Tom Marvolo Riddle: The teen who needed someone to help guide him

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Fans attend "Harry Potter And The Cursed Child" Times Square Takeover at Times Square on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Fans attend "Harry Potter And The Cursed Child" Times Square Takeover at Times Square on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child)

While we talk frequently about Lord Voldemort, we don’t talk much about Tom Marvolo Riddle and how he grew to become the man we know and fear in later years of his life.

There is one thing about Tom Marvolo Riddle that always made it a little interesting to see how Lord Voldemort came to be. Sure, he didn’t have the worst life and there is that part of his story where he could have chosen to be a better person than he was but Tom Marvolo Riddle is interesting because he is a mess of a child who had absolutely no guidance.

Which, in a way, is like Harry Potter but the difference is that Harry never let that terrible part of his life rule him. He knew what love was because of his parents and their sacrifice and he let that love lead him.

Voldemort, however, let that lack of love fuel him. He let his loneliness lead to the monster he would become and it is fascinating to think about what would have happened if Dumbledore had actually helped Tom Riddle instead of abandoning him. Would there have been a rise to power for the Dark Lord? Or would he have stayed a kid who just needed someone to help him out?

Tom Marvolo Riddle could have been a great many things but he turned to the evils of the world and didn’t care about anyone or anything except for his own beliefs. And it’d be interesting to see where he’d have ended up otherwise.

Should we have spent more time getting to know Tom Marvolo Riddle? Or do you think that it makes sense we only know a bit about him? Let us know what you think in the comments below.