female ch./Hermione & getting slightly OT

[milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 3504

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, Neil Ward <neilward at d...> wrote:> 
Susan wrote:
> 
> <<<But Hermione is male identified; therefore I think JKR is. I
know 
*I* was
> in high school, and probably still am to some extent. It takes
quite 
a bit
> of time to appreciate women and to find opportunities for exciting 
fun
> female bonding stuff. Being male identified tends to be how smart 
girls deal.>>>
> 
> I see your point.  I guess I was taking what you said a little too 
literally. 
> 
> I suppose some would say I am, to some extent, a
'female-identified' 
man,
> but I would say I'm myself and not following the guide labelled
"How 
To Be A
> Man".  Therefore, I argue that Hermione is not male-identified, she 
is just
> independent and self-identified at a young age.  Her best friends 
happen to
> be two boys because circumstance threw them together, and she (and 
they) had
> the mettle to embrace that and not see it as being unexpected gender
> behaviour. Of course, they weren't making conscious decisions when 
they
> bonded; I saw it as a demonstration of the deep basis of human 
friendship.  
> 
> It's difficult to strike a balance between gender equality and 
gender
> identity if one maintains existing assumptions about male and female
> identity.  Who decided, for example, that men like sport and women 
like
> chocolate?  Am I a gender-challenging freak if I hate football and 
verge on
> chocaholism?  I think not.
> 
> What I like about JKR's world is the potential for change in the 
characters.
> She uses stereotypes, but she also challenges them (often in the 
development
> of individuals). Many of the female characters are sidelined or 
sketchy, but
> any of them could take on a greater role or significance at any 
time.  There
> is no sense, to my mind, that they are stuck with their lot.  I 
dearly hope
> she explores the potential, but it's her call.
> 
> Neil 

Interesting thread and some very good points have been made. IMO the 
most important point was that the books are written from Harry's 
perspective. 

But here's a *real-life* question. How many people here had an 
opposite sex best friend when they were Harry's age (12-14 years)
that 
was comparable to the Hermione-Harry-Ron friendship? I can speak only 
from my experience, but I don't recall very many boy-girl best
friends 
when I was in my early teens. Those friendships were common when I
was 
about 5 or 6 (my best friend at that age was a boy named Mark), but 
they fizzled when the boy and girl began to bond with same sex 
friends. 

:-)Milz