Does JKR want us to hate Draco? (was: Re: Admonishing Snape)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 129668

>>SSSusan:
>I concede that the responses you have gotten, Betsy, are those which 
point to the website or interviews, where JKR is talking about Draco 
and Draco vs. Tom.  But I do *not* agree that that is the only place 
we readers are being told that Draco is a nasty bit of work. 
<snip>
>Maybe I'm wrong, but I think those who say Draco has fans because 
some readers do a lot of projecting and/or a lot of filling in the 
blanks with things they want to be true about him is true.
<snip>
>I mean, let's turn the tables a bit.  If we want to stick just to 
canon and avoid interviews & website fodder, can people point to 
places in canon where JKR is telling us she *does* like Draco, or 
that he's *not* seriously nasty?<
<snip>

>>Potioncat:
<snip>
>I think JKR has shown that Draco is a horrible person. I've never
seen anything in canon that would even hint at any goodness in him.<
<snip>

>>Katherine Coble:
<snip>
>If I may. I hated Draco from the getgo. I hated him from the moment
we first met him in Madame Malkin's.
<snip>
>I'm turning the question around. What is with the people who INSIST
and PERSIST that Draco is this gentle sheep in wolf's clothing? Where
do they get that idea? What has Draco Malfoy (whose very _name_ means
BAD for kermit's sake) ever done in any of the canon anywhere that has
people believing that he's good, I just know he is I can change him
mama my love can make him a better person?!??!?!?!?!?<

Betsy:
I *do* see evidence that JKR hasn't totally written Draco off in the 
canon.  Not that I think he's this wonderful child right at this 
moment who's just been misunderstood.  But there are glimpses of 
something more in Draco, and JKR gives us those glimpses quite 
deliberately, IMO.

First are the three times in PS/SS that Draco tries to befriend 
Harry.  He goes about it completely wrong (and manages to win himself 
a detention the third time 'round) but it strikes a sympathetic chord 
in me to see someone try and make a friend and through awkward social 
skills muck it up so badly.  Why would JKR include those scenes?  Why 
would she have Draco working so hard to *impress* Harry in Mdm 
Malkins instead of merely sneering at the boy in the raggedy muggle 
clothes?  Why have Draco try and get Harry to shake his hand on the 
train?  Why have him *not* go running to the first professor he can 
find (or his head of house for that matter) when he realizes Hagrid 
has a dragon and Harry is in on it?  These are three occasions for 
Draco to come off as a complete and total drip, and instead JKR slips 
in strong suggestions that Draco actually *wants* to be Harry's 
friend.

Then there's the big Seeker vs. Seeker show down that we see book 
after book.  Why does Draco *never* win?  Why doesn't JKR give him at 
least one opportunity to play the horrible, ungracious winner and 
have Harry fulfill the role of noble underdog?  And notice that when 
it comes down to the "big game" in PoA, she doesn't have Draco act 
unbearably cocky.  Even Harry notices that he's remarkably pale (read 
nervous) before the match.  Harry wins (of course) and Draco is 
noticeably subdued (noticable enough for Harry to remark on it).  
Draco fears losing to Harry, does lose to Harry, and he's hurt by the 
loss.  Do I sympathize?  Heck yeah.  What has JKR done to discourage 
me?

I can't fail to mention the infamous "ferret bounce" in GoF where 
Draco is publically abused by a teacher in a manner we won't see 
again (though Umbridge threatens Fred and George with a similar fate 
in OotP).  And how does he react to his treatment?  Draco's curled up 
on the floor in pain and humiliation and he's *still* spitting 
defiance at the person who's so obviously way beyond his match.  Does 
JKR seriously expect me to *not* admire that sort of backbone?  And 
isn't it interesting that it's by having Fake!Moody abuse Draco that 
JKR drops the first hint that this particular DADA professor ain't 
right.

Just before Draco was attacked in GoF he displayed another trait that 
tugs at my sympathy strings.  Draco loves him his mama.  Oh sure, 
it's a good example of him not being able to take what he dishes out, 
but he gets furious when Harry attacks his mother.  Couple that with 
the obvious love and admiration he has towards his father (well 
displayed at the end of OotP) and we have a boy who loves his 
family.  Okay, so his dad's a Death Eater.  Draco's a kid.  He's only 
just reaching an age when children start reevaluating their parents.  
That he has a strong sense of love and loyalty to his parents just 
doesn't strike me as negative.  And considering how much flack Percy 
has taken for turning *against* his parents (and I'm talking within 
the Potterverse here) doesn't it appear that JKR sees loyalty to ones 
family as a good trait?  So again, she's sending us mixed signals 
here.  I don't think I'm crazy to think she's got *something* up her 
sleeve when it comes to Draco's future. 

>>Betsy:
>But does JKR succeed in getting across that Draco is evil?  
 
>>SSSusan:
>She does for me.  Buckbeak, his taunting of H/R/H, his constant put- 
downs and threats about Mudbloods and Lupin and Hagrid, his attacks 
on Harry, his insults of the Weasleys, ....  I don't see how this 
ISN'T succeeding at showing us that he is, if not evil, damn near 
close, and certainly not likeable.<

>>imamommy:
>What clinches it for me is Draco's attitude in CoS. He openly
says "You'll be next, Mudbloods" and to his cronies he expresses the
desire that Hermione will be killed. That's pretty extreme for a 12
year old.<

>>Gerry:
>I think one reason why people don't see the evil of Draco is that it
is not related to huge, clear-cut incidents. We see it in some 
actions, parts of conversations. You have to pay attention, but for me
JKR did an excellent job in convincing me Draco is not nice.<

Betsy:
But all of the examples cited just *aren't* evil -- not by 
Potterverse standards, anyway. Draco at 12 expresses a wish that 
Hermione dies?  Harry has vivid daydreams about killing Snape.  Those 
are empty fantasies, IMO, and fairly typical of young boys.  Draco 
picks on the trio and insults those he dislikes?  Again, not nice 
behavior, but certainly not *evil*.  Heck, Sirius and James were more 
bulling than Draco back in the day, and *they* were the good guys.

Draco is not a paragon of virtue.  He is a nasty little boy with a 
lot of anger issues and a messed up value system, but so far he's not 
done anything, IMO, that can't easily be forgiven (as per rules of 
forgiveness within the Potterverse as set out by JKR) *if* he finally 
joins the side of Light. 

>>Hickengruendler:
>IMO, a part of what makes you and the other fans hope is, that Draco
so far hasn't done anything truly evil. He is so far more talk than
anything else.<

Betsy:
You're exactly right, Hickengruendler.  *At this point* Draco is 
still in a position to choose.  Could he *become* the big evil?  
Sure, but he's not taken that step yet, IMO.

>>Katherine Coble:
>I don't think Draco's role is to serve as the "Schoolboy Bully" at
all. I think Draco's role in the story is to serve as the peer
manifestation of the external threat from the Death Eaters. He's the
only thing within the walls of Hogwarts to keep the DE/V contingent
alive as an ever-present danger, and thus serves that device.<

Betsy:
How?  Would Harry be surprised if Draco became a Death Eater and 
attacked him?  Wouldn't it make more sense, and be more in keeping 
with JKR's narrative pattern, to have an unexpected character be the 
peer Death Eater?

>>Katherine Coble:
<snip>
>If anything, book 5 shows Draco growing even MORE despicable. Besides
which--if he were going to be redeemed, it should have happened before
his dad got caught. Now any redemption looks half-ass in my opinion.<

Betsy:
Darkest before the dawn maybe?  And I don't see how removing such an 
obviously strong influence in Draco's life and thereby possibly 
prepping him to be open to other influences would constitute a half-
assed redemption.  It seems fairly realistic to me.  (Think of all 
those kids who start rethinking their family philosophy when they go 
away to college.)

And just to prove that not everyone rooting for Draco is unduly 
influenced by the medium that must not be named, here are a few 
essays I found.  Sistermagpie's essay has an interesting comparison 
of the end of OotP and The Godfather movies.  Maya's essays are roll 
on the floor funny and perfectly illustrate why I have a hard time 
buying Draco as the poster boy of evil.

Sistermagpie: Family Honor
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sistermagpie/58449.html

Maya: Why Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug (pre-OotP)
http://www.lasairandmaya.com/mayaraves/hugdraco.html

Maya: Those Crazy Boys and Their Daddy Issues (post-OotP)
http://www.lasairandmaya.com/mayaraves/daddyissues.html


Betsy, who will add that she cut and pasted like crazy for this post 
and so people will notice that their comments may well be mixed up 
and not all snips are shown.  I did my best!  I swear!  No sneaky out 
of context distortions were meant, and hopefully none have occured.