Draco, Snape and Others: Castles in the air?

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 124717


We have been having a very long discussion about Draco and the
possibility of his redemption.  We have had many similar discussions
in the past.  Let me put forth a theory about Draco and Snape (and
Lupin and Neville and Petunia and other characters we like to argue
about).  And the theory is this:  by and large they are pretty much
what they appear to be.  The complexities we like to read into their
characters are largely castles we build in the air.

It is true that JKR likes to pull plot twists.  However, by and large,
I would be willing to bet that in the end we will find most of her
characterizations to have been very straightforward.  Snape is
presented from the beginning as a bitter, hateful, petty man who hates
Harry.  I suspect that in the end we will discover he was a bitter,
hateful, petty man who hated Harry.  Draco is presented from the
beginning as a shallow, spoiled, vicious little junior Death Eater.  I
suspect in the end he will turn out to have been a shallow, spoiled,
vicious little junior Death Eater.

JKR has certainly presented some interesting reversals (Quirrel, fake
Moody).  However, mostly they have been purely within the confines of
a particular book.  We have yet to really see fundamental reversals of
characterization (although I suppose a case could be made for James).
 And something tells me we probably won't.  As nrenka likes to point
out, JKR is very essentialist.  You are what you are and you pretty
much are what you appear to be, certainly over the long run.

As I've said before, I think in the end a lot of our speculations are
going to be confounded and disappointed by a rather clear ending and
rather unshocking revelations (can we say prophecy, anyone?).  Snape
will turn out to be not nearly so complicated as we like to believe. 
Neville's role will stay confined to supporting cast.  Draco will take
the road he has been treading for five books.  Dumbledore will not
turn out to be an evil manipulator.  Lupin will remain the honorable
werewolf he appears to be.

Will the secrets of Snape be revealed?  Sure.  And many of us are
likely to say, as nrenka predicts, "That's it?"  Will Draco's future
be revealed?  Sure.  And I predict most of us won't be very surprised
at all.

Because you see it all comes down to Harry's story.  That is what JKR
is really interested in.  Complicated explorations of the pasts and
motivations of supporting characters will most likely have to go by
the wayside unless they have a very direct impact on Harry and his
journey to confront Voldemort.  And I doubt JKR is really interested
in exploring all sorts of byzantine character reversals, purely
because they would take the focus away from Harry, where she most
firmly believes our attention belongs.  Snape and Draco and Remus and
Neville and all the others will be important to one degree or another.
 But I seriously doubt they're going to be THAT important that large
sections of the narrative are going to be diverted to get deeply into
the structures of their characters and to describe any kind of
fundamental evolution of their personality.  Only Harry (not even Ron
and Hermione) merits that kind of attention in this tale.


Lupinlore