5 things I hate about........ - Page 3

Originally posted by: chhilt

i absolutely agree with both of you.... i did feel sorry for him hbp and dh but before that i truly did dislike him.... even though he played an important part in the books

Originally posted by: stranger@mirror

Since u have said 'both' i will take it as u meant me and shelit? Right? If so, then err...u r a bit mistaken. Cause I personally didn't 'dislike hisa character overall.😛

Originally posted by: chhilt

i know.... i meant i agree with both of you except for that part... i should have made my meaning clearer 😊

Originally posted by: shellytt

he was a pampered and spoilt child which he used to gain power and fame amoung friends.

Ah, but is it his fault he was pampered and led to believe that witches and wizards of muggle origin are inferior to him? I feel your judgement on Draco's character is wildly affected by the narrative point of view, which alas is very one-sided. Often, people tend to believe everything the narrator says because they take it to be accurate 100%. This is obviously not true. We are subjected to a narrative POV – Harry's - that is neither omniscient, nor objective and thus, you can't base your judgement on Draco (or really, any of the characters) on the running commentary Harry provides.

If you notice, his actions in the first five books are relative to Lucius' presence in his life. As soon as Lucius ends up in Azkaban, however, we see a different side to him. His actions in the first 5 books are a direct result of his upbringing, mixed in with his pre-rite of passage period. In the first four books, the character of Draco Malfoy had received little to no significant substantive character development.

He's labelled a coward, right from the first book, merely because he ran away from Voldemort and didn't bother to check back on Harry, but how brave and courageous was Harry in that instance? He DID run, regardless of the fact that he later tripped. Suppose their roles were reversed: Would Harry have run back to see if Draco was out of harm's way? Somehow, I highly doubt it. For Ron, heck yes, but Draco? Doubtful.

In reference to pampering, I do not deny that he's been pampered. However, what effect does this pampering achieve in canon? Zilch. Harry's pampered, yes you read that right, by the majority of the Wizarding world in most of the books. His power over the wizarding world outweighs what little power Lucius has in the ministry. All Draco's advantages are basically nullified by the end of the first book. He's smart (as he is a prefect), yes, but not as smart as Hermione. He can be considered a good seeker but Harry outweighs him in that aspect. His money does nothing to garner any sense of superiority, thus, making him the underdog. He is the person who never wins, yet never quits. The text describes him at a mass of privilege but the meta-text or subtext, if you will, shows the readers that he really is the underdog. And that is sympathetic. For the most part, people prefer to root for the underdogs and losers. Especially those who have been knocked down yet manage to get back on their feet no matter what.

Harry tells us Draco is "more...menacing than ever before" towards the end of GOF but what do we see? What does Rowling show us? We see him being hexed. Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy don't even manage to get to their wands before they manage to get themselves hexed into oblivion by five opponents, two of whom are older than they are. The Gryffindor courage takes refuge in a Slytherin dormitory as they are also attacked from the behind, a cowardly act when Malfoy does it to Harry during the ferret incidence but a-okay when Harry's posse does it to Malfoy & Co. Furthermore, they get stepped on. While they're unconscious.

Female readers are almost ALWAYS attracted to the male character who gets hurt a lot. I believe it has something to do with maternal instincts but I could be wrong *shrugs*; anyhow, Draco gets shot down at the end of every book. He's bounced like a ferret (which he handles quite well; he's disheveled and embarrassed but he does not whimper), he's been mauled by a hippogriff, slapped by good ol' Hermione and seriously hexed. Yet, he bounces (excuse the poor pun) right back in the next book, as sarcastic as ever.That is why females find him so endearing. And JKR knows this. If she didn't want people to like him, she would have used the plethora of ways to discourage readers from liking him as she does in reference to Pettigrew. Showing Draco hurt so frequently evokes the Hurt-Comfort phenomenon which makes his character ever so appealing. Male vulnerability garners sympathy and also excites female readers. They like it. No one ever wants to confess to this but it's true. Look at most of the characters deemed drool-worthy by JKR's adult female readers and you'll see. Lupin. Sirius. Snape.

On a side note, it felt good to write something after so long on HP series xD

👏

Originally posted by: ShadowKisses

Ah, but is it his fault he was pampered and led to believe that witches and wizards of muggle origin are inferior to him? I feel your judgement on Draco?s character is wildly affected by the narrative point of view, which alas is very one-sided. Often, people tend to believe everything the narrator says because they take it to be accurate 100%. This is obviously not true. We are subjected to a narrative POV ? Harry?s - that is neither omniscient, nor objective and thus, you can?t base your judgement on Draco (or really, any of the characters) on the running commentary Harry provides.

If you notice, his actions in the first five books are relative to Lucius' presence in his life. As soon as Lucius ends up in Azkaban, however, we see a different side to him. His actions in the first 5 books are a direct result of his upbringing, mixed in with his pre-rite of passage period. In the first four books, the character of Draco Malfoy had received little to no significant substantive character development.

He?s labelled a coward, right from the first book, merely because he ran away from Voldemort and didn?t bother to check back on Harry, but how brave and courageous was Harry in that instance? He DID run, regardless of the fact that he later tripped. Suppose their roles were reversed: Would Harry have run back to see if Draco was out of harm?s way? Somehow, I highly doubt it. For Ron, heck yes, but Draco? Doubtful.

In reference to pampering, I do not deny that he?s been pampered. However, what effect does this pampering achieve in canon? Zilch. Harry?s pampered, yes you read that right, by the majority of the Wizarding world in most of the books. His power over the wizarding world outweighs what little power Lucius has in the ministry. All Draco?s advantages are basically nullified by the end of the first book. He?s smart (as he is a prefect), yes, but not as smart as Hermione. He can be considered a good seeker but Harry outweighs him in that aspect. His money does nothing to garner any sense of superiority, thus, making him the underdog. He is the person who never wins, yet never quits. The text describes him at a mass of privilege but the meta-text or subtext, if you will, shows the readers that he really is the underdog. And that is sympathetic. For the most part, people prefer to root for the underdogs and losers. Especially those who have been knocked down yet manage to get back on their feet no matter what.

Harry tells us Draco is "more...menacing than ever before" towards the end of GOF but what do we see? What does Rowling show us? We see him being hexed. Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy don't even manage to get to their wands before they manage to get themselves hexed into oblivion by five opponents, two of whom are older than they are. The Gryffindor courage takes refuge in a Slytherin dormitory as they are also attacked from the behind, a cowardly act when Malfoy does it to Harry during the ferret incidence but a-okay when Harry's posse does it to Malfoy & Co. Furthermore, they get stepped on. While they're unconscious.

Female readers are almost ALWAYS attracted to the male character who gets hurt a lot. I believe it has something to do with maternal instincts but I could be wrong *shrugs*; anyhow, Draco gets shot down at the end of every book. He?s bounced like a ferret (which he handles quite well; he?s disheveled and embarrassed but he does not whimper), he?s been mauled by a hippogriff, slapped by good ol? Hermione and seriously hexed. Yet, he bounces (excuse the poor pun) right back in the next book, as sarcastic as ever.That is why females find him so endearing. And JKR knows this. If she didn?t want people to like him, she would have used the plethora of ways to discourage readers from liking him as she does in reference to Pettigrew. Showing Draco hurt so frequently evokes the Hurt-Comfort phenomenon which makes his character ever so appealing. Male vulnerability garners sympathy and also excites female readers. They like it. No one ever wants to confess to this but it's true. Look at most of the characters deemed drool-worthy by JKR's adult female readers and you'll see. Lupin. Sirius. Snape.

On a side note, it felt good to write something after so long on HP series xD

To ShadowKisses, very well written and insightful reasoning and analysis of the character of Draco. As much as that was a pleasure for you to write a Harry Potter Analysis, it was also a joy to read.

In large part, I understand your point of view however being the Devil's advocate that I am and my inherent personality for debate, I must take issue with some of your analysis (which I in fact find very well written and persuasive). I know my arguments may not be as strong as yours, but I'll try my best!

My first point of issue is the fact that Draco is pampered. Yes, he is pampered and yes he had no control over this. A quick Google search gave an explanation of the " only child phenomenon" which indicates that only children tend to have a lot of parental influence and pressure in their lives. As you yourself pointed out, Lucius played a pivotal role in his upbringing and in the influence of his child's thoughts, therefore working on the concept that Draco is very much like an average only child, his actions in school and beyond were in large part geared towards pleasing one or both his parents, in all likelihood his father in this instance.

His mother I believe, was overly accommodating (for lack of a better word) to Draco's needs and desires. She allowed him liberties I believe that would not have been as forthcoming had Draco had had a sibling. This can be seen by their interactions which each other in HBP. These combined influences have in part influenced Draco's actions and manner. His "right" given to him by his parents attention (pampering) and status gives Draco "the superior than thou" attitude that he exhibits with his "friends". However, his childhood development does not excuse his actions that have been exhibited since the first novel. We can use Hermione's character as a point of reference in these instances. She also being an only child, although somewhat influenced by her upbringing, she does not blindly accept what she is told. You pointed that Draco is smart, which I wholeheartedly agree with, so should he not have had an understanding of the workings of society and therefore of how biased his view on society may have been.

We cannot ascribe all of Draco's forthcomings to the influence of his parents. We all have parents and know that we do not possess the same views on all issues, especially as teenagers. Therefore, to explain away Draco's deeds in the first five novels purely on the influence that his father exerted or even on the mere presence of his father is a rather nave interpretation. Draco was they way he was, because he wanted it to be so. His character has always been developed and geared towards "the dark side" because that is where Draco in reality truly wanted to be.

As Draco's character develops throughout the books, there seems to be no learning curve showcasing what in general society has been deemed right and wrong or if he does show some semblance on understanding it is understated. He blindly follows doctrines instilled in him by prejudiced society, without apparent care of whether these doctrines are in fact the correct moral attitude to be taken.

Draco is not a coward and he never was, which can be a dangerous trait in Draco's character. He aims to serve himself without consequence to anyone else, as can be seen in HBP, by his singular attempts at Dumbledore's murder evidenced throughout the book. The question arose, whether Harry, would have returned for him in the forest. I can unequivocally say that the answer is YES. Harry did in fact return for Draco in a similar if not more dangerous situation of peril in DH. This act of heroics by Harry was even more spectacular, given the knowledge and hatred that Harry had long haboured for Draco.

The many acts of violence and injuries that have been sustained by Draco, throughout the novels can in someway be attributed to his own deeds. The saying what goes around comes around comes to mind. I am not trying to explain away, the apparent unfairness of the situations that he was sometimes faced with, but everything that was done to him he had done the same and sometimes worse. (again I am not campaigning for vindictive action, but I can see the reasoning).

We have to remember that this is a novel and the author would harbor the hope that in the fight of good vs evil, good will ultimately win in the end, as can be evidenced by Draco's many failings throughout the novels. Whatever JK Rowling's purpose was, I do believe that she had in fact intended a "softening" of Draco's character in the latter novels, which evoked pity and sympathy. I have never liked Draco's character, however I did feel his struggles, however, that does not mean that my perception of him will change because of that. Just as my dislike for Snape still exists, even though we knew of his intentions.

Lastly, as a female reader, whilst I do feel sympathy for the underdog in the stories, I am more moved by the strong female characters in the novels, especially the likes of Professor Mc Gonagal, the stalwart protector, Molly Weasley, the impassioned housewife, Tonks, the admirable career woman, and of course Hermoine, an advocate for right.

I must admit, its been awhile since I wrote such a detailed analysis of a character in any novel far less from Harry Potter. It carries me back to my school days…………

Originally posted by: shellytt

My first point of issue is the fact that Draco is pampered. Yes, he is pampered and yes he had no control over this. A quick Google search gave an explanation of the ' only child phenomenon' which indicates that only children tend to have a lot of parental influence and pressure in their lives. As you yourself pointed out, Lucius played a pivotal role in his upbringing and in the influence of his child's thoughts, therefore working on the concept that Draco is very much like an average only child, his actions in school and beyond were in large part geared towards pleasing one or both his parents, in all likelihood his father in this instance.

His mother I believe, was overly accommodating (for lack of a better word) to Draco's needs and desires. She allowed him liberties I believe that would not have been as forthcoming had Draco had had a sibling. This can be seen by their interactions which each other in HBP. These combined influences have in part influenced Draco's actions and manner. His 'right' given to him by his parents attention (pampering) and status gives Draco 'the superior than thou' attitude that he exhibits with his 'friends'. However, his childhood development does not excuse his actions that have been exhibited since the first novel. We can use Hermione's character as a point of reference in these instances. She also being an only child, although somewhat influenced by her upbringing, she does not blindly accept what she is told. You pointed that Draco is smart, which I wholeheartedly agree with, so should he not have had an understanding of the workings of society and therefore of how biased his view on society may have been.

We cannot ascribe all of Draco's forthcomings to the influence of his parents. We all have parents and know that we do not possess the same views on all issues, especially as teenagers. Therefore, to explain away Draco's deeds in the first five novels purely on the influence that his father exerted or even on the mere presence of his father is a rather na've interpretation. Draco was they way he was, because he wanted it to be so. His character has always been developed and geared towards 'the dark side' because that is where Draco in reality truly wanted to be.

As Draco's character develops throughout the books, there seems to be no learning curve showcasing what in general society has been deemed right and wrong or if he does show some semblance on understanding it is understated. He blindly follows doctrines instilled in him by prejudiced society, without apparent care of whether these doctrines are in fact the correct moral attitude to be taken.

The many acts of violence and injuries that have been sustained by Draco, throughout the novels can in someway be attributed to his own deeds. The saying what goes around comes around comes to mind. I am not trying to explain away, the apparent unfairness of the situations that he was sometimes faced with, but everything that was done to him he had done the same and sometimes worse. (again I am not campaigning for vindictive action, but I can see the reasoning).

Agreed with this post 100%...especially the highlighted parts...I too never felt sympathy for Draco's character for the same reasons.

I looooooooooove Harry Potter, and I guess I'm the only one who thinks the movies were pretty good, and not at all horrible. I felt the characters were wonderfully chosen, but yes, they should not have strayed so much from the books.

erm lets see,

1) well i dnt like the fact that loads of people died like fred mad-eye moody lupin n tonks 😭 even dobby
2) the films are wayyyy different to the actual books
3)there should have been more drama at the end of the last book
4)i think we should have been given more info about how the characters ended up

ok thats it

- The way Snape was taken. He should have put up some fight. He died just like that. My biggest put off!
- There should have been more of action between Dumbledore and Voldmort. Dumbledore's character is hyped up, but he never uses his powers to the fullest extent.
- Harry should have used some spell other than 'Expelli...' against Voldmort. This was the most used spell.. shows as if he knew nothing else other than 1 spell..
- How did Dumbledore's brother appear all of a sudden? And why was he hidden all these years? Absolutely no hint of him in all the books.
- More action in the forbidden forest - full war with the giants, centaurs etc would be good!