There was something disturbingly familiar about the character of Dolores Umbridge...shades of Hoover, McCarthy, Bryant...the whole putsch-conspiracy of denial originating at the Ministry of Magic in the face of a clear and present danger...Is JKR sending a message to the people and governments of the west with this story? What do you think?
2007-08-28 18:33:03 · 4 answers · asked by knoodelhed 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I didn't really notice anything about current American politics, really. The hearings in the basement did smack of McCarthyism. I actually kept wondering if the Death Eater attacks were being explained away as terrorist activity to the Muggle world and therefore probably being blamed on innocent people. The fact that Grindewald was defeated in 1945 and was in eastern Europe made me think of WW2 and Nazis. In that case, was Hitler like a minion or a fallguy?
The fact that any of the political machinations in the book would remind you of the current US administration is the same reason people made that comparison with Revenge of the Sith -- because Bush's administration looks very much like the rise of evil that has frequently led to tremendous problems throughout history -- not because that was her specific intent.
2007-08-28 20:15:50 · answer #1 · answered by KL 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I really don't think that there are any specific targets of the characterization of Umbridge. The theme is one that has been around for ages.
2007-08-29 06:20:29 · answer #2 · answered by MattH 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She lives in Scottland and could give a flying flip about american politics, doll. How much do you know about Scottish government, or Canadian, or French.
Nice try.
2007-08-28 18:42:33 · answer #3 · answered by reynwater 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
perhaps
2007-08-28 18:41:41 · answer #4 · answered by sk692 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋