101 Reasons Not To Join The Slug-Club

[icarus]

Insights into Slughorn, or...

"101 Reasons Not To Join The Slug-club."



On first glance, Slughorn's one of the good guys. He supports Dumbledore over Voldemort (despite his Slytherin origins) and while he may have misjudged young Tom Riddle, his mistake is an innocent one. He trusted the kid too much.

But Harry had good reason to avoid the Slug-club. Dumbledore's warning about being "collected" seems odd. What's wrong with belonging?

Slughorn's motives stink. Oh sure, Slughorn does pave the way to power and he's clearly a good ally to have, but why does Slughorn do it?

The key to understanding Slughorn is to recognize his frustrated ambitions. He is talented but in ways that do not lend themselves to glory: a potions professor, a master of disguises. Yet he loves the limelight enough to stand as close to it as possible. His behaviour at his party is very much one of an art collector, smug at the latest Van Gogh he has been so clever as to acquire.

Unable to win acclaim, he seeks to bathe in reflected glory. By having the Boy-Who-Lived, important purebloods and interesting talented people surround him, he gets to stand in their limelight.

That's not so bad. Why would Dumbledore warn Harry of this?

Slughorn is jealous of his acquisitions, that's why. He can't be the best or the brightest or the most beautiful. So he co-opts the success, the brilliance, and the beauty of those around him. Regardless of their prior successes, regardless of their natural talents, Slughorn, by giving them the connections, can take credit for everything they do.

He can say, "I made you."

He can say, "You would have been nothing without me."

On careful examination, Slughorn arranges his "collection" in a hierarchy with himself at the top. Once someone becomes a member of the Slug-club his or her status within that group is at Slughorn's whim. He dismisses those that he doesn't want. He arranges the attentions of those within his little club so they vie with each other over him. How empowering must that be, to have the best and the brightest defer to him. What a balm to his sense of jealousy to brag later about his "acquisitions," subtly suggesting that all that they've become is due to him.

He has to be subtle. False modesty is the name of the game. If the group caught on, they would avoid him like the plague.

The dangers of joining the Slug-club won't appear until one of his coterie crosses him. If they've given him too much power over their lives, Slughorn can do some real damage. But even at its best, anyone who joins that group is diminished by association. They will never know what they are capable of on their own because Slughorn will be there to remind them of his hand in their success every step of the way.

Why doesn't Dumbledore warn the others? Well obviously, some people are not damaged by association with Slughorn. Tom Riddle uses Slughorn quite effectively rather than the other way around. And of course, Dumbledore is closest to Harry. But for Harry in particular Slughorn is dangerous.

Harry is already vulnerable. Unlike Hermione, he was neglected and verbally abused for years by the Dursleys. He's an orphan, with that sense of rootlessness that might seek a refuge in the seemingly nurturing attentions of a Slughorn. We can see how Harry has virtually adopted the Weasleys.

Most of all, Harry needs to develop the courage and strength to stand up to the greatest Dark Wizard of their time. Dumbledore has been clearly working towards this end throughout the series. He's had Harry take on dangers even within Hogwarts that naturally a wizard like Dumbledore could have managed. He takes Harry with him in HBP on a dangerous mission to set Harry on an equal ground, suggesting "you can step into my shoes."

Slughorn's M.O. on the other hand is to foster a dependence. No one is ever Slughorn's equal. He strokes the egos of those around him by creating an aura of exclusivity, making people hungry to join by deliberately leaving some out. He states openly that he "picks the best," suggesting that if you're not picked by him, you're not the best. This sets him up as the arbiter of greatness -- all in dependence on his judgment. Then, once within the "inner circle," Slughorn has to make sure status is bestowed solely by himself. I suspect JKR is drawing upon glad-handing power-brokers at Warner Brothers for the character of Slughorn, though I'm sure we've all known someone like this.

The Slug-club is a poisonous little group, mostly dangerous to its members. But for Harry Potter in particular, it would be a disaster.

Fortunately, Harry's shown a talent for picking good people, even without Dumbledore's warning. Maybe the abuse from the Dursley's has made him alert to manipulative types. After all, he did tell Draco, "I think I know the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

Comments

[quivo.livejournal.com]

Great analysis you've got here. Slughorn really is poisonous in that way, and it's probably worst for the students in his club that have no idea what his real motives are. For someone like McLaggen, who seems to have very little in his handsome (I think he was said to be, but can't quite remember) skull, it's probably the kiss of creative death.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

For someone like McLaggen, who seems to have very little in his handsome (I think he was said to be, but can't quite remember) skull, it's probably the kiss of creative death.

Especially since McLaggen is so empty-headed. His usefulness is so limited for Slughorn and he'll find himself on the outs pretty fast.

Icarus

[quivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah - I find myself feeling quite worried for the entire population of Hogwarts (let's not even get started on my thoughts on the future of the Wizarding world) sometimes, and his type appear, to me, to be the most doomed. There's a war on, and all he (and more than half the school) can think about is Quidditch. I mean, Harry's not much of a poster boy for being vigilant or whatever, but god, at least he tries.

Well, he not so much tries as is thrown against his will into the relevant situations, but at least he knows what side he's on and is prepared to do a great deal to make sure that the side wins. Which is more than I can say for petty people like McLaggen, of course. If I were Jo, I'd probably just do them all in for spite, you know? Write a 100-page exposition as the seventh book and release it on the internet a day before the seventh book's title is due to be announced.

Plot points? Elementary!

- Snape and Pettigrew formed an unlikely team for Horcrux reconnaissance, and, after gathering all of them in Spinner's End, knowing that their deaths were imminent, destroyed all six of the Horcruxes, along with themselves. Mostly because the spell they used backfired horribly, of course, none of that guilt thing.

- Draco will turn up a week later, wild-eyed with remorse and ready to sell out the rest of the Death Eaters and even to give up Voldemort's location. Harry rewards his great courage by making him his love slave, with consideration for promotion to love servant and/or steward within a year.

- Ron and Hermione have a gloriously passionate happy happy joy joy interlude, while Ginny and Harry argue about whether their relationship can continue if Harry has a love slave. Ginny decides she'd rather have Draco as her love slave, and goes on a quest to find and retrieve Zachariah Smith in his place, as Harry's none too keen on giving up mastership of Draco.

- The foursome eventually leave Harry's house and storm the Ministry. After a hard-fought battle with lots of shouting and hiding in dark corners, Scrimgeour is violently deposed, and Arthur Weasley takes his place as temporary Minister of Magic. Why? Because Harry is really starting to look and act a lot like Tom Riddle, and he said so.

- Harry sends Voldemort an insulting letter of challenge, to which Voldemort replies with an overly stiff letter of acceptance of his challenge, the resulting duel set to happen somewhere outside Windlesham House School in West Sussex. Yes, the destination was arbitrarily chosen. No, Harry did not choose the Sussex location because it sounded like "Surrey".

- Draco protests wildly when he finds out his mast- er, Harry doesn't want him anywhere near the duel, and sneaks off after him with Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Zacharias in tow. Which is a good thing, because Voldemort is about to finish our erstwhile boy hero off when the group of courageous teenagers land in Sussex. Draco confuses Voldemort by performing a curious amalgamation of the can-can and a striptease, and Harry is able to finish off the very confused, more than slightly horrified Dark Lord off with a well-timed killing curse.

- After a stormy fight ending in numerous activities that should only really be performed between a love slave and their master, Harry and Draco make up, and settle down in Godric's Hollow, which turns out to have been renovated charmingly in the style of the Victorian era. Ginny and Zach have far too many children for their own good, and Ron and Hermione eventually split and go their separate ways. Everyone else is pretty much a variation on the two. THE END.

I have no idea why I just wrote that out, but it was damn fun. And it beats sighing and thinking that an awful lot of people are going to kick it in Book 7. :(

[quivo.livejournal.com]

Need I say that I went more than a little off point? :)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

LOL! Oh good, I thought I'd missed something since it's late.

Icarus

[quivo.livejournal.com]

Glad I could make you laugh ;) I find humour is always better at night, somehow.

[dbassassin.livejournal.com]

This is a very interesting analysis. I've seen a few things written about Sluggy, but none that take quite this approach.

As you say, we've all known people like him. I used to work in an industry where pretty much everyone was, so I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Sluggy, despite the fact that I find him rather loathsome.

You talk about his desire to have others dependent on him. I think you're spot on. And at the same time, he's dependent on the youngsters that he uses. As they leave Hogwarts and move on into their careers, his continuing connection to them is the foundation of his power.

I think of Sluggy as a large spider sitting at the centre of a web he's spent his life weaving. The web is made up of social obligations and debts, bits of influence he's carefully constructed through making introductions, smoothing the paths of talented students (who then owe him favours he can call in at his discretion), and doing small but significant favours for the powerful. It's like he has his own economy, make up of the transfer and trade of obligations and favours. And when he needs to, he converts this currency into something more tangible. Like protection, perhaps?

I think Dumbledore wants Harry to avoid Slughorn because Harry's status in the wizarding world represents a tremendous temptation to Slughorn. Dumbledore doesn't know if he can trust Slughorn to resist trying to use it for his own benefit. But Dumbledore isn't above using Harry (and the temptation of Harry's status) to lure Slughorn back to Hogwarts.

Dumbledore needs Slughorn at the school in order to acquire the Horcrux memory, but he also needs to ensure that Harry won't fall prey to Sluggy's machinations. Perhaps Dumbledore thinks Slughorn might be used by Voldemort to get to Harry. After all, Voldemort was one of Sluggy's chosen few - and from what we've seen, a particular favourite.

I think Slughorn - and his former (?) connection to Riddle and the core group of Death Eaters - is my favourite part of HBP. How it all plays out in book 7 will, hopefully, be very interesting.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I think Voldemort is independent of this web because he is a sociopath. Slughorn relies on his coterie's sense of social obligation, and it must work well with the Malfoys of the world.

But to a sociopath people are just a means to an end. They're like furniture. Who feels a sense of moral obligation to furniture? It merely serves a purpose. Riddle feels none of the normal sense of human obligation, is incapable of remorse, and could never have been bound into that social network.

Perhaps Slughorn hopes that his favours would be worth some protection, but I suspect he reads people well enough to know that's not true. Sociopaths are difficult to read because they're just so strange, but once you're on to them it's obvious.

One thing the Slughorn is good at is reading people. His social networking requires that, binding them into a network of favours, he has to be able to read what favours someone would want. I think he knows Voldemort would kill him as casually as people kill flies, one reason he was so frightened.

It's going to be very interesting how JKR ties up all these loose ends.

Icarus

[likethemodel.livejournal.com]

That makes a lot of sense. Except why can't Slughorn get the fame he wants? He's clever, quick at the draw, and has a knack for making connections. You'd think he'd do wonderfully. Perhaps potions aren't that marketable? Maybe that's why Snape is so defensive in his PS/SS speech?

But there has to be something more. What kept Slughorn from being as great as he wanted?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Risk.

To aim for fame is to risk failure. Slughorn's skills indicate someone who likes to play it safe (disguises) and have control over the results (potions). By collecting proteges (visualizes the accent grave), if one or two don't make it-? Well, it's not his fault. He has plenty more where those came from.

Note the double standard: if they succeed, he's responsible. If they fail, he had nothing to do with it.

Icarus

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I was told by someone in the know of how private schools function that Slughorn types are ALL over the place, and that JKR got it spot-on with him.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Really? Collecting large groups of talented students? Forgive me for how this sounds (I just read a fine B&D fic) but... what do they do with them?

Icarus

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Exactly what you described--they can always say, "Oh, yes, that person was one of mine, I made him/her the success s/he is today." That gives them credibility and makes other students all the more eager to be recognized by them.

[tunxeh.livejournal.com]

But even at its best, anyone who joins that group is diminished by association. They will never know what they are capable of on their own because Slughorn will be there to remind them of his hand in their success every step of the way.

Yes, thank you. What a great counter to the argument that Slughorn performs an essential role in getting wizarding society connected and running efficiently. It always seemed a bit slimy, and one obvious reason is the exclusivity of it (continued membership having less to do with talent and more to do with parentage and with sucking up to Sluggo) but you've put your finger on another big part of it.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

the argument that Slughorn performs an essential role in getting wizarding society connected and running efficiently.

Egad. Do people really say that? How is that supported by the books and Dumbledore's warning?

continued membership having less to do with talent and more to do with parentage and with sucking up to Sluggo

Yep. You start as talented, but ultimately submitting to the greatness of Slughorn is the only means of survival.

Icarus

[tunxeh.livejournal.com]

Egad. Do people really say that?

Yes. (http://community.livejournal.com/hp_essays/113190.html)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Let me see if I can get through the first three paragraphs without retching.

Icarus

[snorkackcatcher]

Hmm ... I don't think that is quite Slughorn's MO?

He doesn't seem to be the type who actually wants fame or office himself, because that would require effort and be dangerous, and what he really craves is comfort and respect. He's the kind of person who far prefers to be kingmaker rather than king -- much less hassle.

As for his club, well, it's an old-boy (and old-girl) network, and I imagine is very useful to people within it in terms of contacts and influence. That doesn't mean it's a great thing, especially for someone like Harry who doesn't need it, but it's a very common one.

I suppose what I'm saying is that Slughorn seems to me to be basically a decent enough sort, more snobbish than actively malicious.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

He doesn't seem to be the type who actually wants fame or office himself

Ah, that's something that wasn't clear in the essay but came up in comments. He doesn't want the risk associated with fame, the bad side. He wants only the good aspects. He's caught between his ambition and jealousy and his need to control (or cowardice if you're feeling uncharitable).

what he really craves is comfort and respect.

If all he wants is comfort and respect, there is no reason for the Slug-club. His talents as a potions professor are more than enough to gain him respect. For example, he has the respect of Dumbledore. Clearly he doesn't seem to seek wealth or comfort (teachers everywhere are underpaid).

He's the kind of person who far prefers to be kingmaker rather than king -- much less hassle.
... As for his club, well, it's an old-boy (and old-girl) network, and I imagine is very useful to people within it in terms of contacts and influence.

*shakes head* No, this isn't how the good old boy network works. I worked seven years in the corporate world and the normal "good old boy network" is you know a few people who know a few people, you belong to the the right clubs, go to the right events, participate in the right charities, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. The good old boy club is what Draco tried to do when he first met Harry.

Slughorn's active recruitment of scads of proteges is something far beyond that. Dumbledore called it a "collection" and that's exactly what it is, with all that the word implies.

I suppose what I'm saying is that Slughorn seems to me to be basically a decent enough sort, more snobbish than actively malicious.

You don't have to be malicious to do damage. Arrogance is enough. Slughorn appears to genuinely believe he's doing these kids a favour. That's what makes it so insidious. Since Slughorn believes he's essential to their success and that his proteges couldn't make it without him, they believe it too.

Icarus

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

very stimulating... i have not read HBP a 2nd time since it came out, so you pointed out a lot of things i had forgotten...
HBP is too painful for me... but i will read it again eventually.
just his name is repulsive.. Slughorn... yuck...

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You know, I've never re-read HBP either. It's OotP that I find the most painful. Probably because I want to kill Harry. :)

Icarus

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

ahaha... yeah.. he was really pissing me off in the beginning. it was understandable, but still.. dude, take a chill pill.

[blythely.livejournal.com]

I know I don't often comment on them, but I do very much enjoy and appreciate your thoughtful analyses, and this is no exception. I wish I had the time to write thinky mulit-PoV fic about those club evenings.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

An effective fic about this would probably center on an unknown OC who, after too long with Sluggy, returns to obscurity and gives up on exploring his talents, to the frustration and shock of professors like Minerva.

Icarus

[srichard.livejournal.com]

You make a lot of excellent points here. I was thinking about this the other day; ironically, it was in the context of how odd it would be to go to my tenth high school reunion and meet my teachers and be thinking, "I now have more education than many of you, and am on the track to a better career," and how damned sad that was. I think being a teacher isn't the career for anyone who wants glory, which is part, as you say, of what makes Slughorn dangerous.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

"I now have more education than many of you, and am on the track to a better career," and how damned sad that was.

I went to a Waldorf school where the teachers chose a low-paying career to follow a particular philosphy of teaching. I have to say, I really respect them and while I may end up with more education and have already had a higher paying career, I think they're probably more successful than me. They've really followed their hearts, you know? :)

But for someone like Slughorn who wants power, but is too cowardly or lacking in personal talent to achieve it, yeah. It's bad news.

Icarus

[threeoranges.livejournal.com]

Spot-on essay! Now you've got me evaluating DEAD POETS SOCIETY in a whole new light - is the Robin Williams character so very altruistic, or was he just hoping to start up his own subtle "cult of personality" too? Some might argue that Mr Keating from DPS is the anti-Sluggy, someone who promotes free thought and independence, but if one looks again at that scene where he tells his students "I hate this preface, rip it out of your books" - isn't that just an example of "Don't follow him slavishly... Follow *me* slavishly!"? ;)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Hard for me to comment on a movie that I've only seen a few excerpted scenes from.

"I hate this preface, rip it out of your books" - isn't that just an example of "Don't follow him slavishly... Follow *me* slavishly!"? ;)

Hmm. One would hope that the kids would copy the iconoclastic questioning of authority rather than mindlessly switching masters. But his attitude is less Dumbledore and more anti-Slughorn, true. More appropriate to ask, "So what do you think?"

Icarus

[rachel-w.livejournal.com]

Excellent Essay, I'm printing it out for reference in my fanfic writer's character information book... ;-)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Really? Cool!

Icarus

[theemdash]

I really enjoyed this characters analysis. I don't really have much to add, but I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. Have you analyzed any other characters, or have you considered analyzing any other characters? Can I encourage you to do that when you have the time? ;)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I've done a little bit of Percy analysis, why he's the gayest of the gay characters.

Icarus