Draco as A.J. & Coddled Draco

[abigailnus <abigailnus@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51769

Several people sounded off on my statement that I view Draco as 
the Potterverse equivalent of A.J. Soprano.  Stickbook offered the 
opinion that:

> Draco is a 
> spoiled-rotten child.  I can't imagine that Lucius was coddled in his 
> youth the way he coddles Draco.  As a result, Lucius comes away with 
> a much thicker skin, and Draco knows of no other method of exerting 
> power than tantrum-throwing.

To which Heidi responded:

>>So while I think it's not unreasonable to conclude that Draco is
"spoiled" from the perspective of having material posessions (although
we don't hear of any other than the brooms for the team and his fancy
clothing for the Yule Ball) I don't see how that translates into
coddling. I just don't see any love from Lucius to Draco. None at all.>>

And Cindy offered:

>>Personally, I wouldn't choose "coddled" as the best way to describe 
Draco's upbringing in canon. I would go with "indulged." 
And "privileged." And "elitist." But I think "indulged" works 
best, and "indulged" really is just a stone's throw from "coddled.">>

For the sake of list members currently residing under rocks, I'll just 
say that A.J. Soprano is the name of the son of mafia boss Tony 
Soprano in the critically acclaimed American TV series, The Sopranos.  
While it can definitely be said that A.J. is both spoiled and indulged, 
that wasn't the correlation that I was thinking of when I suggested 
that there was a similarity between the two characters.  A.J. is, as 
perceived by viewers and as described by his father, 'soft'.  He 
lacks ambition, is directionless and almost completely without drive 
- in that sense he is Draco's diametric opposite.  The similarity I see 
between these two boys is that they are both the unexceptional 
sons of exceptional men.  Tony Soprano and Lucius Malfoy are evil, 
no doubt.  They are also, however, possesed of a certain quality 
that makes them leaders in their field - ruthlessness, a certain kind 
of political savvy, a killer charm that conceals a killer instinct.  
Neither A.J. Soprano nor Draco Malfoy possess those qualities.  

Draco is led by his impulses, and, as Elkins pointed out in post 
#51687, he repeatedly rejects his father's advice on how to 
better his political situation.  He doesn't make friends with Harry 
Potter, he does proclaim his Voldemortain (love the word, by the 
way, Elkins) beliefs in front of the entire school, he doesn't distance 
himself from the DEs at the QWC.  I realise that Draco is a young 
man, and less capable of controling himself than the mature Lucius, 
but it seems to me that a political instinct is something someone is 
born with, and Draco hasn't displayed even an inkling of that ability.

As for whether Draco is coddled.  Heidi has suggested that 
coddling involves displays of affection, and Cindy suggests that 
Draco's coddling is manifest in the material indulgences that 
Lucius grants him.  I don't have a dictionary handy, but I've 
always perceived coddling to be the act of protecting a child 
from the world, not allowing him to deal with his own problems 
and stand on his own two feet (in this sense, Dudley Dursely 
is supremely coddled).  I don't believe that it's the material 
possessions tha Lucius gives Draco that have prevented him 
from developing his own killer instinct.  Lucius has systematically 
stepped in whenever Draco had a problem that was too big for 
him.  Draco can't get on the Quidditch team?  Lucius donates 
new brooms for the whole team.  Draco doesn't like his CoMC 
teacher?  Lucius acts to get rid of him.  The two most common 
words that come out of Draco's mouth are 'my father', usually 
in the context of stating that Lucius will do something to change 
Draco's situation for the better.  Compare this with Harry, who 
is reluctant to accept help even when it is offered (mind you, I'm 
not saying that's a healthy approach either).  So yes, I do believe 
Draco is coddled.  Lucius encourages Draco's inability to stand 
on his own two feet even as he thinks he's raising a worthy 
successor.

And here we touch on the matter of Lucius' feelings for Draco.  
Does Lucius love his son?  Of course he does.  All parents love 
their children.  Even the ones who abandon them.  Even the ones 
who abuse and molest them.  Even the ones who completely 
screw up their children's lives.  The measure of a good parent 
isn't in whether they love their child but in whether they love 
their child more than they love themselves.  Lucius sees Draco 
as an extension of himself.  Lucius is Voldemort's top lieutenant, 
working to rid the wizarding world of muggle-borns.  He obviously 
expects Draco to follow in his footsteps, but his controling, 
overbearing approach to Draco's life will keep Draco from 
becoming the DE he could be.  Which is, after all, a good thing.

Abigail