We don't know that much about Mr. Black, though we know Mrs. Black was bad, if not worse, than most of these fathers. That doesn't help at all though, since one son ended up a death eater that possibly helped defeat Voldemort (if you believe he is RAB) and the other one was a good guy, but not all that 'nice'.
Lucius, definitely. Actually, I think one of the things Harry and Draco have in common is their daddy issues, ie. living up to their father's image. Harry luckily had a good father to emulate, although James wasn't an angel, but Draco just has Lucius who is a Death Eater who probably has done some horrible things. It's not such a big leap as to guess why Draco joined the Death Eaters. It would've been more shocking if he hadn't.
There is absolutely no proof that James potter was a good father. Save the word of those who knew him, who thought he was also a good boy if a bit "rowdy" when in fact what he was, a vile little bully much like Draco is now.
Well, being as he was only a father for 18 months and we have no canon basis to call it either way, it's hard to judge his fathering skills. If you are talking about his behavior at Hogwarts, that is another matter because he wasn't a father then.
Lucius may have doted on Draco, but the fact remains he is a Death Eater and a poor example for his son.
I think we can make a case by studying the books in purely textual terms: James Potter died trying to save his wife AND son (JKR tells us he would have died regardless, but is also sure to tell us that he definitely died trying to save his family).
Lucius, on the other hand, puts his entire family in danger. Not exactly his fault, but it's because of Voldemort's being displeased with him that Draco was set a task that he couldn't possibly complete...which is now the reason I suspect both he and Narcissa are in danger.
Because you asked, and I love this sort of thing. You were right about there not being that much on the subject. Most of the pages I came across were on single mothers and the effects on a child without a father. I did manage to dig up the following on children without mothers
( ... )
It's seeing all the gays getting civil unions that makes them want to have heterosexual sex out of wedlock to confirm their own heterosexuality -- duh. Everyone knows seeing gay people makes you a little gayer unless you purge it by having sex immediately. But really, can't we blame all the world's problems on gays?
For the record, I'm gay and married (we live in Canada) and have a child who was born out of wedlock (but it wasn't me!). We're everything that's wrong with the world today, eh?
It's seeing all the gays getting civil unions that makes them want to have heterosexual sex out of wedlock to confirm their own heterosexuality -- duh. Everyone knows seeing gay people makes you a little gayer unless you purge it by having sex immediately. But really, can't we blame all the world's problems on gays?
Why didn't I think of that? Damn me for using logic and common sense to try and explain things.
i was just directed here re a conversation i was having about the parenting figures in HBP. It seems to me that HBP is very much a story about mothers and sons, more so than about fathers, period. In HBP we have Narcissa-Draco, Eileen-Severus, Merope-Tom Jr, the lingering background of Lily-Harry, and then as a grace note at the end, Molly-Bill. I wonder if JKR was conscious of this?
I think she must have been, since the last book was more about out growing/losing father figures. It seems fitting that she know goes on to talk about mothers.
I think the Harry Potter books are very much about parental figures in general. That's one of the things that makes the Harry Potter books so much more than the typical boarding school type of book, or even many typical children's fantasy books, where there's some convention used to get the kids on their own, out from under the direct scrutiny of parental figures, but where the parental figures are then almost totally ignored and play no real role in the story. In the HP books, the kids are mostly on their own - but the role of both mothers and fathers in the story is tremendous.
Harry's personality isn't as easy to sum up as Hermione's, or Snape's, or Ron - but that's just because he's not the Loyal Sidekick, or the Brainy Best Friend, or the Nasty but (probably) Good Spy Who Hates Harry Potter but Hates Voldemort More. Also, we're not seeing him from someone else's perspective, we're seeing him from his own perspective, and that again makes it seem like he has less of a personality, because a person's personality is most evident when viewed through someone else's eyes.
Actually, I agree with you wholly. I think I was finally able to connect with him as a person in HBP. Moreover, I actually liked that person. I can't really put my finger on why he felt different in HBP, though.
Because the story's told from his perspective, it's hard to see him fully because he doesn't see himself fully, I guess. In the first five books, though, he felt like a vessel through which the plot was running and I couldn't get him at all.
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Lucius may have doted on Draco, but the fact remains he is a Death Eater and a poor example for his son.
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Lucius, on the other hand, puts his entire family in danger. Not exactly his fault, but it's because of Voldemort's being displeased with him that Draco was set a task that he couldn't possibly complete...which is now the reason I suspect both he and Narcissa are in danger.
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For the record, I'm gay and married (we live in Canada) and have a child who was born out of wedlock (but it wasn't me!). We're everything that's wrong with the world today, eh?
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Why didn't I think of that? Damn me for using logic and common sense to try and explain things.
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Because the story's told from his perspective, it's hard to see him fully because he doesn't see himself fully, I guess. In the first five books, though, he felt like a vessel through which the plot was running and I couldn't get him at all.
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