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

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 124668


>>Nora:
<snip>
>We shall agree to disagree about the particular role that 
instigation plays, but I think it's a major one.<
<snip>

Betsy:
I think we will.  I'm still confused though by folks (not you I 
think) who get enraged at Snape for *daring* to take points from 
Harry when he admits to trying to curse Draco, but think it's 
perfectly justified for one boy to get either beaten up by a teacher, 
beaten up in two to one odds, or five to three odds, because after 
all, he was asking for it.  It smacks of mob rule to me, might makes 
right.  Which I've always detested.  Which is probably why I fail to 
see the humor and have such sympathy for Draco.

>>Nora: 
>It's the psychological similarities.  Both of them seem to get off 
on the exercise of power.  In fact, if the house points don't matter 
any more, why does Draco keep doing it?<

Betsy:
Because it's funny to him?  His power as a member of IS is 
ridiculous, and I think Draco sees that it's ridiculous, hence the 
obviously non-reason reasons he gave for taking points.  He doesn't 
act like Percy would have and actually *try* to be an authority 
figure. Draco is enjoying a situation where finally he has one up on 
Harry, but he's not using the opportunity to consolidate power.  He's 
playing with it.

I just don't see the similarities, psychological or otherwise between 
Draco and Dudley.  Draco does bully, but he bullies his peers.  He 
picks on Harry (or tries to anyway, he usually fails spectacularly).  
Dudley picks on small children who cannot fight back.  Who actually, 
can't fight back because his gang is right there with him holding 
them down.  Whenever mob rule comes into play in Draco vs. Harry 
scenes, Draco is the one being held down by the gang.  Which negates 
the power or fear gained by being a bully figure. IMO, anyway.

>>Nora:
<snip>
>(I have to admit I don't quite understand the continual apologetics 
for the IS as a product of legitimate school authority, given how 
patently immoral Umbridge's behavior is, and the massive ethical 
questions of the attempted domination of the student body by a small 
band of what is set up to be like a mini-Stasi.)<

Betsy:
Maybe because they were such a dismal failure?  Were any of the 
student body actually *afraid* of the IS?  I got the sense that the 
IS was more keystone cops than secret police.  I don't recall that 
the IS had the right to be violent with fellow students.  And as I've 
said before, their control over house points quickly became a non-
issue.

>>Nora: 
>There's a difference, though, in really enjoying seeing someone 
suffer and enjoying the suffering itself (which is what's being 
hinted at by the language of hunger and eagerness), and enjoying 
reversals because someone has brought that reversal upon himself by 
unethical behavior.<

Betsy:
We never get a chance to see if Draco would have enjoyed the actual 
act of Harry suffering.  We do know that Harry has found Draco's 
suffering amusing.  Though I don't want to go to far and say that 
Harry really *enjoys* seeing others suffer, even if he thinks they 
deserve it. (His mercy towards Pettigrew suggests otherwise.)  And I 
agree that the word choices JKR uses hint to something darker in 
Draco, and perhaps future books will bear that out.  But it's not 
enough, yet, for me to give up on Draco.  JKR has hinted in so many 
different directions for this character, I just want to see how his 
story finally ends.

>>Nora:
>I wonder if Crouch!Moody showed the Slytherin kids the Unforgivables?
<

Betsy:
Oh I'm sure he did.  (Miss out on the chance to put Lucius's son 
under Imperius? Never!)  And I'm sure the Slytherins reacted much as 
the Gryffindors did.  "Wasn't that cool?  Did you see how the spider 
twitched?"

>>Betsy:
>The interesting moment will be when Draco finally *does* 
understand.< 

>>Nora: 
>Sure will.  But unlike you, I'm not so sure that end-of-OotP Draco 
is the sweet and naive boy who doesn't understand the bigger 
implications of any of this.<

Betsy:
Why, when I point out the shades of grey in characters others paint 
as full on black, and I make sure to state that I *don't* think 
they're saints, does everyone insist on implying that I think 
they're... saints?  Just a question.

I don't think Draco is sweet.  I do think he's naive.  Draco, unlike 
Harry, did not have a dog in this race.  His family's bias (as far as 
he's seen) was more about who got invited to their dinner parties 
than who was most likely to kill you tomorrow.  That changed at the 
very end of OotP and the immediate response from Draco is that those 
responsible for hurting his family will pay.  The obvious culprit is 
Harry (who he conveniently hates anyway) and that's who he 
threatens.  But I don't see anything in his behavior that suggests 
that he sees what being a Death Eater is all about, and golly but 
it's for him.  Actually, his family loyalty (as Valky has pointed 
out) is a *good* thing.

Draco could go either way.  And he could go either way for noble, 
trite, horrifying or tragic reasons.  I'm still not sure which way 
he'll go.  (Valky pulled me from the edge!)  But I hope that when he 
makes a choice, it's with eyes wide open.  At the moment, they're 
mostly closed.

Betsy