I'm think about this opposition of 'real world' ethics/judgments and what one might call 'Harry's world'-- and I think that's really where the 'pettiness' comes in. Like, it's not really pettiness in the ordinary world, because this is how people react. And Harry's just dealing with a different life-- but so is Ron (that is, he grew up 'normal' but he aligns with Harry). Like, you could say that 'petty' in HP would have a meta connotation of 'Muggle'-- nonmagical, ordinary, prejudiced-against-the-different. Like, the Dursleys were definitely skewed in this direction, and it's probably no accident that Draco reminds Harry of Dudley. Another petty, ordinary, spoiled boy who only has his own banal life to concern himself with and is almost brilliantly selfish. And remember, this separation between the ordinary (Muggles) and the 'special' (Harry...??) was what really pissed me off in chapter 1 of book 1.
I think... I'm not sure... selfish pettiness is like, the cardinal sin in HP o_0 Things seem to point to it. Like, that's the deal with Hagrid, as I said-- probably why the Weasleys are 'salt of the earth' even though they're ordinary-- but not, 'cause they're Purebloods-- it's that 'special' ordinariness, gifted (with love-- Molly-- and good, actual unspoiled blood) because of this... sense of selfless bounty the Weasleys seem to represent. I think there's a definite and extreme parallel of the Pureblood-- and thus equal-- selfishness-yet-ordinariness = Malfoys & selflessness-yet-ordinariness = Weasleys (and Harry loves/is loved by the Weasleys immediately and also hates the Malfoys almost immediately).
Like... Ron's selflessness-- willingness to not begrudge Harry his life-- pits him directly against Draco, it seems like. Because it seems like they're in similar positions-- where both Ron & Draco had everything and nothing in different ways. Like, Ron had everything (of love) and nothing (of glory/possessions) and Draco had everything (of possessions/tales of glory) and nothing (of 'real' love as defined by canon, since his father is so cold where Molly is so warm).
Anyway, people have noticed that Ron & Draco were opposites before, I'm sure, it's just that-- it's in precisely this axis of pettiness/ordinariness that it becomes strongest. Since both boys are ordinary, and where one is petty/self-centered, the other isn't. (Mind you, I'm riffing on canon here, not putting down Draco or elevating Ron.)
Like... both are understandable and 'normal' considering where they're coming from-- but so is Tom Riddle, normal & understandable considering where he came from, to an extent at least. Man, it's just that the sorts of things Draco speaks out against are always the things it's the larger situation seems to mark as important to realize mean 'more'. That's what I meant about Draco being clueless-- it's all that meta surrounding him he's unaware of and yet somehow, Ron & Harry & Hermione are just aligned with it by history and disposition (while Draco is opposed). In a way, actually, everyone-- all of them-- are trapped.
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I think... I'm not sure... selfish pettiness is like, the cardinal sin in HP o_0 Things seem to point to it. Like, that's the deal with Hagrid, as I said-- probably why the Weasleys are 'salt of the earth' even though they're ordinary-- but not, 'cause they're Purebloods-- it's that 'special' ordinariness, gifted (with love-- Molly-- and good, actual unspoiled blood) because of this... sense of selfless bounty the Weasleys seem to represent. I think there's a definite and extreme parallel of the Pureblood-- and thus equal-- selfishness-yet-ordinariness = Malfoys & selflessness-yet-ordinariness = Weasleys (and Harry loves/is loved by the Weasleys immediately and also hates the Malfoys almost immediately).
Like... Ron's selflessness-- willingness to not begrudge Harry his life-- pits him directly against Draco, it seems like. Because it seems like they're in similar positions-- where both Ron & Draco had everything and nothing in different ways. Like, Ron had everything (of love) and nothing (of glory/possessions) and Draco had everything (of possessions/tales of glory) and nothing (of 'real' love as defined by canon, since his father is so cold where Molly is so warm).
Anyway, people have noticed that Ron & Draco were opposites before, I'm sure, it's just that-- it's in precisely this axis of pettiness/ordinariness that it becomes strongest. Since both boys are ordinary, and where one is petty/self-centered, the other isn't. (Mind you, I'm riffing on canon here, not putting down Draco or elevating Ron.)
Like... both are understandable and 'normal' considering where they're coming from-- but so is Tom Riddle, normal & understandable considering where he came from, to an extent at least. Man, it's just that the sorts of things Draco speaks out against are always the things it's the larger situation seems to mark as important to realize mean 'more'. That's what I meant about Draco being clueless-- it's all that meta surrounding him he's unaware of and yet somehow, Ron & Harry & Hermione are just aligned with it by history and disposition (while Draco is opposed). In a way, actually, everyone-- all of them-- are trapped.