Four books now, and the Dursleys are still EVIL. Not one kind word! You’d think by this time they’d be wheedling Harry to help them eliminate the need for electric bills. You’d think by this time Dudley would be dropping hints about how he’d really, really appreciate a Slimming-Down Spell.
But no! Still EVIL, always EVIL, totally EVIL. This is unrealistic! Nobody can sustain being EVIL for so long when it only leads to continued fear and humiliation! It’s loony even from the point of view of self-interest.
So, shouldn’t J. K. Rowling eventually allow the Dursleys to lighten up? I swear, there’s nobody like them in the whole world. Unrealistic!
And what about that Draco Malfoy? Don’t you think by now he’d want to be friends with the coolest, most admired boy in school, who’s a Quidditch champ to boot?
This is not realistic EVIL! This is stereotyped EVIL! EVIL people always operate out of self-interest.
Plus, while both adults and children enjoy the HP books, they’re aimed primarily at a young audience. You know, sort of like one of those childrens’ plays where the witch comes onstage and all the kids go "Booooooooooo!"
I always saw the Dursleys as Ronald Dahl-esque characters - like the parents in Matilda or James and the Giant Peach, and the Malfoys as the bullies at school that everyone hates but nobody is brave enough to stand up to. It’s very easy to dislike these people.
And IIRC, Draco Malfoy did try to become Harry’s friend in the first book, but Harry wasn’t interested.
The Dursleys will never change either, they are more than evil, they are actually rascist. They hate magic people as a race, and want them to be stomped out.
If they were to change toward Harry, it would be very unbeleivable. The fearful attitude they have is more in keeping with the characters.
kellibelli, I don’t have a cite for this but I think I read that the next one is out in 2002. Amazon’s already taking pre-orders (maybe that’s where I saw the date…), it’s tentatively titled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Rosebud, about to receive an M.S., wishing she could go to Hogwarts.
I’ve heard two different stories about the next book (which, yes, I have preordered from Amazon already): one - it will be out around February, 2002. Two - it will be pushed up and out before Christmas (shortly after the movie is released). Hoping for two, thinking one is more likely… I think the title is pretty much set in stone.
On topic it isn’t evil that the Dursleys and Malfoy suffer from. The Dursleys fear Harry. That’s why they hate him. If you read Book 1, Uncle Vernon’s reaction to the Hogwarts letters is much more consistent with fear than hatred. Fear is much more powerful than reason. Malfoy is jealous. He was only friendly with Harry when he didn’t know who he was. When he found out, on the Hogwarts Express, he tried to set himself up as the superior in the relationship and failed. He’s the kind of kid who’d rather lead his group of toadies than follow someone like Harry. Kinda like Lucifer in “Paradise Lost”…
Good grief. How sad is it when I’m analyzing subtext in Harry Potter books?
Ditto. I kept expecting them to get flattened by a giant peach. In Dahlesque fashion, I imagine that they’ll never redeem themselves, and will continue to receive their comeuppance in various ways.
I think you will find that with the coming troubles with He-Who-Shall-blah blah, that malfoy will struggle with his concience and will end up with the good guys.
Every few months I reread the whole set - I am totally dying for hte next book.
On the subject of stereotypes in Harry Potter: do y’all think that Snape will continue to be a red herring in every book, or will he “turn to the dark side” and do something evil eventually?
It’s so hard to speculate on Snape. I think he might have a downfall, but then some sort of redemption by the final book. I’m more worried about Dumbledore.
Again, I would guess the Dursleys continue to be boorish and mean. I always see them as more of comic relief. I think that they are rather one dimensional on purpose – the “real” world is Hogwarts. tclouie, I think they are intentionally unrealistic, because we would usually think of magic as unrealistic.
But, in every book so far, Rowling has managed to surprise me on at least one plot point (which I love). I’m always amazed when I read them again that there are so many clues to what is coming up … yet somehow I miss most of them the first time around.
Does anyone know of any good Harry Potter sites that aren’t aimed at kids? I like many of those sites, but I’m wondering if there are sites out there that have a more detailed (ok, so it’s nit-picky, but whatever, I like that) look at her writing.
Snape doesn’t like Harry (for numerous reasons, and, let’s face it, Harry IS a troublemaker in the context of the Hogwarts rules) but that doesn’t make him evil. Hell, he’s tried to save Harry’s life on occasion.
I think it’s clear from Goblet of Fire that Snape has served Dumbledore loyally. He was his mole in Voldemort’s brood and is returning to that role now. I betcha we have a new potions teacher in book 5.
So lay off Snape! He doesn’t deserve the abuse. He’s the ace in the hole.
I think you misspelled “the ass-hole”, but yeah, in this case he’s on the side of the angels. And seriously risking his life and soul in going back to play spy with an organization and an entity that he’s already done so with.
Did anybody else catch the Ku Klux Klan-type implications of the Quidditch World Cup riot in Book 4? The death squad was hooded and masked…Rowling doesn’t say so in the story, but I kept imagining them as having pointed hoods. The image just wouldn’t leave my mind. And white robes…
D’you suppose Rowling knows that Ku Klux Klan honchos are also called “wizards”?
[hijack] Best Klan scene in the movies: “O Brother Where Art Thou.” [/hijack]
Also, do you think Draco was subtly doing a good deed, by warning Hermione away from the riot scene? Maybe he’s already turning good. After all, he didn’t wave his arms and yell, “Hey! Mudblood over here! Up in the air with her!” I’ll bet he was secretly ashamed of his father’s participation but didn’t want to admit it.
I’m getting a little tired of the inevitable train compartment scene with Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. It’s becoming as formulaic as the scenes with the Dursleys.
Chocolate is the cure for all evil…somebody tell Jerri on “Survivor.”
“The color guard is colored! Who said the color guard could be colored?”
Obviously Ron and Hermione will end up getting married at the end of the series but what about Harry? My money is on Ginny Weasley. Cho Chong (is that right?) is just a crush.
