Gender balance/strong women

[love2write_11098 at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 15056

Re: Kimberly's great comments about Molly Weasley

I agree! I think both Molly is even more underappreciated than 
McGonagall. As someone who intends to spend some time as a stay-at-
home mother someday, I certainly hope that role is not a 
disqualification for strong womanhood. In a house like the Weasleys' -
- almost all men, except for Ginny -- she'd have to be a strong 
woman. She's Ron's mother to be sure, but isn't that how you think of 
your friends' mothers when you're young? I know very few of my 
friends' mothers as people in their own right. Harry knows Molly 
better than I know most of my friends' mothers -- probably because 
she's the only mother-figure he's ever known.

Carl Jung (I'm doing a massive project on his concept of the 
collective unconscious right now) would say that Molly is a positive-
mother archetype (NOT the same thing as a stereotype). This is fine. 
We see her that way because that is how she is important to Harry. 
But, as Kimberly said (and I LOVED your phrasing), she and Arthur did 
not get those kids out of thin air. They are very obviously in love, 
and I'm guessing that a lot of what Arthur loves about her is her 
fire. She's a passionate woman -- rather tired, but after seven kids 
who wouldn't be? -- and she's also decisive and brave, as Kimberly 
said.

I'm loving this discussion!

Stacy