This post helps a lot. I knew that all the evidence for Quirrell = Voldemort was insurmountable, but I was uneasy with the conclusions everyone seemed to be drawing for it. I realize that this was because I was viewing RidVolQuir as evil, like canon Voldemort, rather than as the unique agent he is. I agree with your analysis, although I think RidVolQuir will turn sinister soon enough (unless Snape does something soon?).
One thing that your analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends.
Maybe it was Snape who planned the plot. Snape’s motives are a complete unknown right now, but clearly important. But Quirrell still warned Hermione to leave which seems like evidence against Snape being the culprit. Only now I realize that telling Hermione to leave is what a good and sane teacher with concern for her well being would do. So that would resolve this fairly well.
Sorry for the stream of consciousness style of this comment.
When I said “one thing that [his] analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends” I was falsely thinking that only wholly evil motivations could motivate that plot. But it could have easily been for some distorted and twisted version of the greater good.
I don’t like the idea of RidVolQuir being wholly evil, such beings are improbable. I initially hoped for and thought I would receive a sympathetic Voldemort. Unfortunately I no longer think that’s going to happen because I think that the post dementor attack Harry evil mode which wanted to kill everyone is meant to be evidence that Harry is Voldemort’s Horcrux, which would also indicate that Voldemort’s soul is inherently and totally evil. I don’t like that idea and hope my prediction is wrong.
The grandparent of this comment made me feel a little better about the odds of a not-totally-evil Voldemort, but not very much better. Now that I think about it though, since RidVolQuir has thus far been portrayed in such a way that allows the reader to sympathize with him, maybe even a Voldemort with the automatic killing response would still somehow manage to be less boring and more realistic than I anticipate. That seems like it would be tough to pull off though.
This post helps a lot. I knew that all the evidence for Quirrell = Voldemort was insurmountable, but I was uneasy with the conclusions everyone seemed to be drawing for it. I realize that this was because I was viewing RidVolQuir as evil, like canon Voldemort, rather than as the unique agent he is. I agree with your analysis, although I think RidVolQuir will turn sinister soon enough (unless Snape does something soon?).
One thing that your analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends.
Maybe it was Snape who planned the plot. Snape’s motives are a complete unknown right now, but clearly important. But Quirrell still warned Hermione to leave which seems like evidence against Snape being the culprit. Only now I realize that telling Hermione to leave is what a good and sane teacher with concern for her well being would do. So that would resolve this fairly well.
Sorry for the stream of consciousness style of this comment.
The standard explanation is that they were a good influence on him. In chaper 66 Harry tells Quirrell that after the Azkaban debacle:
When I said “one thing that [his] analysis can’t explain very well: Quirrell’s involvement with the plot to get Harry’s friends” I was falsely thinking that only wholly evil motivations could motivate that plot. But it could have easily been for some distorted and twisted version of the greater good.
I don’t like the idea of RidVolQuir being wholly evil, such beings are improbable. I initially hoped for and thought I would receive a sympathetic Voldemort. Unfortunately I no longer think that’s going to happen because I think that the post dementor attack Harry evil mode which wanted to kill everyone is meant to be evidence that Harry is Voldemort’s Horcrux, which would also indicate that Voldemort’s soul is inherently and totally evil. I don’t like that idea and hope my prediction is wrong.
The grandparent of this comment made me feel a little better about the odds of a not-totally-evil Voldemort, but not very much better. Now that I think about it though, since RidVolQuir has thus far been portrayed in such a way that allows the reader to sympathize with him, maybe even a Voldemort with the automatic killing response would still somehow manage to be less boring and more realistic than I anticipate. That seems like it would be tough to pull off though.