No: HPFGUIDX 177292
CAROL SAID:
<SNIP> Anyway, I don't think it's masochism that keeps
> Draco coming back
> for more. I think it's a perverse sense of the
> rightness of his cause,
> at least in the sense of "might makes right," the
> right side being the
> winning side, the side in power. But he also resents
> Harry for
> receiving so much attention, and if he can't
> eliminate that attention,
> he can at least make sure that it's directed against
> Harry ("Support
> Cedric Diggory") or against his friends ("Weasley Is
> Our King").
Sharon:
I totally agree with you there. Draco undoubtedly believes in his own cause, at
least in the first few books, and he also believes that he should be the one
getting all the attention, given his lineage, money, and looks (Now before
anyone gets into a discussion of whether Draco is handsome, I think it is fairly
clear that Draco would have to be, even if it's not in canon, I haven't really
looked, simply becuase he's rich, aristocratic and popular (in his own house). In
any case, even if he's ordinary looking, he still commands attention for the other
reasons. Harry is therefore a thorn in his side, not only for being famous for
something he had no hand in (ie. living), but he's evereything that Draco has
been taught to despise -- from Draco's pov a muggle-lover, a friend of a blood-
traitor, specky, gitty, not bothered with connecting with the right people, etc.
Carol:
> Does anyone think, for example, that Draco in the
> early books craves
> the attention that Harry receives, even possibly
> viewing it as his by
> right as both a Malfoy and a Black? Our glimpse of
> Prefect Lucius in
> "the Prince's Tale" may give us an indication of the
> position that
> Draco wanted (in Slytherin, at least). There's also
> a reference
> somewhere to Draco "holding court" at the Slytherin
> table,
Sharon:
see my para above :-) Totally agree.
> Instead of generalizing about Slytherins in general
> as "the damned,"
> I'd like to see us analyzing their motivation and
> development to the
> extent that that's possible. <SNIP> from point A
> (for example, Draco's hope in CoS that Slytherin's
> monster kills the
> "Mudblood" Granger) to point B (for example, his
> apparent reluctance
> to identify HRH and turn them in to Voldemort).
Sharon:
The Slytherin's have a bit of a dark legacy, in the form of racism, to contend
with. However, the presence of racism, especially the kind that is passed down
by generations of priveleged families, does not preclude the existence of more
virtuous traits. Slytherin house is known for cleverness, making the most of
what you've got, ambition etc. Aristotle held up cleverness as a virtue, because
he saw it as a disposition for being able to find the best means to achieve one's
goals. He also claimed that cleverness goes with wisdom, as we need to be wise
enough to know what goals to chose in the first place. Arguably, Slytherin
students chose the ends they were taught were the best. Young tweens and
teens are hardly in a position to think critically about the values they are given
from their parents. It takes a concerted effort and a lot of maturity to be
introspective in that way. Draco seems to achieve some level of introspection in
the later books, and should be commended for such an achievment. IMO
Carol:
> I had always thought that Draco was merely using his
> thuggish cronies
> as bodyguards and "backup" and that he didn't really
> care about them,
> <SNIP> It's not just a matter of
> letting the Dark Lord
> kill Harry himself. He seems not to want Crabbe to
> torture Harry,
> either. (His reaction to Crabbe's attempt to kill
> Hermione is unclear
> since he loses his wand in the aftermath and says
> nothing about her or
> Ron; his concern seems to be for Harry. But he also
> pulls Crabbe out
> of the way of a Stunning spell, and, of course,
> makes sure that Goyle
> is saved along with himself.) Also, oddly, he
> expresses concern for
> "that diadem thing" that Harry is trying to
> retrieve, afraid that
> Crabbe will destroy it with one of his spells (DH
> Am. ed. 629).
>
> To me, this scene represents Draco's mixed
> loyalties<SNIP> Perhaps what we're supposed to see in this scene is
> Harry's mercy and
> gallantry (in contrast to Ron's reluctance to save
> Draco and Goyle and
> his harsh reaction to Crabbe's death), but we also
> see a Draco who
> (like his father) has lost his authority but (unlike
> his father) is
> reluctant to hurt Harry and shows genuine concern
> for someone other
> than himself. (Yes, Lucius loves his son, but he
> seems to value his
> own skin above all else.)
Sharon:
Amen! I thought Ron's reaction to Crabbe's death and his reluctance to save
Goyle and Draco to be quite reprehensible. In that scene, Draco shows much
more virtue in terms of courage and loyalty. Ron is of course loyal to Harry and
shows courage in the RoR, but his almost total disregard of Draco and Goyle
taints that. Harry, of course, is ever concerned for others, even his supposed
enemies. I think by this stage he realises that Draco has had a change of heart,
surprising as it may be.
Carol, your posts are SO good, sometimes I read them and then don't answer
them because there is always so much to think about, and so little time in which
to think. :-)
Sharon