Fawkes still goes through a life cycles of maturation and dying. When he immolates, he comes back as a helpless chick, and must develope back into a mature adult--but that maturation will eventually take him into old age and infirmity, and back to the flames. In fact, I question to what extent the chick in the ashes could even be considered the same individual that burned itself--in a sense, the phoenix recreates itself with each burning, rather than just rejuvenating. If that's true, then the metaphorical implication is the stated theme that those who die are never truly gone, even with the termination of their physical existance on Earth.
There's a definate parallel between baby Harry in the blasted house in Godric's Hollow and baby Fawkes in the ashes of his previous incarnation. The significance of that, I'm not certain.
Now, Voldemort. Voldemort doesn't just want eternal life, I think, he wants eternal youth in the bargain--no Tithonian gotchas. Immortal!Voldie would continue to accrue power and knowledge without mortal fading or mortal failings. In a cosmic sense, he's cheating--he gets all the benefits of maturity with none of the negative effects of aging. He transcends "death" as well, but in a literal way, as his essence continues beyond the destruction of the physical body.
Which makes me wonder about the workings of the Philosopher's Stone. Technically, I suppose, the Flamels were prolonging their lives, not making themselves immortal--did they also prolong their youth as well? And what are the side effects of the Elixer of Life? Perhaps Dumbledore wasn't so much Flamel's partner in alchemical research as the aide and assistant to a physically frail genius with the mind, but no the means, to experiment upon his theories...
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2004-10-27 02:06 am (UTC)Fawkes still goes through a life cycles of maturation and dying. When he immolates, he comes back as a helpless chick, and must develope back into a mature adult--but that maturation will eventually take him into old age and infirmity, and back to the flames. In fact, I question to what extent the chick in the ashes could even be considered the same individual that burned itself--in a sense, the phoenix recreates itself with each burning, rather than just rejuvenating. If that's true, then the metaphorical implication is the stated theme that those who die are never truly gone, even with the termination of their physical existance on Earth.
There's a definate parallel between baby Harry in the blasted house in Godric's Hollow and baby Fawkes in the ashes of his previous incarnation. The significance of that, I'm not certain.
Now, Voldemort. Voldemort doesn't just want eternal life, I think, he wants eternal youth in the bargain--no Tithonian gotchas. Immortal!Voldie would continue to accrue power and knowledge without mortal fading or mortal failings. In a cosmic sense, he's cheating--he gets all the benefits of maturity with none of the negative effects of aging. He transcends "death" as well, but in a literal way, as his essence continues beyond the destruction of the physical body.
Which makes me wonder about the workings of the Philosopher's Stone. Technically, I suppose, the Flamels were prolonging their lives, not making themselves immortal--did they also prolong their youth as well? And what are the side effects of the Elixer of Life? Perhaps Dumbledore wasn't so much Flamel's partner in alchemical research as the aide and assistant to a physically frail genius with the mind, but no the means, to experiment upon his theories...