When most people think of Harry Potter they think of the famous boy wizard who, along with his friends Ron and Hermione, conquered the dark wizard Voldemort. I think of Draco Malfoy. Draco Malfoy is Harry’s nemesis throughout most of the Harry Potter books, and is almost as easy for most people to hate as Voldemort. He spends most of his teenage years trying to make Harry miserable. Why then, do I find him to be the most fascinating character in all the books? Why do I aspire to be in Slytherin just to be in his house? Slytherin represents extreme ambition, and being willing to do whatever it takes to reach a goal. This isn’t me at all, and I am used to being ridiculed for my desire to be in Slytherin. One reason for my obsession with Draco could be my tendency to like people just because other people don’t like them. This might be because I like people with self-confidence. This is something Harry Potter has very little of (Ron certainly has none) so it would be natural for me to like someone who drips of self-confidence like Draco Malfoy. Another thing I find so enticing about Draco is the nature of his character: for five years he acted as the bully of Hogwarts, until the sixth year when he was forced to join the Death Eaters and his world was turned completely upside down. I think J.K. Rowling meant for the readers to have sympathy for Draco, but she definitely did not tend for anyone to actually like his character. I, however, saw Draco as a completely new character. He gave an aura of self-confidence, yet he had no real faith in himself. He was pressured by of his family and Voldemort to kill Dumbledore, though he had no real evil in himself and, at 16, this trauma would change his entire life. In this way, I believe that Draco faced struggles just as difficult, if not as glamorous, as Harry Potter. I think the thing I appreciate most about Malfoy is that he has nothing in common with most of the Harry Potter characters: while being “good” is a natural thing for them, Malfoy struggles to discover his values and how to follow them.
Surprisingly, I’m not alone with this obsession. While the majority of fans devote their focus to Gryffindor characters, there are many others who prefer Draco Malfoy. I don’t think these fans actually understand Draco, and I’m sure their infatuation with him comes from the actor, Tom Felton, who plays him in the movies. J. K. Rowling herself said she thinks people are “getting far too fond of Draco” and she finds this “a little bit worrying.” She also believes this obsession comes from love of the actor. While I agree with her on that, this quote leads me to think that J. K. Rowling doesn’t even understand Draco as well as I do. Just because Draco seems outwardly evil, does it make sense to ignore his interior struggles? Even if J. K. Rowling can’t understand this, I find Draco Malfoy to be the Harry Potter character I can connect with most completely, even if I’m not actually destined to be in Slytherin.
Why is it so important to me to justify Draco Malfoy, when he’s just a character in a book? I have spent my entire childhood reading Harry Potter, and Draco had a huge affect on me as I grew up. Understanding him has made me look at seemingly “evil” or “bad” people in a new light. If Draco Malfoy, the most obnoxious character in all seven books can fascinate me so much, why can’t I find the good in other people like him? I get more satisfaction in finding the true character of people when it’s buried further deep than when it’s right at the surface, and Draco Malfoy is a perfect manifestation of that.
Amelia-
ReplyDeleteI think you are the first person I have ever met who likes Draco. After reading this I did a quick google search to revel that you were in fact not alone in this opinion. I found websites offering quizzes on Malfoy, theories about Hermione actually being in love with Malfoy and a host of fan sites devoted to not just the actor but the actual character. I guess what this gets me thinking about more is the idea of movie/book/tv characters actually taking a life on of their own in real life. With the release of Avatar this winter, reports came that people were committing suicide after finishing the movie and realizing that Pandora, the fictional planet, does not actually exist (http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html)
Does this Draco Malfoy thing also seep into this? Are we starting to live in a world where the characters that we watch actually take on a life of their own to the point where they start to affect us much as a family or friend? I think that the best example of this is the transition from Malfoy the bully to Malfoy the victim. What is brilliant about his character, and it seems as if Rowling had no intention of this happening, but he does actually tug on your heart strings to the point where you feel bad for him. Who in the world would ever want to kill Dumbledore but yet this young man is pressed to commit the act. You do relish in the fact that he is unable to go through with the act. No one should have to carry that around.
This opened up a lot of questions for me. What makes a character lovable? They are fake people so why should we have relationships with characters? Also there is a lot to unpack about you always rooting for the underdog. What do you think that is about? Sorry I went on a few tangents here but hopefully it makes sense.
Courtney
I was really engaged by your discussion of Draco because I have never thought of him in this way. I, as most others, tend to be a fan of Harry, admiring him for being the "good guy" and dismissing Draco as the "bad guy". I am curious though about your argument of Draco having a lot of self-confidence. I see Draco as a bully, and in my experiences, those who bully others do so because they are insecure about their own shortcomings. It could be, however, that I just haven't paid enough attention to his character to understand him because I'd rather just write him off as evil. Now that you mention the idea of his internal struggles though, I do see what you mean about him not being able to figure out his values and follow them because of the pressures his family puts him through. I'm also really surprised by J.K. Rowling's response to Draco's popularity and I find it odd that she is so opposed to it. You're blog really opened me up to a new view of Harry Potter that I hadn't seen before and will probably begin to notice more the next time I see one of the movies or read one of the books.
ReplyDelete(that was from me, Alexandra)
ReplyDeleteI have never actually read the books (Gasp!) but from the movies I can see how people would have issues with Malfoy. He seems to be the "bad guy", or at least the bad teenager, for most of the series. I find it really intersting that you found him so interesting, and that you have such a connection with him. It made me wonder to what extent fictional characters have a life of their own, and how they affect real people. Bit of tangent there as well; I think Courtney was talking about this, too. I think I actually understand you better when you said something to the effect of finding the good buried in people. That makes total sense with you liking things that are kind of out there (like Rabbits). Since I haven't read Harry Potter, I was surprised how much this leant me to see a window into you. In a mostly non-creepy way. :)
ReplyDeleteAlicia
Dear Amelia,
ReplyDeleteThe subject matter alone provides a hook for any person even vaguely familiar with the plot line of Harry Potter. I am interested in your self-implications and your hypotheses addresses the “deeper” reasons you have a fascination for Malfoy. Do you, yourself, wish to have more self-confidence? Is your interest in Malfoy a subconscious concern you have with being forced to feel emotions not always inheritantly present? (Mirroring (more subtly) Draco when forced to be evil and kill Dumbledore?) Does your outward personality ever clash with your “inner struggles”? Perhaps your interest in observing people with layers like Malfoy is really a desire for people to observe the layers in you.
- Just speculation, (I had fun), Alexis
oh, P.S. - your choice of picture is PERFECT if you were trying to hint that Malfoy (in a very subtle way) mirrors YOU (Alexis)
ReplyDeleteI am also a Draco "sympathizer", and I agree with many of your points. However it seems to me that Draco is not self-confident and because of this he tends to harass others. Perhaps I am reading a little too much into the character, but that was my interpretation. I am pleased that you are getting the message to the people!
ReplyDeleteAmelia,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog! I thought it was very interesting and stood out from all the other Harry Potter blogs. The fact that you are so fascinated with a villain is very fascinating to me and I am curious if you do this in other texts or movies. Although you say Draco has a lot of self confidence I feel as if you are rooting for the under dog in Harry Potter when everyone else has gone to what seems to be a good savior. I am also curious if you take this mentality of looking deeper into a villain and finding the good in someone and apply it to your real world life? Do you always give people the benefit of the doubt or is that only in fantasy? Also what in your life has made you want to relate to the under dawg villain instead of a good hero? You began to elaborate on that idea when you said it might be because you wanted to like the person everyone else hated? What is that about? Why are you so eager to go in the opposite way of the crowd?
-Ansley
ReplyDeletefinally some people who understand how i feel about the character Draco Malfoy. most of the fandom of Draco Malfoy are fans because of the actor who plays him. i am very pleased to meet some people who like him because of the character himself, because i really think the actor (Tom Felton) isn't that hot at all...
ReplyDelete-Rebecca