Draco Sucks

[penfold_x]

I've been trying to puzzle out why so much of HP fandom is obsessed with Draco, and why he leaves me utterly cold. It's not because I don't love Teh Evil, or characters of ambiguous morals. I have a long history of glomming onto anti-heros (Severus Snape, Harry Maybourne, Elim Garak, Cigarette Smoking Man). Upon reading this essay, entitled "Why Draco Malfoy Is Ever So Lame," I realized that I dislike him because he's a terrible Slytherin:

The Malfoy political savvy might have helped Draco, but in fact it doesn't, because Draco seems determined to ignore every single piece of political advice that his father ever gives him. He has been advised to mask his dislike for Harry Potter -- and so, naturally, he blabs his hatred of Harry to the entire school. He is advised to "keep his head down" while Slytherin's basilisk is on the loose -- and so, naturally, he makes an utter spectacle of himself in front of the entire school by gloating over the monster's predations, thus leaving himself open to suspicions of being Salazar's heir himself. And does anyone really think that Lucius Malfoy would be pleased, if he ever heard about Draco refusing to stand for Harry at the end of _GoF,_ or worse, insulting Cedric Diggory's memory on the train? Somehow I rather suspect that these actions, too, were probably undertaken in blatant disregard of parental admonition. For all of his "my fathering," Draco really isn't even a very loyal son. Strategically and politically speaking, he is a moron.

Slytherins have cunning. Draco seems utterly unable to be clever about anything. Apart from tricking Harry into a "wizards' duel" that's really a trap (PS/SS?), I can't think of any episode in which Draco really gets one over on Harry. To be a credible antagonist, let alone a decent Slytherin, Draco ought to win a few rounds, yet he rarely seems to land a punch. He's a wuss and a whiner and a disgrace to Salazar's name.

Comments

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Yikes, an entry! :P

Draco is a cipher, rather than a character. There's nothing three-dimensional about him and in order to make him more interesting people in fandom have to give him a depth that he doesn't have either in the books or onscreen (where frankly the actor portraying him is probably the weakest of the kids). He has no complexity, no depth and I agree with you, he's a poor excuse for a Slytherin.

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

Yikes, an entry! :P

It's the end of the world as we know it. Break out the emergency underpants.

There's nothing three-dimensional about him and in order to make him more interesting people in fandom have to give him a depth that he doesn't have either in the books or onscreen

Which would explain the vastly different characterizations of him. There's a lot of backstory ascribed to him, mostly to make him tragic (which, okay, is classic fangirl) and all designed to make him very sympathetic. Some of it I get (I imagine being LM's child is Not Good; even if you get what you want a lot of the time, you are also subject to the whims of a sociopath) but other very common bits I don't get because they're out of the realm of what's possible (Draco secretly isn't a blood purist, Draco hearts Hermione and calling her "mudblood" is just pigtail-pulling, etc).

I try to avoid Draco-centric stories because I find him so deadly boring, but I am reading one that features him that doesn't make me ill. It's along the lines of the stuff that you rec'ed to me last June, and although it's WIP, I'd certainly rec it to you: A Year Like None Other.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

A lot of the problem with Draco is that he doesn't come across as being all that bright, none of the members of Slytherin house do (apart from their Head, of course, and he's smart enough not to ascribe to all their supposed leanings). So while Crabbe and Goyle are obvious knuckledraggers, Draco isn't all that much smarter than they are if the evidence is to be believed.

And you're too late, I've been reading 'A Year Like None Other' for the past couple of months, even though I don't usually bother with WIPs until they're done. Always happy for good gen HP recs, though, since I seem to be able to find everything else...

[nausica2.livejournal.com]

I agree. In the books, he's quite lame, and Harry sums it all at the end of OoTP when he's cornered by Draco and Co and he tells them something like "suuure, meeting Voldemort was just preparation to face you, guys".

Don't read HP fanfiction, but as Draco is a character who can be extended I guess that you can play with him more in fanon.

There's also the "bad boy" appeal to teenage girls, who find Tom Felton cute. I think he's not that good of an actor, but not being a teenager I guess my judgement doesn't count.

Welcome to LJ land. :)

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

I think JKR said something about Draco fans perhaps confusing the character with the boy who plays him, which would explain a lot.

[nausica2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he has mentioned the attraction to Draco and also to Snape. I don't agree with her, because Snape may not be a nice person, but he's a very interesting individual.

Draco on the contrary is bland. And I don't believe the "tragic innocence" background myself. I think he's a spoiled brat, who thinks he's actually important because he's the son of LM and thus he has his life solved, so why get a personality?

(here's hoping that having daddy in prison gives the boy some depth)

[ginnytonnick.livejournal.com]

Draco? He's the one with the ring and he has to go through the wardrobe and give it to the white rabbit, right?

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

You sound like my co-workers.