[HPforGrownups] Re: Some SHIP comments & Draco's Potential for Redemption

[Chelsea2162 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 38008

In a message dated 4/20/2002 12:51:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
pennylin at swbell.net writes:

<< Well, others have commented on this already, but I'll just say that I 
would find it terribly disappointing if a series that is all about *choices* 
portrays a *child* who is irredeemably evil from the age of 11 onward.  He's 
only 14 in GoF.  Severus Snape apparently was able to make a life-altering 
change at a much older age, so why not Draco?  Why is it not believable that 
an author who uses a theme of free choice so readily would set it up so that 
a character, once seemingly on a set path but then later exposed to the true 
nature of evil and its implications, might make different choices on his road 
toward maturity & adulthood?  I suspect Draco is just following the party 
line (his parents or at least Lucius).  Once he's actually put into a 
position of seeing the real-life consequences, he *might* make a different 
choice.  I also don't buy that everyone's basic character is fixed by the age 
of 14.  It's my experience that most people do a tremendous amount of 
changing & growing after they leave home for the first time -- generally 
college or first job or whatever, ages 18-29 are times of huge change for 
many people.  So, I remain optimistic that Draco *can* be redeemed.  The 
possibility is there, but of course, it's anyone's guess as to where JKR 
might be going for certain. >>

           Exactly! I believe 100% that in the HP books, where *choices* is 
such a big deal, that a 14 year old's personality would not be already set in 
stone, so to speak. And I think that one of the best argument points is the 
change over of Snape. As you said, he was much older than 14 when he made the 
huge decision to change sides, and fight against evil. I still have hope for 
Draco yet.
*Chelsea*