Harsh Morality

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 121096


> Alla wrote:
> "It seems to be VERY consistent with Platonic view of Good and 
Evil (I  only studied Plato VERY briefly during general philosophy 
course in college), but I don't have to like it much. :o)"
> 
> Del replies:
> I never said I liked it either :-) In fact, I strongly dislike 
it :-( 
But if it is indeed JKR's view, then what can I do?
> 

Valky:
Ohh Del, sometimes I find it hard to believe that you are a *fan* of 
the HP series. :P


Alla wrote:
"in RL I would be very wary to give up on the eleven year old 
child , no matter how evil his parents are, therefore I consider 
Draco's portrayal to be one of JKR's biggest letdowns in the books."

Del wrote:
Is it a letdown, or is it consistent with the Platonic view of Good
and Evil? In this view, Draco is evil because he believes his father
and refuses to follow DD, so I guess it is morally right to give up 
on him. Just like I suppose it could be said that it is morally 
right to give up on a whole bunch of kids who have the wrong 
priorities(ambition instead of courage or loyalty).

Valky:
Well, in my own personal opinion Draco is not really portrayed as 
evil at all, but rather as a kind of budding evil-could-be, 
gluttonous of power and with a taste for malice, and it's a 
satirical portrayal of the illusion of greatness that power and 
malice are. A poke fun at the ineptness of bad, in the light of 
good. Spoofing of the dark side is a major theme throughout the 
books, and to me Draco is part of it.
Unredeemable!Draco is not the product of platonic morality dictating 
the course of the characters, IMHO. He doesn't just believe his 
father, he embraces the principle and the reward for the deeds, just 
like his father. Realising the emptiness of his selfish existence 
and following the example of an altruistic like Dumbledore are two 
different things, and the first *must* come before the latter, or 
else it is the platonic divide that we all seem to agree is pretty 
lame. Frankly, I don't see JKR separating them, do you?