Voldemort began as the stereotypical villain, a monstrous entity that was out for power and to destroy the young, heroic protagonist. This began to change during the second book, when the reader learns a little about the life of Tom Riddle, the person that Voldemort was in his youth. It changes even more during the sixth book, in which we have many more in depth glances into Tom Riddle’s life. It allows us to view Voldemort, the main antagonist, in a more sympathetic and realistic light – he became such a monstrous being due to his traumatic past that is quite similar to Harry’s.
Both Riddle and Potter lived a life without their parents. The primary difference lies in the love that the children did or did not receive. Potter was saved by the love of his mother, who sacrificed her own life for his. Riddle, however, did not have any sort of experience. His very existence came from an illicit, forced love affair of Merope, a pureblood, and Tom Riddle Sr., a muggle, brought about with the help of a love potion. Riddle never had his father in his life, unlike Harry, and his mother died as soon as he was born, with no love or connection shared between the two. The lack of love led to Tom Riddle despising his muggle father, who made him ashamed of who he was.
Both Riddle and Potter were wizards with no knowledge of the wizarding world, but the way their powers manifested highlights the differences within them. Potter’s childish wizarding powers would come about to protect himself, whereas Riddle’s powers were able to be honed in and used to hurt those around him. Thus, the lack of love in Tom Riddle’s life caused him to live with hatred for those around him, which nurtured his budding sociopathy.
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