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sistermagpie) wrote2004-11-18 09:41 pm
sistermagpie) wrote2004-11-18 09:41 pm
The Truth Hurts
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roxannelinton made the mistake of pointing me to an Elkins essay on HP4GU. Naturally this got me stuck reading other essays because they were all so good. One in particular was close to my heart, about *why* exactly we like the characters that we do, and it brought up the fact that we usually naturally associate fictional types with people we know in real life, and our reactions to the RL people naturally influence that. I was going to think about the characters I like and think about who they remind me of (Snape totally reminds me of the teachers in school that were feared and hated but *I* always wound up getting along with and liking a great deal), but in the course of thinking about this I wound up having a big personal revelation about Draco and me. It's long because it's about ME ME ME.Elkins essay was in response to the twins, whom she considers bullies and doesn't like. But she made the important distinction that the fact that they were bullies wasn't why she disliked them, and she did not think other people should dislike them because she did. She disliked them because they reminded her of certain types she knew in real life growing up and because in the books they were often associated with comeuppance humor, which she despised. Plus they had nothing in common and she suspected they wouldn't like her. I would have avoided them in school. Draco I would keep at a safe distance. He's also a bully, but a different kind.
Obviously there are lots of Draco-lovers or at least people who can stand Draco amongst you all. It seems like when we're asked why we like the boy, the most common answer is, “He often says what I'm thinking.” I tend to also think of it as his stating the obvious and absurd. I believe, in fact, that JKR once described Draco as being such a bad bully because he was the "smart" kind who found weak spots to hurt people with. Weak spots=personal truths.
Now, obviously it's not as simple as saying this character speaks truth and others don't. It's also not-because I think this is what a lot of people think of when you describe a bully as truthful-about the kind of person who insults other people and claim they're being “honest.” Draco actually isn't that type. What I do mean is that Draco tends to speak a certain kind of truth in a certain way in certain situations, different ones than the main characters. Every character is going to have certain times when the truth is important and other times when they lie, just like any person. Draco just happens to always be a certain kind of voice. He says things that are usually considered bad to say-a certain kind of bad. Only some of us like exactly that kind of thing, particularly if we can't identify with the mainstream attitude that well.
This is where I think I really do identify with Draco and it has often gotten me in trouble. Like, I have this idea of myself as completely un-intimidating. So I've been surprised the few times I've been told I was harsh--well, actually, the word people always use is not harsh but "scary," and occasionally "evil," usually for saying something a little too true. Did I say something intentionally hurtful? In one case I suspect I did. It was to these two guys I went to high school with and there were times they made me angry because they were pretty insensitive and I suspect in joking around I did slip in things to cut them down to size. Imagine my surprise when by chance I found out they noticed and did get cut down!
More often, though, it's not that I've said something mean intentionally but I'll say something I think is just obvious, something I thought was perfectly fine because I can't see any reason for anyone to be sensitive about it, and be met with shocked stares. Or perhaps I did know it was sort of sensitive but still thought it should be said. Like, if I were friends with Draco Malfoy I would know if he was strutting around saying he was going to win the next Quidditch match and Potter wouldn't know what hit him, I would know not to say, "Yeah, it's not like he's humiliated you ever year since you were twelve." Because obviously I could see there was a personal reason he would need to not have that contradicted---Harry has no such excuses about Hagrid. He does have reason to be sensitive about his wanting the Weasleys as a surrogate family.
Here's the two examples I can think of from my own life. I hope they're not too tedious, but they're the ones that sprang to mind. The first was when I was in college and in an a Capella group. We'd lost a few people so we had a number of songs that needed new soloists and were having auditions at rehearsal. This one girl who was sort of a BNF (without the F) of the group and already had a few solos. She tried out for all four new ones. The first three all went to other people, because they happened to be more suited to them. The fourth number she was best for. So when we're discussing who we're going to give it to everybody was just all, "Ooh, I think X was great." "Yes, me too, her voice quality is perfect for this..." and it was just too ridiculous. So I laughed and commented how we were all relieved because it was we'd all been totally uncomfortable rejecting her. I mean, we all knew what she was like, and nobody wants to reject somebody four times in a row. Of course we were relieved! But from the way people stared at me you'd think I'd made a racial slur.
The other time was when I ran into this girl I knew in junior high. We were now in college and we met on a train. She was talking about her youngest sister, who was now 12, and saying how her sister had far more freedom than she did at that age. "She's allowed to DATE!” she said. “I was never allowed to date in seventh grade!" Like this was ever an issue for her-nobody wanted to date her in seventh grade. I made the mistake of saying as much and really pissed her off! Apparently I didn't get the memo with our revised seventh grade history where this girl's biggest stress in seventh grade came from her lame mom cramping her sex life instead of being picked on by girls and having no interaction with boys whatsoever. I wasn't trying to insult her; I thought we could share a laugh at being losers when we were 12. Of course, I should have remembered she was like this at 12 too.
Anyway, you can see the pattern. I just can't help it, though. It's not that I can't lie, it's just there are certain things where I feel like you should be able to tell it like it is. In fact, I was recently reading a great Agatha Christie where at the end (no spoilers) Poirot says that he expects the victim's 12-year-old son to come to him in a few years and ask for the details of his parent's murder. A character says, "You won't tell him, will you?" He says of course he will. This boy, like him, prizes truth above all else. Truth, even if it's bad, can be understood and put into the pattern. To her, the most important thing is that people not be hurt. To him the most important thing is knowing how things really are/really happened/really work. I hated the woman character in that moment, and I knew why the little boy was my favorite character.
And I think that's another reason I sort of lean toward this character. As Elkins said, we usually like people first because of their humor or personality and then we figure out their morals. It should be no surprise Draco cracks me up from his first scene-the one where most people and the hero decide he's Awful, and for exactly the same reasons. I think he had me at, “Exactly.” Or perhaps where, strangely honest as always, he introduces himself as a spoiled brat. Like I said, it's not a question of “this is me” or “he is just speaking truth.” It's just honestly I think either you respond really positively to, “Who wouldn't want a pet that stings, burns and bites?” or you don't. Perhaps instead you respond better to ton tongue toffee. It's a personal thing. I like "exactly." I have a fondness, especially, for people who are unwittingly rude because they're just clueless, particularly when I think the other person is over-serious or over-sensitive. In fact,
reenka and I were talking about the appeal of the H/D with a certain kind of Fanon!Draco and I think this might be it--putting in a character that can do this and have it get the reaction they want. That's why when Fanon!Draco says the kinds of things that fill Canon!Harry with disgust, Fanon!Harry instead realizes he's kidding and is able to see the truth within and not see it as threatening. ETA: Here's the original essay. It's a great read, and may make this more coherent. She actually lays it out much better than I do here, as I seem to have sometimes put across the exact opposite idea than I intended in this post! The point is, there are reasons we just plain like characters, and that probably often leads us to cut them slack where we might not with others. I know very well that I *like* this character, and am wondering maybe why. It's not a defense of why this character is likable or should be liked by others.
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It's long because it's about ME ME ME.
Clearly you are Real!Life!Harry ;)
This is where I think I really do identify with Draco and it has often gotten me in trouble.
Bwahahaha, me too.
There's a Linda Goodman book I used to love when I was little about some star signs interacting, and how Sagittarians (which I'm not even, so god knows why I do it) always insult people, not because they necessarily mean to be cruel but because they assume everyone sees themselves the same way they do: warts and all.
So they say insensitive things and people rebutt furiously and they're all kind of confused: 'Like, what does me being fat, for example, have to do with your lack of maths ability?'
With Draco (and as I sometimes can be *slaps own wrist*) you have a more vicious approach where someone is adept at noticing flaws (I do think anyone who constantly criticises others has esteem issues of their own, and whether they admit it or not, probably recognises their own mistakes regularly, though) and will use them, and of course, people with this kind of simple Gryffindorish mindset will be horrified: 'Like, so what if it's true that I'm X or Y? You didn't have to say it!'
(Love that part where all the Weasleys are horrified and ashamed of Percy saying something that would be obvious to a blind monkey.)
There's this idea that because one finds it easy to understand people and their motivations, that you should care, so there's complete horror at the idea of someone recognising flaws and not softening them.
And of course, with the HP books, there's this wild hypocrisy, because Draco (and Snape) is constantly being confronted with 'truths': you're not as good as Harry, your dad deserves whatever he gets, you're pathetic and obsess over petty grudges; and no-one sees any reason to sugar-coat any of this.
But of course, there's a mixture between these two types of insensitivity - so you have Draco making an effort and flubbing it because he's tactless and you have Draco purposely being cruel.
What interests me about him, in this case, is the vast difference of opinion the fans and naysayers have: the fans tend to (forgive me for generalising) adore that he states exactly what they're thinking or the truth, whereas the detractors very much seem to have this idea of him as a liar - he exaggerates injuries, he misleads in the Skeeter articles...
That actually cracks me up as an example, because it's quite clever: there's lots of insinuations from Skeeter and Pansy and Draco, but from a legal standpoint, I don't think Harry et al would have much of a case ((of course in the JKR-verse the law would no doubt be wildly sympathetic and libel legislation much stricter! ;)) and there's much half-truths: Harry makes friends with dangerous creatures, everyone's scared in Hagrid's lessons, "most people thought Potter was behind (the CoS attacks)", said attacks were hushed up, Hermione's "brainy" enough to make a love potion...
But because Skeeter and her interviewees are very carefully skewing the information their way to impact negatively, people are horrified and dismiss it all as 'lies'. When of course, Harry et al's information is equally one-sided and biased, it's just that we see it as fair and truthful because he's our POV character.
(This reminds me of the snarkery, and how many discrepancies there are between Harry's memories and interpretations of certain events and how they appear in canon, sometimes instantly - he immediately recalls Seamus 'attack'ing him; he forgets Ginny's possession; he recalls how cowardly Malfoy was in the forest and conveniently omits his own terror; he wavers from being convinced that his life is only intact because of luck and the help of his friends, and viewing himself as the lone hero in every situation; he describes Buckbeak as 'cute'...)
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Wh...wh...wha...what? Oh my god I didn't even think she knew who I was now I'm like giggling and blushing though you can't see it.
With Draco (and as I sometimes can be *slaps own wrist*) you have a more vicious approach where someone is adept at noticing flaws (I do think anyone who constantly criticises others has esteem issues of their own, and whether they admit it or not, probably recognises their own mistakes regularly, though
I think so too. I mean, not in a fluffy way like, "Awww, he just needs a hug. We should feel sorry for him when he's cruel to others!" But just yeah, he really does seem like somebody who's constantly aware of all the ways he falls short. How could he not be? The boy's school career is one public humiliation after another! I'm sure JKR would disagree, but I can't help but imagine him laughing about some of those failures because they're just too public for him to demand that everybody in Slytherin pretend they didn't happen, you know? I mean, we do hear things like how Draco no longer walked around like he owned the place after Lucius was kicked off the Board of Governors, which would indicate he had to adjust his attitude in response to life's smackdown.
What interests me about him, in this case, is the vast difference of opinion the fans and naysayers have: the fans tend to (forgive me for generalising) adore that he states exactly what they're thinking or the truth, whereas the detractors very much seem to have this idea of him as a liar - he exaggerates injuries, he misleads in the Skeeter articles...
This is so true--he's the sword of truth but he's not a liar either. This seems so obvious to me in the text. Like with Buckbeak, it cracks me up when people say he "faked" his injury. Of course he didn't fake it--we saw it! What he did was milk it for all it was worth. He used it to his advantage with Pansy and in Potions, but he didn't fake an injury to get Buckbeak in trouble. And with the Skeeter articles too--well, it's the same trouble as always, that they are in their way probably more accurate than the stuff in the Quibbler because they stay away from outright lies by selectively quoting. Trouble is there's no way that the Trio stands for ultimate truth either. They want to control public opinion too, and love the idea of cover-ups when it's on their side. In the chapter of OotP I just read when Ron asks about evidence that Snape is no longer loyal to Voldemort Hermione scolds him by saying Dumbledore must have loads of evidence he's just not sharing.
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I have found the link in my weird archivy-obsessional-way and now will quietly ship sistermagpie/skelkins.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/anaid_rabbit/103382.html?thread=251350#t251350
Well, yeah. I maybe be projecting or something, but every critical person I've ever known including myself is also very aware of their own flaws. Comes with the package.
And yes, just getting embarrassed is an indication that whatever insults/remarks on his failings have made an impact - basically, that he recognises the truth in them.
I mean, what cracks me up about Harry is that he hears things like 'People think you want them to worship you' and 'Stop attacking your mates' and he genuinely cannot see any grain of truth whatsoever and is baffled and angry, like a child.
Whereas there's no way Draco cannot recognise the truths people use against him - his dad is a 'baddie', he doesn't win as often as or against Harry at Quidditch, his grades aren't as good as Hermione's; and after a brief kind of denial (which I always kind of sympathise with, since his excuses usually have truth in them too - as far as we know, Hermione's grades are down to her natural intelligence, but inarguably the teachers do have favourites and she is one. Harry does get special treatment because of his status. Hagrid did fuck up teaching.) he appears to recognise this. Thus the anger and embarrassment. Poor woob.
because they stay away from outright lies by selectively quoting.
Well, exactly. They appear to be telling the truth to an extent - some people who attend school with HP and HG have low opinions of them and think they're capable of anything. It's not true from HP and HG's perspective, but then that's the problem with opinion versus fact.
Harry's Quibbler article probably looks like a bunch of self-stroking exaggerations to the Slytherin kids, because it's not their opinion.
They're all as bad as each other (Trio versus Malfoy's court - you're right, there's no outrage over Dumbledore's "hush...up" in CoS because it benefits them; Quibbler versus Prophet; Dumbledore versus Fudge), so my only problem is when these equally flawed institutions are segregated and one is made to look saintly, the other evil.