[HPforGrownups] Dudely (was Re: Why did Barty Crouch Jr join Voldemort?)

[Shelley]

No: HPFGUIDX 189760


> June:
> Personally I don't think Dudley was bad at all. He only behaved
> the way he did because his parents made him (part of what
> Dumbledore had in mind when he said his parents had abused him).
> I think Dudley actually wished he could be like Harry just as
> Petunia wished she could have been like her sister. The hatred
> was a cover.

Dudley illustrates the problem with calling someone "bad". There's a 
fine line between "bratty or bully" and truly "bad or evil". The books 
are very clear that Dudley had a gang, and for fun they beat up people. 
That's on the path to bad. Progress to a grown up doing the same thing, 
and he's evil. It's definitely a path, one that left unchecked would 
have lead to adult crimes and jail time. His parents "abused him" by 
giving him everything he wanted, and never bothered to discipline him.  
I don't think his parents "made him" a brat or a bully, but rather saw 
very clearly that their son was a brat, and encouraged it by enabling it 
to happen. We see Dudley trashing all his toys, and never a correction 
from his parents. Every time they issue an excuse such as "boys will be 
boys" or some-such nonsense, they enable that bad behavior, and take 
Dudley to take another step to being truly bad.

I think we see very clearly that Dudley can learn, he is teachable, even 
if his parents won't do it. He learns through
Harry and that experience with the Dementors. He learns what it is to be 
on the receiving end of pain and humiliation, and I think gets a very 
clear picture that Harry's struggle will be about life and death, and 
than when it comes down to it, bullying isn't fun anymore once he gets 
that reality. When the family separates, we see Dudley mature years in a 
single setting- he realizes that he and his parents will go to safety, 
and that Harry will go to fight for his life. I just wish the epilogue 
had Harry mention something about visiting Dudley before his (Dudley's) 
oldest has to head off for school the following week, or something that 
said that relationship had been mended for good.

Shelley