What it Means to be Voldemort

In Harry Potter Voldemort seems some how beyond human. After all, it isn't even up till the 4th book we see Vodemort in a human form. He is introduced with out a body of his own in the 1st book. It isn't even till the 6th book we see his distant past. You know, like when he had a nose. Is this because he isn't supposed to be human? He is just a general symbol of all evil, racist and corrupt in the world or a talented boy who was misguided? I thought it was that he was the later but I think he is more of a symbol. Very few people on earth are just that overall bad. Voldemort symbolizes and magnifies all this evil.

Voldemort is purely evil because he can't love. Dumbledore often criticized Voldemort for not being able to love. He was never loved, so he could never comprehend any power beyond actual power over others. Then again, you could say that this lack of love in such a twisted, yet gifted child was why he couldn't comprehend love and became a monster. Evil is the lack of any love or sympathy to make someone do truly incomprehensible acts of unkindness. Most people have love, either have been loved or loved someone or loved even something, so we wouldn't do the things Voldemort does.

He is also evil because of his fear of death. This fear is caused by his lack of love. In "Deathly Hallows" chapter 32 Voldemort says "Potter will come to me. I know his weakness, you see, his one great flaw. He will hate watching the others struck down around him, knowing that it is for him that it happens. He will stop it at any cost." He doesn't understand why there are people Harry would die for. He fears death more than anything. With out love he never had anyone he would die for, making his own death the worst thing imaginable rather than fearing living with out someone.

J.K Rowling shows he is evil through the Horcruxs. He has split his soul so many times he has gone insane. Every person has the ability to love but he has split up his soul and whatever love was in him got torn apart while spliting his soul. Much like how a broken heart can leave some one love sick, a broken soul leaves Voldemort's ability to love completely dead.

In a way Voldemort is similar to Snape. Snape sort of helped Voldemort in his way, they both were in Slytherin and they both were odd children who hated their muggle-side of their family. Snape however loved Lily and that kept him for becoming power-hungry and emotionless like Voldemort. Voldemort never was so close to anyone because he viewed it as weak. Snape knew Lily was so important to him that saving Lily's son was more important than surviving. Why live forever with no point? Voldemort didn't see this. His only goal was to live, who cares if there is a point?

In the end, whether Voldemort is total evil, or talent gone wrong, he is a warning. Give people a chance, learn to love them. If no one does they can become dangerous. We need to love others or else the only life we will cherish is our own, causing us to protect it to the point of our own destruction. In a way Voldemort is similar to Snape. Snape sort of helped Voldemort in his way, they both were in Slytherin and they both were odd children who hated their muggle-side of their family. Snape however loved Lily and that