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Stephanie Finnigan
Logan Bearden
ENC 1145-02
27 February 2013
Nature Versus Nurture and Prejudice
The argument of Nature versus Nurture is a controversial issue that has been discussed
and looked at in various ways. Which factors are more influential, a persons genes and traits, or
the environment they are raised in and the experiences they have? Do your parent’s beliefs
overshadow innate human characteristics or vice versa? And do nature and nurture have different
influences on various aspects of your life? For example, does nurture influence a person’s
character while nature determines their susceptibility to disease? In this paper, I argue that
nurture influences a persons prejudice more than nature, as seen through Ron and Draco in the
Harry Potter series.
In the early twentieth century, most people were under the impression that nature was the
most important determinant of behavior. This meant that people believed that genetic traits
played a bigger role in personality, behavior, and character than the environment that people
grew up in. In the 1930’s however, people’s opinions started to change and scientists turned to
the belief that nurture was more influential when determining a person’s behavior.
When scientists started studying twins that were separated at birth, it became clear that
nurture was the more influential factor when determining behaviors. Identical twins that are
reared apart from each other are less likely to be interested in the same things and act the same
way. These twins were raised in different environments with different belief systems. What their
parents and environment taught them was different from one and other. The fact that they have
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the same genes is not enough to overpower the environment that they were raised in. If this is
true for twins, it is extremely plausible that it is true of people that do not have identical genes
(Nature Versus Nurture: Twin Study Overview).
It is evident that nature is the most dominant factor in determining your beliefs, but how
strongly does this correlate with prejudice? In the Harry Potter series, Ron and Draco are prime
examples of just how much of an impact nurture can have on the prejudices you have against
people. Both of these characters have the same nature (they are pure-blood wizards), yet their
views on stereotypes and prejudices in the Wizarding world are polar opposites. This can be
attributed to several things.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling provided a deeper insight into
the families of Draco and Ron. The Weasley’s are a poor, red-headed, accepting and relatively
non-prejudice family. The Malfoys on the other hand are a wealthy, prejudice family who fully
believe in the dominance of pure-blood wizards.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have never taught their children that they are better than others
because they are pure-blood wizards. Mr. Weasley is even obsessed with “muggles” and collects
“plugs” and other muggle artifacts. When he is introduced to Harry, one of the first things he
says is “what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?” This goes to show that the environment
that Ron grew up in was one that instilled a mindset of equality and tolerance towards others.
Draco’s family however, is nothing like the Weasley’s, and consequently, Draco is
nothing like Ron. Mr. Malfoy shows contempt and hatred for “muggles” and “mudbloods” alike.
He even views “blood traitors” like the Weasley’s as less than him and his family. This shows
readers how Draco developed his air of superiority and his prejudice towards people of a
different status than him.
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In Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone some of Draco’s first words to Harry are, “you
will soon find out Potter, that some Wizarding families are better than others. You don’t want to
go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there” (pg. 81). It is evident, from learning
about his background and upbringing, that Draco was taught to think this way. Not all wizards
believe that “some families are better than others” but Lucius Malfoy does, and he has imparted
this prejudice into his son.
The differences between the home lives and family values (the nurture) of these two
characters play a major role in the amount of emphasis and belief they place on prejudices.
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Bibliography
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