Dudley Demented: A Closer Look
By
Lockedsomewhere
Some might think I’m crazy but I think Dudley is one of the more intriguing characters in Harry Potter. (At least, he’s the character that I have the most pity for.) He is the classic spoiled child. His parents fawn over his every last wish. So, of course, Harry is clueless as to what frightened Dudley so at the hands of the dementors. What's more is that the dementors wasted no time in trying to kiss Dudley. What horrors are hidden in the secret life of Dudley Dursley?
What we see of Dudley is mostly in the summer. In the summer, Dudley gets to shine. It’s Dudley this and Dudley that… My question is: Is this treatment because of Harry Potter? I think so. Petunia knew of her sister’s craft long before Dudley came along and she wanted to make dead sure that Dudley didn’t turn out like that. Petunia probably showered the poor boy with material things to send the message that “this is the world you belong too”. She was married to a businessman after all. There life really is all about material things.
So by the time Dudley was eleven, it was probably pretty evident that being magical meant being second-class. Dudley does not want to be second-class. Dudley spent his primary school days showing his superiority to Harry Potter because of this fear. Sadly, it probably only served Dudley’s purpose that those mysterious things happened around Harry. Dudley had evidence that Harry was not normal and doesn’t deserve to be treated as such. Also, I wouldn't put it past Petunia to tell the school administration that Harry was a good-for-nothing little shrimp while Dudley was the most special, precious, and darling little child that they would ever meet.
However, the time must come for the dear cousins to part ways. Dudley is going to the prestigious Smeltings and Harry is going to that school for freaks. What a cause for celebration in the Dursley household! Dudley was going to a “normal” school (thank ghod). And for a while, I’m sure Vernon and Petunia thought they had succeeded in beating the magic out of Harry.
At Smeltings, Dudley no longer has his punching bag to compare himself too. Now, granted, we know nothing about this school. But I can easily imagine that this prestigious preparatory school is not very welcoming of overweight children. I can also easily imagine that this school is none too welcoming of spoiled children. My conclusion? Dudley is NOT popular at school, no matter what image he portrays at home.
And I’m sure this “bottom-of-the-food-chain” concept is not getting through to Dudley so easily (especially since Dudley is used to eating everything in sight). I can see Dudley putting on his “normal” face to the students and teachers, and I’m sure they’re not buying it. The teachers may be more civil, but the students can be down-right cruel. I imagine Dudley gets teased mercilessly because of his weight. I imagine Dudley got teased even more when he tried to pull his “biggest, baddest” face but “I’m telling!” doesn’t work in secondary school. (Now that I think about it, the infamous diet may not have come from just the school nurse. It may have come from the guidance counselor.)
So what did Dudley see at the hands of the Dementors? I think he saw his worst fears realized. The Dementors were doing their job. What are his fears? Dudley has a fear of abnormalcy, a skewed inferiority complex if you will. From the time he was born, he has struggled to be thought of as normal. Now, that's pretty easy when he has a bona fide wizard in the house and his parents don't want to risk hurting his feelings. Now, imagine Dudley going off to Smeltings trying to make friends. He can't tell anyone much about his home life. He's obviously spoiled, and he eats like it's going out of style. Well, I can imagine word got around quick that Dudley Dursley was, for lack of a better term, "freak".
Lockedsomewhere
Some might think I’m crazy but I think Dudley is one of the more intriguing characters in Harry Potter. (At least, he’s the character that I have the most pity for.) He is the classic spoiled child. His parents fawn over his every last wish. So, of course, Harry is clueless as to what frightened Dudley so at the hands of the dementors. What's more is that the dementors wasted no time in trying to kiss Dudley. What horrors are hidden in the secret life of Dudley Dursley?
What we see of Dudley is mostly in the summer. In the summer, Dudley gets to shine. It’s Dudley this and Dudley that… My question is: Is this treatment because of Harry Potter? I think so. Petunia knew of her sister’s craft long before Dudley came along and she wanted to make dead sure that Dudley didn’t turn out like that. Petunia probably showered the poor boy with material things to send the message that “this is the world you belong too”. She was married to a businessman after all. There life really is all about material things.
So by the time Dudley was eleven, it was probably pretty evident that being magical meant being second-class. Dudley does not want to be second-class. Dudley spent his primary school days showing his superiority to Harry Potter because of this fear. Sadly, it probably only served Dudley’s purpose that those mysterious things happened around Harry. Dudley had evidence that Harry was not normal and doesn’t deserve to be treated as such. Also, I wouldn't put it past Petunia to tell the school administration that Harry was a good-for-nothing little shrimp while Dudley was the most special, precious, and darling little child that they would ever meet.
However, the time must come for the dear cousins to part ways. Dudley is going to the prestigious Smeltings and Harry is going to that school for freaks. What a cause for celebration in the Dursley household! Dudley was going to a “normal” school (thank ghod). And for a while, I’m sure Vernon and Petunia thought they had succeeded in beating the magic out of Harry.
At Smeltings, Dudley no longer has his punching bag to compare himself too. Now, granted, we know nothing about this school. But I can easily imagine that this prestigious preparatory school is not very welcoming of overweight children. I can also easily imagine that this school is none too welcoming of spoiled children. My conclusion? Dudley is NOT popular at school, no matter what image he portrays at home.
And I’m sure this “bottom-of-the-food-chain” concept is not getting through to Dudley so easily (especially since Dudley is used to eating everything in sight). I can see Dudley putting on his “normal” face to the students and teachers, and I’m sure they’re not buying it. The teachers may be more civil, but the students can be down-right cruel. I imagine Dudley gets teased mercilessly because of his weight. I imagine Dudley got teased even more when he tried to pull his “biggest, baddest” face but “I’m telling!” doesn’t work in secondary school. (Now that I think about it, the infamous diet may not have come from just the school nurse. It may have come from the guidance counselor.)
So what did Dudley see at the hands of the Dementors? I think he saw his worst fears realized. The Dementors were doing their job. What are his fears? Dudley has a fear of abnormalcy, a skewed inferiority complex if you will. From the time he was born, he has struggled to be thought of as normal. Now, that's pretty easy when he has a bona fide wizard in the house and his parents don't want to risk hurting his feelings. Now, imagine Dudley going off to Smeltings trying to make friends. He can't tell anyone much about his home life. He's obviously spoiled, and he eats like it's going out of style. Well, I can imagine word got around quick that Dudley Dursley was, for lack of a better term, "freak".