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 Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:52 pm
Table of Contents
1. Debating Topic
2. Announcements
3. Fan Art
4. Fan Fiction
Okay. This thread is dedicated to... Draco Malfoy! (HBP spoilers)
Debating Topic:
Is Draco Evil or Good or Neutral?
My opinion:
Draco Malfoy is really just a misunderstood and mysterious character in the Harry Potter series. In the first few books, (1-5) I depicted him as evil, dark, and twisted (yet cool cool ). However, my perspective of him totally changed at the arrival of the sixth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I knew he was doing something for the Dark Lord, and he was branded with the Dark Mark. But was he doing it against his own will? Did he really want to be a Death Eater? Well, I read on in the book, keeping this question in mind. When I hit Chapter Twenty-Four (Sectumsempra), I was shocked and excited. Draco was the last person in the wizarding world that I thought would cry. Yet he did so, speaking about his task and how Voldemort would kill him if he failed to do it. At that particular moment, I came to the conclusion that he had no intention to join forces with Voldemort at all. He was obviously forced to do the task. This chapter was my favorite chapter because my favorite character acting... different? Mysterious? Unevil? (can't think of a suitable word...)
There was another time in the book that I doubted that Draco was pure evil. Chapter Twenty-Four (The Lightning-Struck Tower). Draco refused to kill Dumbledore, even though his life was at stake. Again, he is finally showing human characteristics. Killing Dumbledore was extremely difficult for him to do, and he could not. Would a true Death Eater not fulfill the task of Lord Voldemort and destroy the poor old man? Would a true Death Eater stand near a wand-less Dumbledore, crying? I think not. ninja
Draco cried TWICE in this book! whee
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:54 pm
Annoucements
10/19/05: Created Draco thread
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:56 pm
Fan Art
None at the moment! gonk
(is it all right if I do to deviantart.com and find a couple good ones? ninja )
I'm working on one right now... just need to touch-up on it in Photoshop...
If anyone has any fan art you want to share, just post the link here or PM me. 3nodding
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:57 pm
Fan Fiction
My Draco fanfic: Sectumsempra: Draco's Story
If anyone has any fan fiction you want to share, post the link here or PM me. 3nodding
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 2:18 pm
Malfoy is just badly influenced by his father! Bad lucius!
*engages in naughty fan girl fantasy*
*cough*
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 5:27 pm
I think that before his father was imprisoned Draco would have signed up to be a Death Eater without batting an eyelash because all the people around him always glorified it. I don't think he understood what it really meant to be a Death Eater untill what happened to his father. After that I think he joined because he felt the need to either make his father proud or to clean up the family name. If he would have refused when asked to join in his mind his parents would be ashamed of him. Once he joined it was too late to back out, he had to go through with whatever task he was given. I don't think Draco would could have ever imagined what being a Death Eater was really like through his experiences with them. Unfortuantly he wised up a bit too late and had to finish his asignment to stay alive, otherwise I think he would have dropped out of the Death Eaters long before he let the others into the school.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 5:50 pm
Basil_Hallward I think that before his father was imprisoned Draco would have signed up to be a Death Eater without batting an eyelash because all the people around him always glorified it. I don't think he understood what it really meant to be a Death Eater untill what happened to his father. After that I think he joined because he felt the need to either make his father proud or to clean up the family name. If he would have refused when asked to join in his mind his parents would be ashamed of him. Once he joined it was too late to back out, he had to go through with whatever task he was given. I don't think Draco would could have ever imagined what being a Death Eater was really like through his experiences with them. Unfortuantly he wised up a bit too late and had to finish his asignment to stay alive, otherwise I think he would have dropped out of the Death Eaters long before he let the others into the school. Yes, what you are saying does make sense. 3nodding
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 10:16 pm
Quote: This chapter was my favorite chapter because my favorite character acting... different? Mysterious? Unevil? (can't think of a suitable word...)
Human?
I can't say I really like Malfoy, but I do agree that he can't be defined in black and white. He is a complex character and there are any number of ways he could have been forced/coerced/persuaded to join the Death Eaters. All his actions before then, towards Harry and the other students, were cruel and unpleasant, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's evil. When he breaks down in the bathroom, and again in front of Dumbledore, it shows that he can feel human emotions, and shows a vulnerability that causes Harry to pity him. Also, he clearly values family ties, a human trait, because in Madam Malkin's and again in the Entrance Hall in GoF, he reacts with anger at his mother being insulted. This family loyalty is a very important part of his dilemna, as his father, cousin, aunt and uncle were all Death Eaters. I hope that his predicament is featured more in the 7th book, as he and Snape balance out the absolute evil and absolute good/ Voldemort and Harry stereotype.
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:14 am
Daaaamn, you got it before me. xd Good job, I like the thread set up :B *is the author of the Draco Malfoy thread in teh subforum*
Draco is none of the above. There is no one word that can describe such a complex character. He certainly isn't good or evil, and neutral doesn't work either. Draco leans toward the "Dark Side", but he is not evil. Being raised in a family of Dark wizards, what do you expect? He's going to be biased simply because of his upbringing.
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 8:29 pm
[Ernie] Daaaamn, you got it before me. xd Good job, I like the thread set up :B *is the author of the Draco Malfoy thread in teh subforum* Draco is none of the above. There is no one word that can describe such a complex character. He certainly isn't good or evil, and neutral doesn't work either. Draco leans toward the "Dark Side", but he is not evil. Being raised in a family of Dark wizards, what do you expect? He's going to be biased simply because of his upbringing. (muahaha! domokun ) But Sirius BLack was raised in a hosehold with Dark wizards as well. Couln't Draco also turn out "good" instead of "evil?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 8:58 pm
pyrolila [Ernie] Daaaamn, you got it before me. xd Good job, I like the thread set up :B *is the author of the Draco Malfoy thread in teh subforum* Draco is none of the above. There is no one word that can describe such a complex character. He certainly isn't good or evil, and neutral doesn't work either. Draco leans toward the "Dark Side", but he is not evil. Being raised in a family of Dark wizards, what do you expect? He's going to be biased simply because of his upbringing. (muahaha! domokun ) But Sirius BLack was raised in a hosehold with Dark wizards as well. Couln't Draco also turn out "good" instead of "evil?"
But I think now that he has seen what the Dark Side is really like he will try to come back. Just because someone has darkness in their personality doesn't mean they are evil.
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:41 pm
Acidic Cynic pyrolila [Ernie] Daaaamn, you got it before me. xd Good job, I like the thread set up :B *is the author of the Draco Malfoy thread in teh subforum* Draco is none of the above. There is no one word that can describe such a complex character. He certainly isn't good or evil, and neutral doesn't work either. Draco leans toward the "Dark Side", but he is not evil. Being raised in a family of Dark wizards, what do you expect? He's going to be biased simply because of his upbringing. (muahaha! domokun ) But Sirius BLack was raised in a hosehold with Dark wizards as well. Couln't Draco also turn out "good" instead of "evil?" Sirius was very much influenced by his friends and the Gryffindor prejudices. Malfoy was in Slytherin as well as being a Malfoy, and his friends spent all their time fawning over him and making much of his pure blood and money. Which, in his mind, probably go hand in hand with the Dark Side. You don't see the Weasleys having alot of money, with their denial of the Dark Arts, do you? And although they are pureblood, they are blood traitors. So Draco probably thinks he owes his money and popularity to the Dark Arts. Sirius didn't want his money, and his popularity came from being a Marauder, and in Gryffindor. He didn't feel he owed the Dark Arts anything. He turned out good because of outside influences combined with strength of mind, courage, etc, bla bla bla. Draco had no real outside influences, and we know he never really had much courage. But I think now that he has seen what the Dark Side is really like he will try to come back. Just because someone has darkness in their personality doesn't mean they are evil. I think you guys have a point there. Like Basil_Hallward said before, Draco might have thought that it was cool to be a Death Eater at the beginning, but when he saw what it was truely like to be a Death Eater, he didn't want that life anymore. He relies on his family too much.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 6:18 am
Acidic Cynic Sirius was very much influenced by his friends and the Gryffindor prejudices. Malfoy was in Slytherin as well as being a Malfoy, and his friends spent all their time fawning over him and making much of his pure blood and money. Which, in his mind, probably go hand in hand with the Dark Side. You don't see the Weasleys having alot of money, with their denial of the Dark Arts, do you? And although they are pureblood, they are blood traitors. So Draco probably thinks he owes his money and popularity to the Dark Arts. Sirius didn't want his money, and his popularity came from being a Marauder, and in Gryffindor. He didn't feel he owed the Dark Arts anything. He turned out good because of outside influences combined with strength of mind, courage, etc, bla bla bla. Draco had no real outside influences, and we know he never really had much courage. But I think now that he has seen what the Dark Side is really like he will try to come back. Just because someone has darkness in their personality doesn't mean they are evil. That's exactly what I meant and was going to say 3nodding Yes, I think Draco with pull a Regulus. I don't think he'll do a complete 180, but I don't think he'd want to be personally involved with Voldemort. He's more of the type to sit on the sidelines and cheer them on.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 3:19 pm
Here's my first post here! Some of you might know me from my other aliases on IMDB or hp_essays on LiveJournal. I agree with much of what has been said so far, but have a bit to add to the discussion. Draco's in a tough situation, to state the obvious. His "assignment" was (I think) obviously a set-up. Voldemort never expected the kid to pull it off, and as Dumbledore points out, his heart was never truly in it. Of course, it all goes back to Daddy dearest. Draco agreed to make the attempt not simply to please or impress his father, but very likely ultimately to save his father's life. Lucius Malfoy is not in his Dark Lord's good graces post- Order. Not only did he fail brutally in obtaining the Prophecy, but he is also solely responsible for the loss of a Horcrux that had been entrusted to him...granted, he most likely had no idea what the Diary did or was beyond the idea that it would cause the Chamber to re-open; had he known it was helping tie Voldemort's soul to the world, I'm sure he'd've been a bit more careful with it. Thus, we see Draco--like Narcissa and Snape--as a villain capable of, and in many senses ruled by, love. His actions, even the most ignoble, are a result of efforts to protect and honor those people he cares for deeply. Snape's Unbreakable Vow, as per this incredibly insightful essay, in many ways demonstrates that his first loyalty is not to Voldemort, but to the Malfoy family. In the same sense, Draco is priorizing his family; he desires to please Voldemort, yes, and to be honored by him above all others, but it's very deeply tied into his father. And it was Dumbledore's mention of Narcissa that seemed to flip a switch in Draco's M.O. Much of his boasting throughout the novel: the who cares about NEWTs? Voldemort won't, et alia, seems to be just that, the same sort of empty braggadocio and arrogance that he directs at the Gryffindors, with ultimately very little to back it up. I think he believed much of it very honestly throughout the novel, but lost confidence rapidly as the novel progressed. The words--and the promise--simply became emptier and emptier as he was confronted with the enormity of his task, as he became more and more desperate as his available time slipped away. And once the task is complete, where is the resolution that Draco displayed the night of the Christmas party? He loses all agency, becomes a passive and silent object, a burden--and mission--for Snape, whose only concern at that moment appears to be his star pupil's safety. He is barely mentioned, and vanishes well before Apparating from the grounds. I think we should be quite concerned for him.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 8:34 pm
i_heart_ron And once the task is complete, where is the resolution that Draco displayed the night of the Christmas party? He loses all agency, becomes a passive and silent object, a burden--and mission--for Snape, whose only concern at that moment appears to be his star pupil's safety. He is barely mentioned, and vanishes well before Apparating from the grounds. I think we should be quite concerned for him.
You notice how Harry thinks the same way by the end? He begins to pity him.
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