Remus John Lupin: Character Analysis

[The_Green_Woods]

Originally Posted by hufflepina

Lupin is an excellent character a guy who had a lot of personality problems about his condition (a difficukt one) a good friend, an excellent teacher and tutor but a disaster with his relations. for me, he really never love tonks like she loves him

I think its a case of Remus feeling that Tonks was too good for him. That she deserved so much better, is what I think he felt. He was a creature; a dark creature and so poor and was always looked at by the others, either with fear, suspicion or dislike and distaste. Tonks, by being with him, would automatically be subjected to all this he thought. While he loved her and desperately wanted to be with her taht he got married, once she became pregnant, I think he lost it, because he could not face up to the fact, what if the baby was a werewolf?

That thought terrified him I think and he closed his eyes and ran. I think he loved Tonks very much, but he could not face himself.

[iluvsnape17]

Originally Posted by The_Green_Woods

I think its a case of Remus feeling that Tonks was too good for him. That she deserved so much better, is what I think he felt. He was a creature; a dark creature and so poor and was always looked at by the others, either with fear, suspicion or dislike and distaste. Tonks, by being with him, would automatically be subjected to all this he thought. While he loved her and desperately wanted to be with her taht he got married, once she became pregnant, I think he lost it, because he could not face up to the fact, what if the baby was a werewolf?

That thought terrified him I think and he closed his eyes and ran. I think he loved Tonks very much, but he could not face himself.

Yeah, I agree. I never got the impression that Remus didn't love her, just that he never felt goo enough for her.

[The_Green_Woods]

Remus fell short in my eyes only on one count. He never visited Harry for 13 years. That pulled him down in my estimation.

I can even understand the inaction during the SWM; they knew and were still friends. That was the thought that kept him quiet most times in his life IMO, when he may have wanted to intervene. Remus would and did take everything from them because they knew he was a werewolf and were stll friends with him; they did not look at him disgust or fear.

He takes even the werewolf incident without having even a fight with Sirius, let alone coming to blows with him for his part in that incident as far as we know. And that was a very, very serious incident to him IMO, one that could have had him kissed.

He could have visited Harry and even if Dumbledore forbade him for the first 10 years, he could have still come and seen Harry once Harry started Hogwarts is what I feel.

While I understand the story had to unveil that way and to keep the suspense Jo kept Remus hidden; I cannot help but feel that she did sacrifice his character a little.

[anabel]

Originally Posted by PerfectDystopia

It's not like he didn't love her. He thought she was better off without him.

That's right. He was so used to thinking that the only way to protect people was to withdraw from them, that he really felt that the best thing for Tonks and the baby would be if he left. I also think there was a touch of mid-life crisis involved, and having a baby is a huge life-changing event which can scare the best of us, but mostly Lupin was trying to protect his loved ones.

[wickedwickedboy]

Originally Posted by The_Green_Woods

He could have visited Harry and even if Dumbledore forbade him for the first 10 years, he could have still come and seen Harry once Harry started Hogwarts is what I feel.

While I understand the story had to unveil that way and to keep the suspense Jo kept Remus hidden; I cannot help but feel that she did sacrifice his character a little.

The problem is, JKR may not have even made up the character of Remus Lupin until before writing book 3. I don't think she has said whether she had or not. Also, she kind of went with the idea that Lupin couldn't find any work in England. He was highly knowledgeable about DADA and knew things about geographics of creatures and such. We know he was teaching during that time, but where? Imo, it would have had to have been overseas where he was not known...other countries traveling constantly and working when he could find it until they discovered his secret (he couldn't afford wolfsbane potion). It makes sense because that would be one way he would have known first hand how to defend the dark creatures that he met while traveling - he likely found himself facing them when he escaped to wander around and transform. So it is possible that he didn't even know that Harry had reintered the wizard world and believed Dumbledore was still keeping Harry hidden in the muggle world somewhere. Then Dumbledore called him back...

But JKR prolly didn't worry about any of that because it didn't matter at all to the story and if she didn't even think him up until book 3, then there would have been no chance to write in any backstory about the first 2 years at Hogwarts.

[The_Green_Woods]

Originally Posted by wickedwickedboy

The problem is, JKR may not have even made up the character of Remus Lupin until before writing book 3.
But JKR prolly didn't worry about any of that because it didn't matter at all to the story and if she didn't even think him up until book 3, then there would have been no chance to write in any backstory about the first 2 years at Hogwarts.

He knew when Harry was born and when he would be eligible to go to Hogwarts. Also I agree, she may have thought of the entire Marauder concept only by Book3. I have no problems with that either. A small paragraph at the end of Book 3 listing vaguely 2 reasons would have sufficed IMO. One Remus was in a situation where he was unable to visit Harry not only in Privet Drive (I am assuming Dumbledore allowed him to visit) but also during his first 2 years at Hogwarts.

Second the reason for hiding the fact he was James's friend. The fact he did not reveal this at all, makes me think she kind of pulled down his character.

I like Remus the best among the Marauders. He has had a life that had been extremely tough and horrible. He need not have been made to look as if he never cared for the son of a friend who supported him as well IMO. That seemed harsh to me.

[wickedwickedboy]

Originally Posted by The_Green_Woods

He knew when Harry was born and when he would be eligible to go to Hogwarts. Also I agree, she may have thought of the entire Marauder concept only by Book3. I have no problems with that either. A small paragraph at the end of Book 3 listing vaguely 2 reasons would have sufficed IMO. One Remus was in a situation where he was unable to visit Harry not only in Privet Drive (I am assuming Dumbledore allowed him to visit) but also during his first 2 years at Hogwarts.

Second the reason for hiding the fact he was James's friend. The fact he did not reveal this at all, makes me think she kind of pulled down his character.

I like Remus the best among the Marauders. He has had a life that had been extremely tough and horrible. He need not have been made to look as if he never cared for the son of a friend who supported him as well IMO. That seemed harsh to me.

Well since we don't know what JKR had in mind, the story you created can be true. But it is a sad tale. If you want to be happy, make up a jollier one.

[The_Green_Woods]

Originally Posted by wickedwickedboy

Well since we don't know what JKR had in mind, the story you created can be true. But it is a sad tale. If you want to be happy, make up a jollier one.

I'll try wicked! Dunno if I'll be successful, though.

[ComicBookWorm]

Originally Posted by The_Green_Woods

Remus fell short in my eyes only on one count. He never visited Harry for 13 years. That pulled him down in my estimation.

I can't agree with an approach that faults a character for something that wasn't in the books. Any of us can think up myriad, quite differing, scenarios that weren't in the books and then criticize a character because of it. That's why we have to judge characters and events on what was in canon, not what wasn't. This is the flip side of declaring ideas or theories as true, because there is no canon to disprove them. Both of the above approaches cannot be effectively countered or addressed by other posters, since they are based on the absence of evidence.

[LoonyMagic]

2. Lupin is conflicted between his love for Dora and Teddy and the desire to protect them from association with him - does he make the right decision in going back to them? Did he make the right decision marrying her?

I think overall he made the right decision. Tonks and Remus loved each other and they were meant to be together. Why deny these feelings? Sure, by being with her he put Tonks in danger, but she was in the Order anyway and was constantly in danger no matter what happened. I don't think he could have done anything more to protect his family

3. Why didn’t Lupin try to contact Harry before PoA?

Maybe he believed that it was better to leave Harry to himself. Or perhaps, Remus was too scared to see Harry. Harry would have reminded Remus of both James and Lily - his to lost friends. It would have been a painful experience for him.

4. What was Lupin’s role in the first war? Did Dumbledore use his special connexions to the werewolves already?

I can imagine so. Dumbledore will have wanted to make use of what he had.

5. Did Lupin make the right decision in going to fight at Hogwarts - should he have stayed out of the battle for Teddy's sake?

This was a war. People have to make sacrafices and choices. Remus chose to fight and I think that is in character. I don't think he could have sat around doing nothing whilst his friends and fellow Order members were fighting. Perhaps he should have stayed out of the battle, but he didn't and I understand why

[DeathlyH]

Originally Posted by LoonyMagic

This was a war. People have to make sacrafices and choices. Remus chose to fight and I think that is in character. I don't think he could have sat around doing nothing whilst his friends and fellow Order members were fighting. Perhaps he should have stayed out of the battle, but he didn't and I understand why

Very good point. I was thinking that he maybe should have stayed home, but I realized that would have made thinks even worse. After all, he trusted Tonks and her mother to look after Teddy. He was a prominent member of the ROder, and having a kid didn't excuse him. Arthur and Molly had seven children, almost all of whom were fighting, and they went out and defended themselves and fought. Plus, if Lupin had simply stayed home and let the others fight, he never could have forgiven himself if someone close had died. He would've thought that he could save them. I think he might the right choice by fighting for his rights. And he didn't regret it, either. When he came out of the Stone, he told Harry he was happy his son would know what he died for.

[RemusLupinFan]

Originally Posted by The_Green_Woods

Remus fell short in my eyes only on one count. He never visited Harry for 13 years. That pulled him down in my estimation.

I think there's a perfectly good reason for that actually. It seems to me that Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted any witches or wizards to go to see Harry not because he wanted to stop Harry from seeing anyone who cared about him, but because I don't think Dumbledore could have risked allowing certain witches or wizards to visit his safe haven. For one thing, though there was a protection around the Dursleys' house as long as Harry called it home, it wouldn't have been a good idea for magic folk to know where the house was. Also, if Dumbledore allowed one person to visit Harry, he'd likely get a flurry of requests to visit him from a great multitude of witches and wizards. In addition, I think Remus likely thought it was very awkward to go see Harry when Harry had no idea who he was. And I don't think he was aware of how Harry was being treated at the Dursleys - Sirius certainly didn't. Also, I attribute it to plot reasons- we're not supposed to meet Remus until book 3 and we're not supposed to know his connection to James until the right moment in book 3. So in the end, there seem to be a lot of reasons why Remus wouldn't have gone to see Harry for so long, though I'm sure he wanted to see his best friend's son very much.

Originally Posted by LoonyMagic

This was a war. People have to make sacrafices and choices. Remus chose to fight and I think that is in character.

I really agree with that, and it's one of the only reasons I accepted Remus' death.

[ComicBookWorm]

Also, Remus may have been concerned that, by visiting Harry, he would reveal Harry's location to others.

[The_Green_Woods]

Originally Posted by RemusLupinFan

I think there's a perfectly good reason for that actually. It seems to me that Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted any witches or wizards to go to see Harry not because he wanted to stop Harry from seeing anyone who cared about him, but because I don't think Dumbledore could have risked allowing certain witches or wizards to visit his safe haven. For one thing, though there was a protection around the Dursleys' house as long as Harry called it home, it wouldn't have been a good idea for magic folk to know where the house was. Also, if Dumbledore allowed one person to visit Harry, he'd likely get a flurry of requests to visit him from a great multitude of witches and wizards. In addition, I think Remus likely thought it was very awkward to go see Harry when Harry had no idea who he was.

Well I don't think I can agree completely with you about this. For one, Remus was not anyone. He was James and Lily's closest friend, supported by them after he left School. And if he was not allowed by Dumbledore to visit Harry in Privet Drive, there was always Hogwarts, during the first 2 years and if not even then, at least in third year. But it is only in the end that Harry knows that Remus too, was a friend of his father.

And I don't think he was aware of how Harry was being treated at the Dursleys - Sirius certainly didn't. Also, I attribute it to plot reasons- we're not supposed to meet Remus until book 3 and we're not supposed to know his connection to James until the right moment in book 3. So in the end, there seem to be a lot of reasons why Remus wouldn't have gone to see Harry for so long, though I'm sure he wanted to see his best friend's son very much.

I agree, but IMO, I felt, it made Remus look a bit selfish.

Another thought struck me as I write this.
Harry sees Sirius as the man who was laughing at his parents' wedding. But he never saw Remus. Was he not in that Photo? I think so, because otherwise Harry would have recognized him also, when he looks at the photo in POA.

[RemusLupinFan]

Originally Posted by The_Green_Woods

Harry sees Sirius as the man who was laughing at his parents' wedding. But he never saw Remus. Was he not in that Photo? I think so, because otherwise Harry would have recognized him also, when he looks at the photo in POA

I've thought about this in the past, and I'm guessing that Remus just wasn't in those shots, since I can't believe he wouldn't have attended Lily and James' wedding. He could have been the one taking the pictures.

[ComicBookWorm]

I always thought he was the one taking the pictures.

[The_Green_Woods]

Originally Posted by RemusLupinFan

I've thought about this in the past, and I'm guessing that Remus just wasn't in those shots, since I can't believe he wouldn't have attended Lily and James' wedding. He could have been the one taking the pictures.

Perhaps, and you may be correct. Remus was a part of all of them, until they knew someone very close to them was a traitor. Maybe, they started slowly suspecting Remus; could have been the work of the rat as well to poison Sirius's mind againt Remus, because he ws a werewolf. Peter seems to have palyed all the underhand tricks to get into a position to betray his friends.

[mugglesrock]

Originally Posted by ComicBookWorm

I always thought he was the one taking the pictures.

Ditto. I really can't see Remus not attending one of his best friend's wedding, unless it was a full moon night or something else serious. I also think it kind of makes sense for Remus' character to be the one taking the pictures...

[Drusilla]

It's possible that Harry just didn't notice a younger Lupin in the pics that he did see- he diesn't note seeing Hagrid or any of the other Order members he knows by that time, either because he was so focussed on looking for Sirius. And I agree, Remus probably took a lot of the pictures and so might not have been in too many of them - he might have been one of the people Hagrid owled when he was making his photo album for Harry..it seems quite likely.

[wickedwickedboy]

I agree, Hagrid prolly did get pics from Remus. I've always wondered if they had pictures of the Marauders as animals and specifically of Remus as a werewolf - although Harry had seen Peter, Sirius and Remus live, it would have been pretty cool to see them as a group.

Of course Remus' was the coolest, being a werewolf. With a different character he would have really put a different spin on things in the universe as we saw it. I was actually hoping to see much more werewolf action from Remus throughout the series, that was a disappointment. In the end, I think it still came off as a state to be looked down upon rather than revered - even by Remus. Too bad he didn't live to see them vindicated and he with them more content in the wizard world.