Linda Ulleseit

by Erica

How important is compassion and forgiveness? In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the book isn’t so much about forgiveness as it is about the difficulty of actually forgiving someone. Forgiveness and compassion are an ongoing process in here, and they are things that don’t come naturally to every character. Throughout the novel, we’re confronted with situations that may or may not be forgivable. Ron manages to forgive Hermione for her role in his pet Scabbers’ ‘death,’ but Snape on the other hand doesn’t get over the almost deadly prank that Harry’s father, James, and his two best friends, Lupin and Sirius, played on him as a schoolboy. Some acts seem unforgivable, such as Peter Pettigrew’s role in the death of Harry’s parents, but as Harry’s actions toward Peter demonstrate, even unforgivable acts can inspire mercy.