Xenophilius Lovegood: Character Analysis

[Wright1771]

The poor bloke was between 'the devil and the deep blue sea'...on one hand, he supported Harry, and what he was doing, but on the other side of the coin, he was trying to protect his one and only daughter. Blood won in the end, but the trap was his downfall.
I wonder if he and Luna enjoyed 'the world cup?'

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by Lunatic

When I think of Xeno Lovegood, I think of the line from Empire Strikes Back---

Luke: And let them die?
Yoda: (Yes) If you honor what they fight for.

I guess I have little sympathy and I don't think I could sell out Harry +Co for my daughter, especially when I have that nice subtle HINT (The friends, friends, friends picture) of just how important these people are to her.

It is only a few steps from what Peter Petigrew did. I don't respect him as a man or a father, which is sad, because I so love Luna. I feel sorry if/when Luna finds out for it truly was a betrayal of a daughter by a father.

All the Best,

Lunatic

I cannot agree. If one is a parent, I think he/she can relate to Xenophilius. While Xenophilius probably knew how important Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville were to Luna, his fear made him irrational. When his daughter was taken from him, and he did not know what they were doing to her, he lost his mentality. I would never relate his betrayal to Pettigrew, for Pettigrew chose to betray Lily and James simply for his own benefit. Xenophilius only wanted his child returned, unharmed. I very much doubt he would have betrayed the trio if he was not so scared for Luna's well-being.

Originally Posted by JJFinch

However there seems to be something somewhat sinister about his process of proving ideas. He basically believes that you can say anything exists if you can't prove that it doesn't. It seems beyond an eccentric point of view - more like he's a scared, or disturbed, man trying to live in a world of his own invention, bringing his far braver and more intelligent daughter down with him.

I do not think his eccentric beliefs displayed him as "scared or disturbed." He was open-minded, obliterating fear in the process (which eventually came back to haunt him). I agree he tried to invent his own world, but he tried to bring his two worlds together. He did not live in a fantasy world: he lived in reality, in which he added his fantasy. It is a great juxtaposition that the man who sought to invent a world almost free of fear/problems in reality, was the man in the series most susceptible to that emotion.

Originally Posted by Wright1771

I wonder if he and Luna enjoyed 'the world cup?'

This is an interesting question, for it appears as if Luna does enjoy Quidditch (her lion-topped hat, etc.). Perhaps she inherited that from Xenophilius, in one of the few cases that he accepted a "real" sport is superior to a false one.

One question I have regarding Xenophilius is if he ever found out that the Deathly Hallows did exist and were possessed by Harry? I doubt that Harry would tell anyone other than Ron and Hermione (and maybe Ginny), and especially not Xenophilius. However, perhaps Xenophilius would be able to conclude that the Deathly Hallows were almost "right in front of him"?

[FurryDice]

[quote]

Originally Posted by hermy_weasley2

Is he really a "cowardly old wart" like Ron says? Or he is just a very loving and protective father?

I think he is just trying to protect his only child. He did support Harry at his own risk, but when his daughter was in danger, he did what any parent would do and tried to get her back. Ron's anger is understandable, though, he felt betrayed at the time, but I think later, when he had his own children, he would have had a better understanding of Xenos' actions. Taking risks yourself is one thing, putting another, especially your child at risk is something else entirely.

Luna probably gets her interests in odd things from him, but why is he so interested in them?

I think he's just a quite eccentric character, it seems Luna's mother shared his taste for the unusual -Luna tells Harry that she died when one of her experiments backfired. When we met him in DH, I imagined him to be a wizarding version of an ageing hippie. Maybe he just has an inquisitive mind, and like his daugher, goes on faith and instinct rather than logic.

[quote]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

I cannot agree. If one is a parent, I think he/she can relate to Xenophilius. While Xenophilius probably knew how important Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville were to Luna, his fear made him irrational. When his daughter was taken from him, and he did not know what they were doing to her, he lost his mentality. I would never relate his betrayal to Pettigrew, for Pettigrew chose to betray Lily and James simply for his own benefit. Xenophilius only wanted his child returned, unharmed. I very much doubt he would have betrayed the trio if he was not so scared for Luna's well-being.

I agree, absolutely, it wouldn't be fair to compare Xenophilius' betrayal to that of Pettigrew. Wormtail was trying to save his own skin, and had acted as a spy for over a year. Xeno put himself at risk, publishing pro-Harry articles. It was only when Luna was abducted that he changed his tune, and had the Trio ambushed. Reluctantly, I feel.

One question I have regarding Xenophilius is if he ever found out that the Deathly Hallows did exist and were possessed by Harry? I doubt that Harry would tell anyone other than Ron and Hermione (and maybe Ginny), and especially not Xenophilius. However, perhaps Xenophilius would be able to conclude that the Deathly Hallows were almost "right in front of him"?

Well, I'd imagine he would have been intrigued to hear of Harry and Voldemort discussing the Elder Wand in the Great Hall. Couple that with knowing that Voldemort had believed Harry dead, I think he would have had his suspicions.

[wingardium713]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

If one is a parent, I think he/she can relate to Xenophilius.

I can relate, but I cannot condone his behaviour. To me, he did a very, very bad thing without hope of much pay-off. I tend to agree with Ron's assessment.

The latest Batman movie explored this issue in detail. (spoilers await those who have not yet seen that movie). In it, they have the Joker set up a series of tests for people. Give up Batman, or I will continue to terrorize the city. Kill the nebish accountant or I shall blow up a hospital and it may be the hospital containing your loved ones. Blow up the other boat or I will blow up the one containing you and your loved ones (in the case of one of the boats). I feel that Batman movie came down hard on the side of Batman and not on the side of the Joker. In its tone (and triumphant moment), it seemed to indicate to me that humans should be better than what the Joker thinks they are. The movie seemed to say that they should not be willing to turn to chaos and become murderers. One should attempt to save others, but not at the cost of becoming evil oneself.

Many parents will do anything to save their children (not all. Some parents are crappy parents who even kill their own kids for crappy reasons. Some parents are so anti-violent, they would not even kill for their kids in self-defense as Molly did. I think most parents fall in the middle). I think that Xeno came in on the extreme side of saving your kids. Let's look at some "Sophie's Choices".

Parent is driving an out of control car and has a split second decision to choose between hitting their child or the child's three best friends. I think this is a tough decision to make because somebody must die and one doesn't have sufficient time to think about it.

Evil dude holds gun to child's head and tells parent they must murder her three friends standing there or they will shoot the child. This decision isn't as clear cut. Evil dude may not kill the child (he may be bluffing) and one has to actively kill three other people. I think most people wouldn't do this, but again, there isn't much time for the parent to think.

Evil dude holds child hostage and tells parent to go off and find three of her friends and murder them. Well, now the parent has more time to think and plan and argue with oneself about becoming a murderer. One has time to make a very conscious decison about what one is doing.

I think that Xeno's case is less extreme than all three cases. Luna was taken hostage to stop him from writing screeds against Voldemort. He has reached a certain level of detente with the evil dude. He writes what evil dude wants and Luna stays alive. If evil dude kills Luna, Xeno will stop writing what he wants. There is nor requirement that he go out and kill anybody for Voldemort. That's a bit of an uneasy detente though, because evil dude is not all that trustable. So, Xeno sees an opportunity. With no promise of him getting his daughter back, he is going to turn over three of her friends to certain death in hopes that he might be rewarded (though, he may have tried to convince himself that evil dude was not going to kill them. I don't think he could honestly believe that, though). He has a LONG time to think about this. As every second ticks by, he could warn those friends, but he chooses not to. Instead, he tricks them into staying longer by using his daughter's friendship as a lure (kind of icky, IMO).

As it turns out, he is not rewarded. Even though Hermione is careful to help him prove that he did in fact turn over Voldemort's greatest enemy, Luna is not released. So, he compromised his morals for no gain at all (in fact, he risked a lot because if the Trio had just decided to leave before the DEs showed up, his daughter may have been killed).

I want to like Xeno because I love Luna, but I cannot. Mrs. Weasley could easily have turned over Harry and Hermione and kept her children safe. Harry was not her child. Harry had recently led two of her children into a trap that nearly got them killed and was going to "lure" one of those children off onto an incredibly risky quest. She didn't turn him in because that would have been wrong. She didn't want her children to die, but she wasn't willing to be a party to murder of an innocent to keep them safe. All in my opinion.

Xeno has a lot of good traits, but this was not his finest moment, IMO.

[wickedwickedboy]

I felt like Xeno, like all of the characters, was shown to have his ups and downs. I know I thought he had a great name - loved it. JKR comes up with some very good names . I liked what he did in as far as the Quibbler went; it was brave of him to continue publishing. Of course once his daughter was kidnapped, I expected that his behavior would become somewhat erratic. That has to be one of the most frightening and horrifying things that can happen to a person. All in all, I think that he was an interesting and enlivening character in DH and it was good to finally meet him since we'd heard so much about him.

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by wingardium713

I can relate, but I cannot condone his behaviour. To me, he did a very, very bad thing without hope of much pay-off. I tend to agree with Ron's assessment.

I agree that his actions were terrible. However, we must look at this through his perspective. Even if there was not "hope of much pay-off," there was still hope (however slim). To a parent as estranged and desperate as he, the slightest possibility of regaining his daughter would be enough.

Originally Posted by wingardium713

I think that Xeno came in on the extreme side of saving your kids.

Xenophilius had already lost his wife, and he was now in danger of losing his daughter (his only remaining lifeline) forever. Of course he was extreme, but I do not think (especially given his eccentric behavior normally) that he could be expected (or scorned for not doing so) to act rationally. Xenophilius' mental state must be considered; I would say the shock of losing Luna made him lose most of the sense that remained (and he never demonstrated that much, to be honest). He was desperate. Desperate men do desperate things, and they are never good (Voldemort, Dumbledore, and even Harry are examples).

Originally Posted by wingardium713

Xeno has a lot of good traits, but this was not his finest moment, IMO.

Of course. A time when a man's only daughter (and, I would say, reason for living) is in danger of being lost from his world will never be any man's "finest moment."

[LilyLunaPotter]

I dont think he was a "cowardly old wart" I think he was afraid ya. But not for himself, he was afraid of what the Death Eaters might do to Luna, think about it;
You're one and only child, your only family; is taking away from you. And be Death Eaters none the less. The only way to get her back is to turn in Harry Potter. Okey okey it sounds horrible, but honestlt think about it! All you parents what would you have done? I wouldve done the same thing, horrible I know....

[MidnighterWitch]

Originally Posted by LilyLunaPotter

I dont think he was a "cowardly old wart" I think he was afraid ya. But not for himself, he was afraid of what the Death Eaters might do to Luna, think about it;
You're one and only child, your only family; is taking away from you. And be Death Eaters none the less. The only way to get her back is to turn in Harry Potter. Okey okey it sounds horrible, but honestlt think about it! All you parents what would you have done? I wouldve done the same thing, horrible I know....

I don't think he was a cowardly old wart either. He was very scared that his daughter's life was in danger. It's not horrible that you would have done the same thing. Parents would do anything for their child if put in that position. He was panicking and not thinking straight. He did not know the consequences of turning in Harry would have been, because getting his daughter back was his first priority.

At first I did hold this against him, but now I cannot blame him for what he did.

[AliceLongbottom]

Originally Posted by MidnighterWitch

I don't think he was a cowardly old wart either. He was very scared that his daughter's life was in danger. It's not horrible that you would have done the same thing. Parents would do anything for their child if put in that position. He was panicking and not thinking straight. He did not know the consequences of turning in Harry would have been, because getting his daughter back was his first priority.

At first I did hold this against him, but now I cannot blame him for what he did.

I agree. I think that he had the right intentions for his daughter, and that he wasn't able to think straight, so when he saw Harry, he probably didn't care that he could bring the end to the Death Eaters, he just wanted his daughter back.

I'm kind of curious though. I was just thinking, did Xenophilius know that what he was publisizing in the Quibbler (besides the stuff about Harry, which was right) was a bunch of made up stuff, or did he really believe what he was saying? Because it kind of confuses me when you think he knows what he's saying is almost completely impossible, but I'm never exactly sure if he really knows what he's saying. Whether he learned it from his father, I'm not sure, but it's always kind of made me wonder...did he try to make this stuff up to have it make more sense to him, or does he really believe all the stuff he's saying?

[Voldemorts8thHorcrux]

In the end, I think he was a loving and affectionate father. Although I personally think Luna is a bit more brave than he is, going directly against the Carrows and all that, it's obvious that she looks up to him and i like him protecting his daughter and giving up Harry a bit more than giving up Luna and protecting Harry, which to me would've been more like trying to protect his own hide a bit more, because i suspect part of the reason he supported Harry would be because he thought that Harry was the hope of giving Luna a better life.

[LyraLovegood]

Originally Posted by PadfootLuvsMe

I was pretty scared of him. He really does care about Luna though, so he would give up Harry for her. He's really a hypocrite to go around writing this stuff and then just forget about because his daughter is taken. I mean, isn't he telling people (through the Quibbler) who have lost family members to still support Harry. And he just turns around and does the opposite!

This does smack of hypocrisy, but everyone has their price. Clearly Xeno's price was Luna. But the love of a parent for a child is a very powerful thing.

[Chrysalis]

I loved Xeno, in the brief scene he got, he seemed wonderfully devoted to his daughter. Yet he is also narrow-minded. He couldn't accept that the Deathly Hallows sign had a negative connotation to somebody like Viktor. Simply believing in things that can't be proven does not equal open-minded and I think he was too much focused on those things and not enough on the real, physical world.

Xeno's actions towards the trio were completely understandable. He had only heard of them from Luna and had barely exchanged a word with them. The Death Eaters took his daughter and any parent in his situation would've done exactly what he did. It's understandable that he would cling to the only ray of hope he had, that selling out Harry would give him back his girl. It's hard to not feel for him.

[arithmancer]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

Xeno's actions towards the trio were completely understandable. He had only heard of them from Luna and had barely exchanged a word with them. The Death Eaters took his daughter and any parent in his situation would've done exactly what he did. It's understandable that he would cling to the only ray of hope he had, that selling out Harry would give him back his girl. It's hard to not feel for him.

I would say Harry meant more to Xeno than a name mentioned in passing by his daughter. We should recall that following the fall of the Ministry, Xeno used the Quibbler to print the real news and urged people to support Harry (unlike the Prophet, which was a propaganda instrument of the Voldemort regime). Which, to my mind, is also to Xeno's credit. However, it was his initial public actions against Voldemort and in support of Harry that led to Luna's kidnapping, so I agree with the overall conclusion, that Xeno's actions with the life of his daughter in the balance are understandable. I think it is telling that Rowling chose to write her tale in such a way that Harry never had to make a choice under comparable circumstances.

[Chrysalis]

Yes, but I think it's different when you write about a distant public figure, and when you know that person yourself. Xeno had no emotional connection in that sense to Harry. Though he stood up for him in the Quibbler which IMO showed anything but cowardice. I think people forget that Xeno's a Ravenclaw and his way of relating is not going to be the same as, say, Molly Weasley. People like Xeno live very much in their head and are not very feeling people (I'm not saying that they don't empathise, I'm saying that they are by their very nature not emotional).

[Andraste]

I can understand why Xeno acted the way he did.

Honestly, though, I have to agree with Ron. He was a coward.

Yes. His daughter was in harm's way. He wanted to save her from it. However, his daughter also would not have wanted him to turn Harry, Ron, and Hermione over. They weren't just names to him--quite apart from what he was printing in DH before Luna got taken, it's pretty clear that Luna was considered an oddball and didn't have many friends. She ended up becoming pretty good friends with the trio, Ginny, and Neville--I mean, god, she's the only friend whose name Harry and Ginny gave to any of their kids. And you can bet that she'd be going home and talking about them to her father.

Luna had more courage in her pinkie than her father did in his entire body. While I understand why he acted the way he did, I can't condone his acting so selfishly.

[OldMotherCrow]

Originally Posted by Andraste

I can understand why Xeno acted the way he did.

Honestly, though, I have to agree with Ron. He was a coward.

Yes. His daughter was in harm's way. He wanted to save her from it. However, his daughter also would not have wanted him to turn Harry, Ron, and Hermione over. They weren't just names to him--quite apart from what he was printing in DH before Luna got taken, it's pretty clear that Luna was considered an oddball and didn't have many friends. She ended up becoming pretty good friends with the trio, Ginny, and Neville--I mean, god, she's the only friend whose name Harry and Ginny gave to any of their kids. And you can bet that she'd be going home and talking about them to her father.

Luna had more courage in her pinkie than her father did in his entire body. While I understand why he acted the way he did, I can't condone his acting so selfishly.

Although I don't feel as harsh towards Xenophilius as Andraste does, I do agree with what Andraste is saying. I don't think Xenophilius was respecting what his daughter would have wanted by sacrificing Luna's friends in order to get her back, so I believe his action was selfish. At some point I think it is necessary to think about what the person one is trying to help would want, and how they would want one to treat their loved ones and respect their ideals.

I still have sympathy for Xenophilius's predicament, though. He never wanted to be in league with the Death Eaters; it was something that was forced upon him. It was a terrible thing that Voldemort and his followers did to Xenophilius, in my opinion.

[bellatrix93]

Harry was reminded of his mother, when he saw Xeno block his way to the stairs in protection of his daughter. Xeno's behaviour was understandable, and I agree that some parents in his situation would've done the same, but it's not just right. When Lily stood protecting Harry, she wasn't cooperating with Voldemort, Xeno was. His actions lacked rationality, he was influenced by his emotions. Had he thought about it for a bit, he'd probably have realised that selling Harry to Voldemort would only save Luna temporarily (and maybe not at all); the Death Eaters might get her later on, when Harry was gone and Voldemort had completely seized control.

Addressing Chrysalis' point about Xeno not caring for the Trio because he didn't know them, I think I have to disagree here. Luna might've spoken about them little, but he must've known how dear they are to her. Luna had hangings in her bedroom with the Trio's names on them, this obviously is a sign that she loved them. Her father should've realised that she wouldn't have wanted them dead on her behalf.

But as I said, Xeno wasn't thinking rationally; if he had, I don't think he would've cooperated with the DEs, as the losses far outweighed the benefits of this act.

I liked Xeno as a character, he acted in a very believable way. Luna was the only family he had, and probably the only person in the world with whom he could share all his wierdness, his strange creatures, journeys, etc. No wonder he called her 'his' Luna, and no wonder he protected her the way he did.

[Bathsheda]

Originally Posted by bellatrix93

Harry was reminded of his mother, when he saw Xeno block his way to the stairs in protection of his daughter. Xeno's behaviour was understandable, and I agree that some parents in his situation would've done the same, but it's not just right. When Lily stood protecting Harry, she wasn't cooperating with Voldemort, Xeno was. His actions lacked rationality, he was influenced by his emotions. Had he thought about it for a bit, he'd probably have realised that selling Harry to Voldemort would only save Luna temporarily (and maybe not at all); the Death Eaters might get her later on, when Harry was gone and Voldemort had completely seized control.

(bolded mine)

Well, she didn't really have that option, but when she was facing Voldemorte she said "Please. I'll do anything!". What if Voldemorte had stopped at that point and said "Very well, you follow my orders and your son lives", what would she've done? Would she really have said "No, on second thought, better kill him now"? She probably would've made the deal, even if she knew that Voldemorte would still kill Harry eventually, once he didn't need her anymore.

It may not be right, but it's not really wrong either. When you have to bargain with devil for the life of your child, these two words lose their meaning. You can basically only do something "wrong": either let your child die or someone else. What would really be "right" in that situation?

That's why I certainly sympathise with Xeno. He was in a horrible situation and absolutely desperate. His actions weren't right and they weren't wrong. They were the actions of a man trying to do what he thought would be the somewhat less horrendous thing.

[BorisKelpman]

Although I absolutely cannot condone the actions of Xenophilius Lovegood, I also find them to be understandable from a certain psychological viewpoint. Although, yes, if he was looking at the situation with the larger picture in mind, he would have surely seen how terribly his daughter would have regarded his selling out her friends, he was in distress and could only view the situation narrowly. Literally, all he could manage to think about was that, if he did not cooperate with the Death Eaters, his daughter would be murdered, and so he temporarily adopted a "screw the rest of the world" mentality without realizing the implications of his actions.

I don't think that Xeno's convictions were fragile. He was the victim of severe emotional blackmail and had to face the possibility of his daughter's death at the hands of one of the most feared Dark Wizards of all time. Even if he, in a way, "failed the test" of courage, I don't think that such failure would have been consistent in any repetition of the situation, had certain things played out differently. Without any emotional support to fall back on, he had to go through so much alone.

I would be curious to read an explanation from Jo on if Xeno ever had a conversation with his daughter about his actions. Did Luna ever forgive him for almost selling out her friends, Harry Potter included, for a temporary reunion with her? Did she berate him for his foolishness? Did she understand?

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

Yet he is also narrow-minded. He couldn't accept that the Deathly Hallows sign had a negative connotation to somebody like Viktor. Simply believing in things that can't be proven does not equal open-minded and I think he was too much focused on those things and not enough on the real, physical world.

This is an interesting point, made more alluring by his reproach of Hermione's narrow-mindedness. But I agree. Xenophilius seems to have opened his mind to the extraordinary and unbelievable while at least partially closing off reality. He absorbed himself into imagination and wonder, achieving the willingness to accept anything. But, simultaneously, I think that perspective conjunctively disallowed him from seeing - or, at least, accepting - others' ideas and outlooks.

I think he realized his bizarre outlook on the world, but rather than incorporating it into society he used it to aggrandize himself. He became self-confident and smug, to the point that he looked down upon normality and others' ordinary perspectives. While I like Xenophilius and find him an intriguing character, I think it would be difficult to have a conversation with him about, for instance, the Wizarding economy. For one, he would likely mention "imaginary" components, but I think he would feel that discussion of facts and interpretations of the same was beneath him - in a way similar to Trelawney's outlook on the "Mundane" of everyday life.