~~ mind you, I hate Lucius, so.
May. 6th, 2004 05:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reenkaFor the record (if there is such a thing), I suppose I should finalize my opinion on whether Lucius loves Draco. I've never really thought about it, but I found I rather respect Jane St Clair (she of the likable Star Trek fic and the fondness for nasty!Draco), and she says Lucius "adores" him, and....
Well, it's like this. As the facts seem to stand, Lucius seems to indulge and coddle Draco in some ways, it is true-- but not others. Not when Draco's an embarrassment to him. He goes all out financially when he seems to think it's useful and witholds when he finds it frivolous (well, mostly I'm basing this on the Dark Arts shop). Lucius has no problem scolding Draco, so he's not some super-indulgent super-adoring parent, anyway, although Draco feels comfortable enough to whine on and on, so there mustn't be any serious repercussions. Narcissa gives every indication of being superficial-- again, this focus on gifts and money as signs of love (candy owl posts). Lucius seems to have some sort of agenda, though.
But. I think there is a huge difference between throwing money at things and making sure certain life-lessons are instilled and actually being a doting, devoted parent who spends "quality time" with their child. Who -bonds- with their child and does what's really in their best interest regardless of "the plan".
Lucius Malfoy is a single-minded power-hungry politician who has his fingers in a number of pies, it seems. I get the impression that he's a busy man. More importantly, I don't get the impression that he's an emotionally open, caring man. Now, it may seem that being caring and empathic in general doesn't have a bearing on how loving and good of a parent you are, but I think it does. Maybe you can -not show- that side of you to most people, but it has to be there. And, indeed, if it is there, your child tends not to grow up to be an insufferable prick (yeah, that'd be Draco, much as I love him).
What I'm saying is, Draco's horrible behavior at school is proof enough that his parents aren't giving him some sort of ideal caring environment. Though it's not saying they -beat- him or make his life miserable. It's not one or the other. It could just be the usual-- that people don't know how to love whether they feel it or not. They don't know how to be decent human beings so they don't know how to teach their child to be one.
I think it's the Dursley phenomenon, actually. The parents are awful, and so is the child. It seems, indeed, like they dote on Dudley, but to me, that sort of love is fake and disgusting. It's some sort of parody fascimile of love, because these people wouldn't know real love if it hit them on the hiney and bit down. It's empty, is what I'm saying. There's no real... human bonding going on. It's all about wanting the child to be an exact duplicate of you, wanting them to -become- you.
The Dursleys willfully -ignore- Dudley's real problems until he deals with them in his own way (weight, bullying), just as the Malfoys ignore Draco's (possibly alienation, bullying, anger issues, whatever). That's not love, that's narcissism. So even if such a person -thinks- they love their child, the only thing they love is themselves. It doesn't even matter to me how Lucius actually acts toward Draco, because I can only believe that he doesn't love anything but himself, whatever he thinks.
Overall, I think I'm angry with him. Lucius, I mean. To me, it's not a question of whether he loves Draco or not-- he still hasn't done right by Draco as far as I'm concerned. Love isn't enough, really. Love isn't so much the most important aspect of parenting as the basis from which everything spreads, generally. Thing is-- everyone loves their children. Everyone. Sure, Lucius does and so would Tom Riddle, if he had any. Big whoop, eh? Doesn't mean they won't make their child's life a mockery or a living hell, but I don't think one could say they don't "love" them.
I don't see where this fascination with -whether- Lucius loves Draco comes from. Perhaps it's right there in the text, actually, since it's so vital that Harry's mother really -really- loved him, enough to protect him with her life. But that was a selfless love, wasn't it. It was a love that acquired its goodness from the goodness of her heart. Lily was a loving person, so her love redeemed. Lucius is... not, so his love can only condemn. Love itself can be a prison, can't it. It's the best prison, really. There's nothing special about the -emotion-, only about the heart it inhabits, I think.
But like I said, I'm rather angry with Lucius.
Well, it's like this. As the facts seem to stand, Lucius seems to indulge and coddle Draco in some ways, it is true-- but not others. Not when Draco's an embarrassment to him. He goes all out financially when he seems to think it's useful and witholds when he finds it frivolous (well, mostly I'm basing this on the Dark Arts shop). Lucius has no problem scolding Draco, so he's not some super-indulgent super-adoring parent, anyway, although Draco feels comfortable enough to whine on and on, so there mustn't be any serious repercussions. Narcissa gives every indication of being superficial-- again, this focus on gifts and money as signs of love (candy owl posts). Lucius seems to have some sort of agenda, though.
But. I think there is a huge difference between throwing money at things and making sure certain life-lessons are instilled and actually being a doting, devoted parent who spends "quality time" with their child. Who -bonds- with their child and does what's really in their best interest regardless of "the plan".
Lucius Malfoy is a single-minded power-hungry politician who has his fingers in a number of pies, it seems. I get the impression that he's a busy man. More importantly, I don't get the impression that he's an emotionally open, caring man. Now, it may seem that being caring and empathic in general doesn't have a bearing on how loving and good of a parent you are, but I think it does. Maybe you can -not show- that side of you to most people, but it has to be there. And, indeed, if it is there, your child tends not to grow up to be an insufferable prick (yeah, that'd be Draco, much as I love him).
What I'm saying is, Draco's horrible behavior at school is proof enough that his parents aren't giving him some sort of ideal caring environment. Though it's not saying they -beat- him or make his life miserable. It's not one or the other. It could just be the usual-- that people don't know how to love whether they feel it or not. They don't know how to be decent human beings so they don't know how to teach their child to be one.
I think it's the Dursley phenomenon, actually. The parents are awful, and so is the child. It seems, indeed, like they dote on Dudley, but to me, that sort of love is fake and disgusting. It's some sort of parody fascimile of love, because these people wouldn't know real love if it hit them on the hiney and bit down. It's empty, is what I'm saying. There's no real... human bonding going on. It's all about wanting the child to be an exact duplicate of you, wanting them to -become- you.
The Dursleys willfully -ignore- Dudley's real problems until he deals with them in his own way (weight, bullying), just as the Malfoys ignore Draco's (possibly alienation, bullying, anger issues, whatever). That's not love, that's narcissism. So even if such a person -thinks- they love their child, the only thing they love is themselves. It doesn't even matter to me how Lucius actually acts toward Draco, because I can only believe that he doesn't love anything but himself, whatever he thinks.
Overall, I think I'm angry with him. Lucius, I mean. To me, it's not a question of whether he loves Draco or not-- he still hasn't done right by Draco as far as I'm concerned. Love isn't enough, really. Love isn't so much the most important aspect of parenting as the basis from which everything spreads, generally. Thing is-- everyone loves their children. Everyone. Sure, Lucius does and so would Tom Riddle, if he had any. Big whoop, eh? Doesn't mean they won't make their child's life a mockery or a living hell, but I don't think one could say they don't "love" them.
I don't see where this fascination with -whether- Lucius loves Draco comes from. Perhaps it's right there in the text, actually, since it's so vital that Harry's mother really -really- loved him, enough to protect him with her life. But that was a selfless love, wasn't it. It was a love that acquired its goodness from the goodness of her heart. Lily was a loving person, so her love redeemed. Lucius is... not, so his love can only condemn. Love itself can be a prison, can't it. It's the best prison, really. There's nothing special about the -emotion-, only about the heart it inhabits, I think.
But like I said, I'm rather angry with Lucius.
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Date: 2004-05-08 02:02 am (UTC)Don't mind :D