3. In the canon, Slytherins are presented basically as The Bad Guys. There was little sympathy shown to them by either Harry or the author. Do you think that may be more a case of personal bias than fact? I mean, ALL Slytherins obviously do not feel that the ends justify the means, at least not to the extent that Lucius does. Look at Slughorn. He has been haunted by overwhelming guilt his whole life for simply advising a very bright student on a question he asked, without realising the consequences. He doesn't side with Voldemort not just out of a sense of self-preservation, but because he genuinely thinks his outlook is totally wrong and you have to judge people on their merits, not blood. It's unfair to judge the house, I think, based on the main characters, BECAUSE of that huge bias. (I mean, could a whole house really be full of 100% UGLY people, or is that Harry's bias?) Look at some of the more minor Slytherins: Phineas Nigellus, Regulus Black.
Well, let’s face it. The entire book is biased towards Slytherin. However, this bias is canon, and what we have to go off of. Yes, it sucks that maybe the best of Slytherin isn’t showcased as much as the worst side of Slytherin, but we are given the examples we are given. Slughorn, while I will agree with everything you said there, is another character I find abhorrent. He is disgusting and full of gluttony: for the spot light, for power, etc. I find his need to be overly selective and making an elite club distasteful. I’ve never liked clubs, especially clubs that say this person can not join. Which I suppose, is a bit hypocritical to say. However, clubs like the Slug Club are things that I detest, and I believe it is more of a Slytherin trait to form those clubs than it is any other house.
. It's unfair to judge the house, I think, based on the main characters, BECAUSE of that huge bias.
Except these are the canon characters we are presented with. If we sort based on canon, then we have no choice. Like I said, it sucks that all our canon examples of Slytherin are pretty much awful in some way or another, but it is what JKR gave us. I don’t think all Slytherins are awful people. I think most of the people in our HiH house are quite lovely. Canon just sucks.
Also, you’ve pointed out minor characters, and I suppose you can spin that as they are not nearly as bad as some of the others because they did this or that. However, I’d say we don’t have enough canon fact to make any firm and concrete decisions based on that. (And I am going to continue to address this question in the next few, so if I’ve missed something that you might want to pick apart, it could be in the next two questions. :D)
3a. Are there ANY Slytherin characters you might relate to or understand more?
I think the best example we are presented with is Snape. He is, unfortunately, not purely Slytherin. Like Harry, I think he could have gone into Gryffindor easily.
However, I understand and sympathize with his character, and he is definitely a redeeming light in the Slytherin house JKR presents us with.
Yes, I’ve said I do relate to him in some ways. In fact, his sarcasm, I think was originally a defense mechanism to avoid his own social awkwardness.
However, due to the overwhelmingly less than desirable stereotype JKR has set up for her Slytherin characters, it makes it hard for me to find one that I can not find fault with. This is no fault of the HiH house, of course. It is simply me trying to deal with canon because that is the way we sort; that is the way you are supposed to sort.
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timeasmymeasure
PART TWO
Date: 2009-03-14 01:23 am (UTC)Well, let’s face it. The entire book is biased towards Slytherin. However, this bias is canon, and what we have to go off of. Yes, it sucks that maybe the best of Slytherin isn’t showcased as much as the worst side of Slytherin, but we are given the examples we are given. Slughorn, while I will agree with everything you said there, is another character I find abhorrent. He is disgusting and full of gluttony: for the spot light, for power, etc. I find his need to be overly selective and making an elite club distasteful. I’ve never liked clubs, especially clubs that say this person can not join. Which I suppose, is a bit hypocritical to say. However, clubs like the Slug Club are things that I detest, and I believe it is more of a Slytherin trait to form those clubs than it is any other house.
. It's unfair to judge the house, I think, based on the main characters, BECAUSE of that huge bias.
Except these are the canon characters we are presented with. If we sort based on canon, then we have no choice. Like I said, it sucks that all our canon examples of Slytherin are pretty much awful in some way or another, but it is what JKR gave us. I don’t think all Slytherins are awful people. I think most of the people in our HiH house are quite lovely. Canon just sucks.
Also, you’ve pointed out minor characters, and I suppose you can spin that as they are not nearly as bad as some of the others because they did this or that. However, I’d say we don’t have enough canon fact to make any firm and concrete decisions based on that. (And I am going to continue to address this question in the next few, so if I’ve missed something that you might want to pick apart, it could be in the next two questions. :D)
3a. Are there ANY Slytherin characters you might relate to or understand more?
I think the best example we are presented with is Snape. He is, unfortunately, not purely Slytherin. Like Harry, I think he could have gone into Gryffindor easily.
However, I understand and sympathize with his character, and he is definitely a redeeming light in the Slytherin house JKR presents us with.
Yes, I’ve said I do relate to him in some ways. In fact, his sarcasm, I think was originally a defense mechanism to avoid his own social awkwardness.
However, due to the overwhelmingly less than desirable stereotype JKR has set up for her Slytherin characters, it makes it hard for me to find one that I can not find fault with. This is no fault of the HiH house, of course. It is simply me trying to deal with canon because that is the way we sort; that is the way you are supposed to sort.