lacked the abilities he saw as all-important. In Ogden's memory she seemed to me as if she were more confused, intimidated and disoriented than actually possessing substandard magical skills; she, as has already been discussed in this thread, definitely displayed a brief upswing in initiative and in her magical abilities after the removal of her abusive family to Azkaban, so I assumed that it was wholly their influence keeping her down.

That's interesting, though. Did Marvolo abuse Merope because he saw her as a substandard witch, or was she that way because he abused her? If the latter is true, what motivated him to abuse her in the first place? :hmm:

I've never thought of her as lacking in magical ability; from what we see, she reminds me of Neville around Professor Snape - easily flustered, and as such a miserable example. Neville, away from Professor Snape, is passable at potions. I've always seen Merope's reactions around her father to be a parallel of that.

I've never thought of her as lacking in magical ability; from what we see, she reminds me of Neville around Professor Snape - easily flustered, and as such a miserable example.

I agree and I'd say that this goes even further. Emotions and magic are closely interlinked in the Potterverse. Magical children show the first signs of magic in times of emotional exhilaration or distress, e.g. Lily flew when she was happy, Harry flew when he was scared. Neville was thrown out of a window by his uncle for this very reason. But Merope is in such distress and fear that she is seems paralysed. I think this includes her magic.

I know what you're all talking about and I agree, I just pondered why he started to treat her bad. The only thing I can think of is he thinks she's a shame for their family. And as they value their purebloddness and being related to Slytherin that much and they probably thought they are great wizards, her not being a good witch is what I think one of the reasons why he treatened her that bad. I could be wrong though.

I agree that the further abuse hindered her even more, but like LoonyforMoony asked "what motivated him to abuse her in the first place?" and my guess is the one above.

I think Marvolo abused Merope because that's the kind of man he was--abusive. It wouldn't surprise me if Marvolo had contempt for women in general and Merope in particular. That her personality led her to be more awkward, timid and incompetent under his abuse only increased his ill treatment of her. Perhaps if she had been more combative, like Morphin, she would have been treated better by her father. But I don't think she had it in her, Merope just wasn't a fighter.

I wish we knew something about her mother--what she was like and when she died. If she died giving birth to Merope, maybe that was something else Marvolo held against her.

Merope's infatuation with Tom Riddle Sr must have been strong indeed for her to have acted on it. It's hard to picture such a defeated character having the gumption to even come up with a plan for snaring her man, let alone carrying it out.

I also believe that by the time she released Riddle, she unequivocally knew what she had done was, indeed, wrong. I view her release of him, however it came about, as some sort of belated attempt to rectify her mistakes that backfired quite spectacularly.

This is how I see it too, only with the chronology suggested by Dumbledore. She stopped giving him the potion because she thought he was really in love by then, and when instead he recoiled in horror, she realized what she had done to him and therefore did not take steps to bring him back under control (of which I do not doubt she was magically capable).

I've never thought of her as lacking in magical ability; from what we see, she reminds me of Neville around Professor Snape - easily flustered, and as such a miserable example. Neville, away from Professor Snape, is passable at potions. I've always seen Merope's reactions around her father to be a parallel of that.

I never thought of that. Perhaps if Merope had gained some self confidence, or had someone like Harry, like to teach her, she may have been a great witch.

After all, the DA did Neville a lot of good, maybe something similar would have helped Merope as well.

This is how I see it too, only with the chronology suggested by Dumbledore. She stopped giving him the potion because she thought he was really in love by then, and when instead he recoiled in horror, she realized what she had done to him and therefore did not take steps to bring him back under control (of which I do not doubt she was magically capable). I can see this as being plausible. Perhaps not what I would think have happened, but it's something I can believe. :agree: Having never really known love, I imagine it would have been difficult for her to know the difference between the obsessive effects of the potion and the real thing.

I never thought of that. Perhaps if Merope had gained some self confidence, or had someone like Harry, like to teach her, she may have been a great witch.

After all, the DA did Neville a lot of good, maybe something similar would have helped Merope as well. I like to think that she flourished during her short time with Tom Riddle, and that it all just withered when he left. I think it's safe to assume she brewed whatever potion she used when her family was not around, or was able to practice the spell if that is what she used, and that in and of itself shows me that she was more than her father thought she was. She did have at least some ability, but it was stifled in the oppressive presence of her brother and father.

as far as why merope stopped giving tom riddle the potion, and why she didnt use magic to get food and stuff, we get those answers from dumbledore IMHO.

i think she wasnt a squib. her father seemed the type of man who made his daughter work while his son had to do nothing. in keeping her downtrodden, and overworked most of her life, he prevented her from overpowering and/or leaving him at some point.

i do think that if she had chosen to live and be a mother to him instead of dieing, she would have raised him diffrently than she was raised and she would have prevented Voldemort from becomeing what he did. his contempt of muggles cam mostly, i think, from the the fact that his own muggle father abandoned him. based on that, i believe he decided that muggles, and muggle borns, are not to be trusted, cowardly, worthless, and every other bad thing in the world.

i think she decided to give up because she felt her child would be better off without her. her father had beaten her down most of her life, and her husband had just left her because he was angered by her trickery(for lack of a better term) of him. he was also, i think, afraid of witchcraft. knowing that every other man in her life abandoned her, or treated her like scum because she was "no good" she figured this boy would be better off raised by someone else. why she gave him to a muggle orphanage though is my question. even if she wasnt useing magic anymore herself, you would think that she would want her son raised in a magical environment. do they even have WW orphanages?

merope gaunt wasnt a bad person but she wasnt the best person either. she didnt seem to think her child was important enough to live for and she thought nothing of stealing another womans boyfriend. i wont say any of what happened to her was deserved but she could have thought of the consequences of her actions before she did the things she did.