From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 09:48:56 -0600

Betty, thanks for sharing the two opposing viewpoints on Harry Potter. I'm wondering: has your friend read all three Harry Potter books or are her comments just based on Book 1? I ask because I find the books get less "black and white" and more into the "shades of gray" area as they progress, which stands to reason as Harry is maturing and is better able to understand such things. In our live discussions of Harry Potter in the last few weeks, someone made the comment that, after reading Book 3, one has the feeling that anything could happen. People (or critters) you thought were good guys become bad and vice versa.

On the subject of Draco Malfoy, I find him quite an interesting character. I think we should all keep our eye on him, especially if he turns out to be a vampire as his name and physical description suggest. (Remember, Voldemort carries garlic with him
? presumably to ward off vampires?) I suspect that both Draco and Snape will turn out to be good guys, and I think Rowling has already dropped subtle clues in this regard.

I confess that I've come to almost like Draco after listening to the audiotape of Book 1, read by Stephen Fry. Fry portrays him with a bored, upperclass voice, which comes off as terribly amusing midst all the action and turmoil usually taking place around him. I don't think Draco is pure evil ? he's just a snob who doesn't like the idea of Harry Potter being the center of attention. In this regard, he is the polar opposite of Harry: he's the pampered child who's always been given everything he wants. But there has to be more to Draco, otherwise he'd just be a Dudley Dursley with magic powers. We've already seen that Draco is a schemer, rather like Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Listening to Book 1 after reading all three really gave me the opportunity to pay attention to some details I hadn't noticed with the first read. Draco, for example, is initially quite nice to Harry and tries to be his friend BEFORE he even knows who he is but Harry rebuffs him because he doesn't like what Draco has to say about Muggle-born wizards. After that, everything Draco says merely parrots the words of his father, Lucius Malfoy, whom I believe is the true bad guy in the books. (Again, look at the name.)

Draco represents a big issue in the books that we haven't really talked much about: that is, the idea of "racial purity" that comes up with all the talk of Muggle-born, half-Muggle/half-Wizard and pure Wizarding families. This issue runs throughout the books, but is particularly strong so far in Book 2, where there is so much talk of
"Mudbloods" (a term that makes me cringe far more than any of the characters do). I am anxious to see how this is played out in future books. Interestingly, what we have learned thus far is that biology is not destiny and, as Dumbledore said, "It is our choices . . . that show us what we truly are..." With this in mind, there's hope for Draco, if he finds the courage to stand up to his father when he's, say, 17 or so.



Kathleen T. Horning (horning at education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706 608&3930 FAX: 608&2I33
Received on Mon 29 Nov 1999 09:48:56 AM CST