Luna Lovegood: Key Player, Plot Device Princess
by Midnight and Kitti
Luna is a somewhat controversial character in the Potterverse. In OotP we see that both her sanity and her credibility are seriously doubted by most people who come into contact with her; even toward the end of the book she is still not as respected as she should be. Yet I believe there is more to “Loony” Lovegood than we are shown.
First of all, Luna is seen by most as “out of it.” She is described as never quite knowing what’s going on around her. Or, as entering rooms as if she’d wondered in by accident. Luna, it seems to me, is more connected to the spiritual world than most.
We also see throughout the book that Luna has a profound faith in all things, which is an admirable quality. Here are a few reminders:
“No, I think I’ll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it to turn up…it always does in the end.” (She has faith that the people who stole her things will be good enough to return them.)“…it’s not as though I’ll never see Mum again, is it? You heard them, just beyond the veil…” (She has faith in the Christian sense, though religion isn’t an obvious part of the books.)
But in literature, we need not focus on who the character is, but what she does for the story. So lets look at what Luna does for the story.
Let’s not forget that Luna has been a comfort to Harry throughout OotP. She helps Harry feel better about himself on several occasions. The Thestrals, and the voices beyond the veil, to mention a couple minor cases. Plus, the fact that, so far, Luna is the only living person Harry feels comfortable talking about Sirius’ death with. Luna was also there through many of the major points of the book. She helps Harry get his story out (through her father publishing it in his magazine). She is a member of Dumbledore’s Army (which I consider the “new-age” OotP), and she went to the Ministry of Magic for the big battle.
We must also note that Luna is the first person to step up and say she believes Harry about what happened in the graveyard the year before (outside of his close friends/allies, of course).
The second quote above reminds me of the interview wherein Jo tells us she is Christian, but doesnt like people to know it because then they will know the ending to the story.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to nought things that are.
It is my belief that Luna Lovegood will play a vital role in the next two books, and in the final battle with Lord Voldemort. Luna Lovegood: Key Player, Plot Device Princess.