Draco

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 177445

> >>Prep0strus:
> There's been a lot of discussion about Draco, and I'd like to      
> know what would make anyone identify with him or like him.
> <snip>
> Look, I know the Nazi/Hitler analogy is played out, but I think many
> people feel that this is what JKR was going for, and so it's not   
> my personal analogy, but hers, when I say: how do the people who   
> identify with Draco see themselves? 
> I mean, does anybody say, "Yeah, I was rich and spoiled.  I was    
> mean to poor people.  I was racist and prejudiced and wanted people 
> to be killed.  My dad worked for Hitler, and I couldn't wait to    
> work for him too."
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
For me it was a couple of things.  The first, rather meta reason is 
that my experience with the School-days genre is Mallory Towers.  In 
that series, the heroine and her best friend absolutely *hate* each 
other all during their first year.  But at the end of that first 
book, everything comes to a head and they both realize that their 
first impressions of each other were mistaken.  For the rest of the 
series they're inseperable.

As I'd been recommended to the Potter series by my sister telling 
me, "It's like Mallory Towers but with magic!" I expected Harry to 
have a similar conflict with a boy who'd turn out to be his best 
friend.  That Draco is the *only* character in canon to show an 
interest in Harry *before* knowing Harry's surname, added to my 
conviction.

The second reason is that I *liked* Draco during his first scene.  He 
was awkward but trying.  And that he said the absolute worst thing 
(making fun of Hagrid) in an attempt to win Harry over is *so* 
something I could relate too.  And yes, I can absolutely relate to a 
child that adores his father to such an extent he parrots everything 
his dad says.  

Also, I can relate to being in a group that racists like.  Not that 
my family was racist.  But in learning about the Holocaust in grade 
school my first realization was that 3/4ths of my class would have 
been shipped off to camps.  My second realization was that I'd have 
been recruited for the Hitler Youth.  And I've spent a lot of time 
wondering what I'd have done if I'd been in that situation.  Would I 
have had the clarity of thought to resist?  What if my family were 
supportive of the Nazi regime?  

To see Draco engaged in a similar struggle in HBP, one in which he 
had absolutely no adult support (and yeah, I hated Snape for that), 
was a fascinating story-line for me.  It's too bad JKR wasn't all 
that interested herself and let it just fizzle out.

> >>Cel:
> <snip>
> I don't think there is much to admire in him, for starters, and
> admiration is key to sort of relating to a character, because there
> must be some good in them that you aspire to. 
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Hmm... I don't really need to admire characters to like them.  In 
fact, I tend to like characters that have something they're really 
struggling with.  For example, one of my most favorite children's 
books is "The Secret Garden".  The heroine, Mary, is a little girl 
who strikes me as very Dudley like.  Another character, Colin, is 
much like Draco.  They're both allowed to blossom and grow, but I 
liked them *before* the book ended when they were still in their 
nasty, screaming, pinched-face mode.

I like what Montavilla47 says:
> <snip>
> A character who changes is usually more interesting than
> a character who doesn't.
>
> So, I don't identify with Draco's wealth, looks, clothes, or
> political views. I don't admire any of them (except maybe
> the clothes). But I empathize with his struggle to find his
> own way that incorporates his parents' worldview with
> his own thoughts and feelings.
> 
> And I enjoy his humor.

Betsy Hp:
Exactly. <bg>

Betsy Hp (coming late to the party -- sorry)