Elkins' Draco Malfoy Is Ever So Lame. (But not sympathetic)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 124480


>>Nora:
>One thing unaddressed here (and in the later post) is the point 
about the Inquisitorial Squad, where Draco is the leader and has 
goons;<

Betsy:
Ah yes, the Inquisitorial Squad.  Classic example of those not 
excepted into the first treehouse building a bigger and better one of 
their own.  Not one member of the DA considered including a 
Slytherin.  Yes, I know.  That house is evil, all future Death 
Eaters, should probably be clapped into Azkaban as soon as they 
graduate. (Lord, but I hope JKR isn't as black and white as that!)  
But when you exclude a group from your club, you shouldn't be 
surprised if they set up a rival club of their own.

Also, I think the Squad membership may well have been influenced by 
Lucius et al.  Umbridge refers to Lucius directly in OotP, which 
suggests that she's spoken directly to him, not just through Fudge.  
Not that I think Draco was dragged kicking and screaming to the 
Squad.  He is a power loving boy, and he's always eager to give Harry 
a hard way to go.

I'm not arguing for Saint!Draco here.  I'm just saying that JKR has 
chosen to write him in an attractive way, and that means... 
something. :)

>>Nora:
<snip>
>Draco seems to have a number of  friendships within his House (Pansy 
looks like a girlfriend type, honestly), and is a prime instigator.  
Considering him 'lonely' isn't actually supported by the text, but is 
practically contradicted.  He behaves like a convivial ruler, 
laughing and making jokes with his friends at the table.<

Betsy:
I won't bore you with the "loneliness of leadership" speech.  I'm 
sure you're well aware of it.  Yes, Draco is usually the center of 
attention.  That's exactly where he likes to be.  He's a talanted 
mimic, has a clever wit and he makes those around him laugh. (Which, 
actually puts him more in the role of court fool than convivial 
king.) But the only people who hang around him consistently are 
Crabbe and Goyle.  When he's left at Hogwarts in CoS (another point 
against Spoiled!Draco) only Crabbe and Goyle stay to keep him company.

I think the one time we see him in any meaningful conversation with 
someone is in OotP with Nott, after Harry has outed their fathers.

>>Nora:
>Funny how often they're jokes at the expense of others.<

Betsy:
Kinda like the Weasley twins?

>>Nora: 
>Likewise, I don't see Draco's problems as coalescing around one 
particular thing that would impart some nobility to him.  There's a 
little too much spite and arrogance combined with frustration.  He 
sets out deliberately to be a little provocateur, and then it 
backfires upon him.<

Betsy:
Well, no, I don't think Draco has shown much nobility.  That's not 
what I'm trying to say.  He *is* a little provocateur (no matter how 
many times it hurts him) and he hasn't made any hard choices.  In 
fact, I would say that Draco has yet to make a choice.  So far he's 
spent most of his time reacting to Harry's choices and going with the 
flow set forth by this family.  I believe the time of choice is 
coming up though.  Will he follow his father's path and become a 
Death Eater?  Will he go another way?  

[On a total aside, A.J.Hall's fanfic, "Lust over Pendle" has Draco 
choosing to defy his father not because of any inner nobility but 
because he's squeamish about killing. Which I could easily see 
happening.]

>>Nora:
>Draco certainly is more important than Lavender or Dean.  However, 
it's also eminently possible that he's so wildly popular because he's 
an easy object of projection--as soon as you pull out the "There's 
*so* much more here than we see" card, you can make him over into 
what you need him to be.<

Betsy:
But that's the whole point of Elkins' post -- JKR deliberatly uses 
language to ratchet up the interest in Draco.  She does it time and 
again when she *knows* how to kill the interest with a few well 
placed words.  When JKR wants to repulse her audience, the audience 
is replused.  For some reason, she wants us to keep an eye on Draco, 
and she wants him to be attractive. 

>>Nora: 
>I don't quite see being curled up whimpering and moaning after 
deliberately provoking a fight (even unknowingly) or shirking after 
getting hurt by Buckbeak partially out of his own arrogance, as 
terribly manly.  But that's another point.<

Betsy:
It's not the getting hurt, it's the stoic behavior afterwords.  He 
yells after the initial slash of Buckbeak.  He doesn't shriek, or 
sniffle, or weep.  (And I'm confused about the "arrogance."  How was 
Draco arrogant there?)

And after the fight (where the winning team can't seem to handle a 
few angry jeers from the loosing side) Draco, again, doesn't shriek 
or sniffle or weep.  And you seriously thought George and Harry's 
behavior was somehow justified?  Draco got turned into a ferret for 
similar behavior.

>>Nora:
<snip> 
>Draco Malfoy is a provocateur, and our narrative route into seeing 
what the child of a Death Eater behaves like.  With some exceptions, 
he brings trouble upon himself, and is taken down in ways that many 
readers find distasteful, but many find rather gratifying.<

Betsy:
Yes, his take downs, on the surface, seem to be gratifying - Harry is 
gratified anyway.  But Draco is *always* badly outgunned.  I can't 
think of a time when he and Harry went at it on equal terms.  And 
Harry is always the one with the overwhelming back up or equipment or 
authority figure.  Every single time Draco seems to have the 
advantage, the rug is pulled from under his feet and he's the one 
suffering. Stoically. :) 

He does do a good job of illustrating the old blood-biases of the 
pure-bloods.  I'm not sure if he's been brought up as a Death Eater 
though.  He can't see a thestral, so I doubt he's been along to any 
annual Muggle torture parties fanfic loves to portray.  But he 
definitely does a good job of being Ron's opposite.

>>Nora:
>After five years at Hogwarts, he seems not to have manifested any 
ability to say "Maybe this ain't right".<
<snip>

Betsy:
I guess I haven't seen much opportunity for Draco to come to that 
conclusion.  Everything has just sort of gone along for him.  He did 
refuse to stand at the end of GoF when everyone stood up for Harry.  
But that's not really a surprise.  Draco is not Harry's nemesis, but 
Harry is definitely Draco's.  I think the time for choosing has 
arrived, though, so I do expect to have some rather revealing scenes 
in the next book.

Betsy