[HPforGrownups] Draco

[shane dunphy]

No: HPFGUIDX 47472


Chris wrote:
>I see Draco as simply a bully and malicious troublecauser. We have no >hint 
>that he has a deeper character than simple racism (mudbloods) and >hiding 
>behind his two companions.

This is certainly an interpretation, but I find it difficult to agree with.  
I mean, is *anyone* that shallow?  Draco of course is portrayed from Harry's 
POV, so we see in Draco what Harry sees in him.  There is no benefit for 
Harry in spending large amounts of time with Draco, getting to know him 
better, so we only experience Draco when he is giving Harry a hard time, or 
being unpleasant to Ron, Hermione, Neville and the rest of Harry's group.  
We also get some glimpses of Draco away fron HRH in CoS, in Borgin's and in 
the Polyjuice chapter.  Both of these scenes really only confirm what we 
already know about Draco, but they do give us some clues as to a deeper side 
of Draco's character.  The scene in Borgin's is the first time we see Draco 
with Lucius, and the scene during the Polyjuice chapter shows us how Draco 
is with Crabbe and Goyle (of course, he is really with Harry and Ron, but he 
doesn't know this)when they are alone.  Now, it would be easy to say that 
both of these scenes simply show us more of Draco as a sly, nasty little 
boy.  And they do.  However, they also tell us more about *why* Draco is a 
sly, nasty little boy.

My understanding of what we try to do on this list is that we attempt to (in 
an adult manner, using whatever academic or life skills we have accumulated) 
discuss and analyse the books and seek motivations and drives that may not 
be immediately apparent in the text, yet are there none-the-less.  I've 
learned a great deal since starting to participate.  I had a discussion with 
my wife recently, another HP fan, about the Slytherins.  She believes that, 
other than Snape, the depictions of the Slytherins are quite one 
dimensional.  I disagreed.  You suggest that Draco is simply bad.  Again, I 
disagree.  We must try to seperate the behaviour from the child.  A child is 
never simply bad.  They have learned to behave in that manner through 
interaction with family, peers, the media etc.  This process is referred to 
(in sociological discourse) as socialisation.  Draco has, in my view, been 
socialised into being the sly, conniving bully we see in the texts through 
the parenting (or in my view lack of it) he has had, through peer 
interaction (Crabbe and Goyle) and through the culture and heritage he would 
have seen in childhood (being raised in a house where LV and prejudice would 
have been considered appropriate and proper).  We don't see this in the text 
*explicitly*.  But it is there.  To suggest that Draco is *just* a bully is 
to, in my view, do the books an injustice.
Shane.




_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. 
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail