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

[northsouth17]

No: HPFGUIDX 124625



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "naamagatus" <naama_gat at h...> 
wrote:
> Seeing as the DEs are the equivalent of the Nazi SS or Gestapo, I 
> don't see how they could be depicted as other than totally black. 
<snip>

Well, the Nazi's were human too. Hitler was nice to his dog. (Though 
I think he might have poisoned it eventually.) Right from book 1 we 
had some grey charecters, like Quirrel (evil through weakness) and 
Snape (nasty *and* good) This continues on, both with more characters 
that are neither here nor there, and with our side growing 
progressively murkier. 

If Voldemort is total darkness, than I suppose Harry or DD must be 
all light - but they're not. Harry is a teenage kid, with anger and 
hormones and ocassional nastiness. He's not saint. Niether is DD, who 
does make mistakes. (oh, and "Merely taking your life would not 
satisfy me, I admit"(OotP, Bloomsbury, 719) what's *that* about?), 
and things continue to get greyer - the Marauders not so pleasant 
teenage incarnations are revealed, Snape is working for the Good Guys 
in official capacity, people like Mundungus Fletcher join the ranks. 
The series has been getting greyer, and will continue - and there's 
still two books to go. 

So if our side is allowed that much complexity, the DE's should be 
too. They're bad and racist and violent and shold be locked up - but 
they are *human*. And humans are pretty mindboggling in their ability 
to love their kids or spouses for example, and be homicidal nutcases 
all in the same evening. It's just more interesting that way, IMO. 
(Fun fact: the Goebbels killed their six children when they commited 
suicide with Hitler in 1945. Not that it does much for my argument, 
it's jut a fun fact.:-\) 

> As for Lucius, far from needing an opportunity for redemption, he 
> functions in the story as the paradigmatic DE. <snip> he is 
> THE proponent of the pure-blood ideology.

Pure blood ideology though is all about "family" in some odd twisted 
way. Preserving society, preserving the bloodlines, etc. It does not 
in any way clash to me that Lucius is a right bastard, who 
absoloutely believes his stuff, and has no need for redemption of any 
kind, and really, genuinely, loves his son. And I think it would be 
fun if these two things were to clash for Lucius. 


<snip>
> Draco's roll is exactly the same, on the level of Hogwarts - he is 
> the paradigmatic Slytherin, embodying all of its worst qualities 
<snip> can't be redeemed without the story 
> losing ... structural integrity? balance? something important, 
> anyway. You can reasonably redeem a character who teeters, who is 
> betwixt and between the poles of Good and Evil - not the poles 
> themselves.

The poles, if such exist, are defnitely Voldemort and DD/Harry. If 
all of LV's followers were as evil as he was, he wouldn't be that 
dramatic. I don't know about Lucius, but Draco is very much betwixt 
poles. *He hasn't ever done anything evil!* how could he possibly be 
the paradigm of evil, even in a Hogwarts context? It's a bit harsh 
calling that a boy who has so far done little more than to display a 
dirty mouth and suck up to nasty authority figures. 

Voldemort can't be redeemed. That would mess things up. (Though I can 
wish...) Anyone short of Voldemort however is fair game as potential 
redemption material, as far as i'm concerned.  

> (Which is another reason why DD will never be revealed as puppet 
> master or otherwise "gray".)

Well, I don't think he will either. (Though I can wish...:-) It's 
just that he's not *perfect*. OoTP DD is, IMO, far more interesting 
than PS DD, and he was redeemed by the socks and Underground map 
scar, not by his shining goodness.    

Northsouth