More on Scars, From a Reader!

The following is courtesy of Ms. Jodi:

From Herman Melville's Moby Dick:

"A white scar, reportedly from a thunderbolt, runs down his face and, some say, the length of his body."

Captain Ahab does seem god-like, or at least mythic, from the beginning. He is surrounded by legend, cured by lightning, grim, determined. Ahab then is consumed by his scar . . . the idea of the scar as a positive or negative marking - does it heal or deform the character . . . a scar as opposed to a birthmark.

Is it a 'memento mori,' as in Roman and Christian art?

Touching Spirit Bear (editor's note: beloved by middle school students everywhere!), where the bear mauls the main character and it serves to remind and inspire him, is another example of a scar in literature.

A last example: Frodo, in The Lord of the Rings, where he is wounded by the Ring Wraiths, nearly dying, and the wound/scar affects him throughout the remainder of the story.

-- Cool! Thank you so much for contributing, Jodi! Memento mori is a Latin phrase for "Remember you will die." I find it brightens up most conversations.

I re-did the settings for this blog so anyone should be able to leave a comment now.

The Ahab reference is excellent. I completely forgot about his scar. After briefly considering it, Ahab seems to be more of a model for Voldermort than Harry. Interesting.