> That's a good point I hadn't thought about. Ambition is not, in and of > itself, an evil trait, and it is the one Slytherin most valued. If you can > point those ambitious kids along the right path, you've got a better chance of > keeping them from the Dark Arts than you would if you sent them off on their > own. >
The trait that Slytherin most valued was purebloodedness. Ambition was a distant second. As I said, Rowling tends to write her good guys much better, much more nuanced and variegated, than her bad guys, who all tend to have unitary motivations and never change. Draco Malfoy is the prime example, but most of her Slytherin students are the same: just plain scum. My problem with Snape is that he does not appear to have any negative feelings towards his own house, even though Slytherin house produces Death Eaters, whom he cannot stand. You'd think he would at least appear conflicted, even if he had to dissemble. He certainly never seems to be even trying to nudge them back away from the path of evil - which he should know better than anyone how tempting it is and how likely it is that some of the Slytherin students seem to be heading down it. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last." - Dr Jerry Pournelle _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
