Ginny & Molly: Mother-Daughter Thoughts

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 21306

Hi --

There've been some discussions about what sort of relationship Molly
likely has, and particularly *will have* in the future, with daughter
Ginny.  

I'm no expert on mother-daughter relationships from the mother's
perspective *yet* (my daughter being only 2 mths old), but I have a
daughter's perspective.  I think fanon Ginny -- rebellious & spirited --
is possible because I think Molly has been over-protective & in fact
smothering of Ginny. 

Ginny seems very very young in PS/SS and CoS.  In PS/SS, we don't know
her exact age IIRC.  We see her holding on to her mother's hand as they
walk through King's Cross.  Then, we hear her whining about wanting to
go on the train & goggle at HP and her mother hushes her, telling her
she's already seen him.  We then see her being told that she's too young
to go to Hogwarts. Then, our last impression of Ginny is her running
after the train, laughing & crying.  These actions don't seem like a
9/10 yr old girl to me.  This behavior seems to me to be of a much
younger child (child expert that I am -- <g>).  In any case, it's clear
that Molly keeps a firm hold on Ginny at that point anyway.  And, when
first reading this one, I definitely wouldn't have pegged Ginny to be as
old as she was.

In CoS, we again see Molly holding Ginny's hand in at least one
instance, reinforcing the image of a much younger child.  At least my
memory of being 11 or 12 would *not* include willingness to hold my
mother's hand in public.  Perhaps it is another British cultural
difference.  But, it's another reason why I have viewed Ginny as being
very young.  She's the same age as our Trio were in PS/SS and yet
contrast the difference in how she's depicted.  Don't get me wrong:
young does not necessarily mean weak.  But, IMO, this depiction only
reinforces the one-dimensional stereotypical "Ron's younger sister"
characterization of Ginny.  She's not so much her own person as she is
Ron's little sister & the youngest Weasley, who's still very much under
her mum's thumb.

The same thing holds true in the later books.  When you compare how she
is depicted against how the Trio were in the previous volume, she comes
off looking much younger than just one year younger than Ron.  So, is
Molly overly protective?  Is it because Ginny is the only girl, the
youngest child or some combination of both factors?  

Will Ginny continue to be stifled by her mother & excluded from the
Trio?  I know, I know.  The Ginny fans will all point to her strong
character as evidenced by the pre-Yule Ball scene.  I guess it's
possible.  She did tell Molly she was being old-fashioned when Molly
criticized Bill's earring & hair. But, where was she during the Final
Task & its aftermath?  Did her mum scivvy her off to Gryffindor tower,
perhaps under the care of the twins?  Was she watching the Task with
friends from her year, and if so, why didn't she join her family &
Hermione when it was apparent that Harry was in trouble? Doesn't this
raise some doubts about whether she does in fact still have a crush on
Harry?  Why wouldn't she stand her ground with her mum in this case, and
if she didn't put up a fight, why not?  If H/G is to happen, there just
has to be more development of Ginny individually & Ginny interacting
with Harry and the Trio in Book 5.  IMO.  

All in all, I'm anxious to see what happens with Ginny, particularly
with regard to her relationship with her mum.

Penny