Evil Is As Evil Desires

[dicentra63 <dicentra@xmission.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51599

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Cindy C. <cindysphynx at c...>"
<cindysphynx at c...> wrote:
> Abigail wrote:
> 
> > In the simplest possible terms, Bad is something you do, Evil is 
> > something you are.
> 
> I can go along with this to some extent, but I would go further.  
> 
> Bad is something you do.
> 
> Evil is something you are.
> 
> The way we know you are Evil is by what you do -- whether you do Bad 
> things for Bad reasons.
> 
> If you are Good, you can become Evil by doing enough Bad acts.
> 
> If you are Evil, you can become Good by doing enough Good acts.
> 
To this I would add that evil has to do what you want, not just what
you do.  If you continually *want* to do evil deeds over good ones,
you're evil, even if you don't actually do them.

Draco's enjoyment of the Muggle Torture at the QWC is a good example
of this: his non-participation doesn't stem from moral repulsion, but
from his inability to perform that kind of magic.  That makes his
desires evil.  That makes *him* evil.

Defining Evil only as something that you *are* obliterates the
possibility of humans becoming truly despicable beings through their
choices.  Putting Evil outside the realm of free choice implies that
we can't really chose Evil.  Not really.

But we can.  Every one of us has the ability to do truly awful things,
if we want to (but most of us don't *want* to).  Tom Riddle did.  He
*likes* the path he's on.  He *digs* the evil things he's done.  The
payoff from doing evil is more valuable to him than the payoff from
doing good.  Conversely, Dumbledore prefers the payoff from doing good.  

Evil is as evil desires.  As far as we can tell, Draco *wants* to do
evil.  There is no indication in the text that he wants anything else
at this point.

--Dicentra, who wouldn't mind seeing Lucius or LV get rid of him in
disgust, either