The Female Students (and other female charcters)

[rachelrenee1]

No: HPFGUIDX 33254

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "christi0469" <christi0469 at h...> wrote:
>  If the female characters in Potterverse have not eveolved by the 
> end of the 7th book JKR will have failed to give a gender-balanced 
> perspective to the series: however, I do see a lot of potential in 
> the female characters we already have (and we will probably get 
more 
> as the books progess). As Harry matures his understanding of the 
> females around him will hopefully mature as well, giving greater us 
> greater insight into their personality. I do admit that the in the 
> books we have so far the female characters have not been given 
> enough dimension, but I can accept the arguement that it is due to 
> Harry's limited POV.


<Snip some character descriptions>

Christi wrote: 

>  I do like some of the female characters, especially McGonagall. 
She 
> reminds me lot of me high school english teacher, who looked every 
> bit as spinsterish but was exceedingly cool (for the lack of a 
> better word). Being in the accelerated class, I had the priveledge 
> to see her at her best. She was strict but allowed us to have fun, 
> and shocked us by entering the classroom in a nightgown with her 
> hair down to do the lady MacBeth "out damned spot" monologue. She 
> was also married. I truly believe that there is a lot of depth to 
> McGonagall that has yet to be explored. Prof. Trelawny remainds me 
> of a professor I had in college who was just far to impressed with 
> her own accomplishments. I hope Madame Maxime gets more fully 
> developed, as I would love to see Hagrid have a chance at a 
> relationship. Fleur could aslo turn out to be a very complex 
> character, and I will be very surprised if Ginny doesn't turn into 
> an important and potentially strong character. And we should learn 
> more about Lily before the end of the series. It would not take 
much 
> to make the existing female characters as complex and interesting 
as 
> some of the male ones, but we just don't know enough about them yet.


I think one really strong female character is missing here, in this 
discussion.  Molly Weasley is a pretty cool female character.  Yes, 
she is a stay-at-home mom, by all apearances, but that does not make 
her weak in any way.  (I am one, and trust me, it takes a lot of guts 
to deal with the raised eyebrows alone.)  She not only nurtures her 
large brood, but she can strike fear into their hearts when they 
misbehave, should she so choose.  (Even Arthur!)  She is one of the 
first that Dumbledore initiates into the New Crowd of fighters of 
Voldemort.  She and Snape are the two that Dumbledore chooses to 
reveal Sirius to.  Snape, the Death-Eater-turned-spy-at-great-
personal-cost, was right on the same level as Molly in Dumbledore's 
estimation.  She is a wonderfully generous person, despite the little 
that she posesses.  She and Arthur stand up for their convictions, 
although it does cost them some comfort.  They choose to stick with 
doing the right thing and doing what they *like* even though it 
causes people like Lucius Malfoy to sneer at them.  She deals very 
gracefully with the sneers and insinuations against her and her 
family, but she also comes out as a fighter for her family.  I think 
that she is a wonderful example of all that is good and strong.

--Rachel