Draco = Evil?(was: Elkins' Draco Malfoy Is Ever So Lame. )

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 124697


>>Naama: 
>I don't agree that [ruthlessness and cold heartedness] qualities 
have much to do with cutting off emotion. And I definitely don't 
agree that Draco is almost pure emotion. 

Betsy:
Well, I've always thought of folks who were ruthless and cold-hearted 
as having to push down their emotional reaction to things.  Cutting 
off their hearts, so to speak.  But no biggy. 

As to Draco though: has there ever been a scene with Draco in it 
where you're left wondering, "Gosh, I wonder how Draco really feels 
about that?" If so, could you cite it, please? I mean the boy wears 
his heart on his sleeve!  Harry can *always* identify what emotion 
Draco is feeling, whether it's frustration, exultation, amusement, 
fear, anger.  We, the readers, are never left in the dark, because 
Harry is never left in the dark.  Even at times when it would have 
been wiser, more calculating for Draco to give the appearence of 
feeling one way, Draco lets his true emotions out.  He's *overjoyed* 
at Mrs. Norris being petrified in CoS.  He *loves* the idea of the 
return of the Heir.  Incredibly foolish on Draco's part, but he can't 
seem to control himself.

At the end of OotP when Umbridge is questioning Hermione and Hermione 
starts to hint that perhaps Draco can't be trusted, Draco falls right 
into Hermione's trap.  Because he's just not very good at hiding his 
feelings.   

>>Naama: 
>Ambition: we see his ambition in the two major areas of 
accomplishment available for him - studies and sports. He is jealous 
of Hermione getting better grades than him, and he bribes his way 
into the Quidditch team.<

Betsy:
Good lord, a student interested in his studies and his sport!  Lock 
up the women and children; another Dark Lord is being formed! <eg>  
And yes, dear, sweet Hermione, quite compassionately and with only 
the best intentions, I'm sure, accused Draco of buying his way onto 
the Slytherin Quidditch team.  The fact that he's the second best 
Seeker at Hogwarts makes her accusations ring a little empty, don't 
you think?

>>Naama: 
>Compassion: "Never been witness to an opportunity for Draco to do 
so?!" How about when Harry told him his parents were dead and JKR 
went to the trouble of telling us that he *didn't* sound sorry?<

Betsy:
JKR went to the trouble to tell us *Harry* didn't think he sounded 
sorry. Harry had already made up his mind that he disliked Draco at 
this point.  Plus, the two boys were starting to argue about Hagrid.  
So no, I don't really see this as prime opportunity for an eleven 
year old child to express compassion.
 
>>Naama:
>How about gloating at the possibility that Hermione might be killed, 
instead of being concerened?<

Betsy:
Hermione is an enemy and the threat to her life was a distint 
possibility.  Again, not a great opportunity.

>>Naama:
>How about tormenting Neville - instead of feeling sorry for him?<

Betsy:
This is a better example (though I don't think pity from a peer is 
all that compassionate myself) because Neville isn't a direct enemy 
of Draco's.  He's a Gryffindor though, so it's not quite perfect.  
Plus, fellow Gryffindors torment Neville quite often as well.

>>Naama:
>How about *not* feeling compassion for Hagrid when he was so upset 
and miserable?<

Betsy:
The same Hagrid that very nearly got Draco killed (from Draco's POV 
at least)?  Again, not a good example.

>>Naama:
>How about sniggering at Lupin's shabby robes rather than feeling 
sorry for him for being so poor?<

Betsy:
The same Lupin who took the job most desired by Draco's favorite 
professor?  The tension between Lupin and Snape was apparent from the 
get go.  Draco siding with Lupin would be just as realistic as Harry 
siding with Snape.  Not that I think Draco wouldn't snicker at 
someone just for being poor.  His family is rather money obsessed 
(part of the reason many feel they don't actually have that much 
themselves, or that Lucius is newly wealthy), so I think he'd snicker 
at patched robes anyway.

So here's a question for you, Naama.  Could you give me an example of 
Harry, Ron or Hermione showing compassion towards Draco, or any one 
of the Slytherins?  I don't think there is such a scene, but I could 
well be wrong.

>>Naama: 
>Parroting: As has been said by others, we have the example of 
Sirius - born to a pure-blood ideologues, yet rejecting that ideology 
at a young age. Therefore, *according to JKR*, there is free choice, 
and Draco is accountable for not making the right one.<

Betsy:
Sirius left his family when he was sixteen.  Therefore, *according to 
JKR*, Draco still has one year left to make up his own mind.  Though 
Sirius was also lucky enough to have friends like James and 
especially Remus (I doubt Peter did much ideological swayings).  I'm 
sure the discovery that Remus was a werewolf (something Sirius would 
have been raised to despise) was a good shock to his ideological 
foundation.

>>Naama: 
>Hermione: Is there any canon to support your claim that Draco hates 
Hermione for any other reason? Because I can't think of any.<

Betsy:
Check out this post of mine. I blather on about Draco and Hermione 
for a little bit there.  Plus, there's canon. :)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/124637

>>Naama:
>It also matters a great deal the kind of stone a person chooses to 
throw - it matters not so much for the victim, maybe (in some 
circumstances), but it shows a great deal about the attacker.<

Betsy:
I agree with you here.  It's interesting that Draco *only* goes on 
about Hermione being a Muggle born.  I've read some folks who think 
he might have a crush on her, so her blood is the only objectionable 
thing about her as far as Draco is concerned.  I don't know if I 
agree with that or not.  It *sounds* kind of neat, but you have to 
stretch the canon and sort of squint at it a little.  But we know 
that Hermione is bushy haired and a little bossy, why doesn't Draco 
go after her on that, like Pansy does?  Maybe because his mudblood 
comments get such a rise out of Ron, so he gets two birds with one 
stone?

>>Naama:
>When has JKR shown us that Draco is anything but evil?! He starts 
out as a snobbish, spoilt, spiteful brat and ends up an eager 
collaborator of an evil regime - lapping up the opportunity to step 
on and terrorize his fellow students.<

Betsy:
I think you and I have a different definition of evil.  Draco is a 
snob, (I don't think he's spoiled, though he is protected), and he 
can be quite spiteful.  (He sounds like a fashion designer, actually. 
<g>)  But not evil.  I use evil for people who kill for pleasure, 
have an almost clinical disregard for others, maybe want to take over 
the world or achieve immortality.  Sound a bit familiar?  After 
giving us Voldemort in all his glory, it really is stretching canon 
(and squinting at it a little) to say that JKR is writing Draco as 
*evil*.

Ditto with Umbridge's reign.  She's horrid and tryannical, but 
compare her with the Death Eaters and again, not so much the evil.

>>Naama:
<snip> 
>Therefore... there isn't a chance in hell that JKR has any plan for 
him to be redeemed.<

Betsy:
You could be right.  Wait...  What does Draco need to be redeemed for 
again? 

>>Naama in message # 124674:
>Is it really insignificant that almost every time we see [Draco], he 
is trying or succeeding in hurting somebody?<

Betsy:
The extreme level of pay-back Draco *always* suffers makes what Draco 
had been doing insignificant, IMO.  (Plus, when has Draco *succeeded* 
in hurting anybody?)  If JKR really meant for us to see Draco 
as "Evil Personified: the junior edition" she would a) have at least 
one, *one* of Draco's plots come to fruition, and b) have Draco get 
away with a few of his crimes.  Evil must be scary.  Draco is many 
things, but scary he is not.

Betsy, sitting president of Draco Defenders Unite!