Female Characters/Re:JKR prone to old preconceptions about females?

[aldrea279]

No: HPFGUIDX 41136

I said:
> Am I the only one that got a little teary at the end of GoF when 
> Harry got his first motherly hug from her? *g*

Claudia replied:
>>No, definitely not. *g* I loved that scene simply because 
throughout 
especially PoA and GoF I often had the urge myself to just hug 
Harry.>>

And there are just so many places in the books where I think Harry 
really just needs a hug. =P  IIRC, I think that's the only part in 
the books that really had me close to crying.


Claudia:
>>As for her having a chance to shine: Other than what she did 
accomplish? No, not really. On the other hand, it isn't necessary 
that *she*'s the one who starts to panic in PS, who starts to cry at 
every opportunity etc.>>

Well, she's not really the only one.  Ron panicked pretty badly in 
CoS when they met up with those spiders.  And I don't think of 
Hermione as "crying at every opportunity".  I know there was a post 
about a month back where someone listed many of the instances where 
Hermione panicks, and that someone defended Hermione very well. 

*searches the archives* Ahah! The wonderful post was by Penny 
Linsenmayer, and to snip to some of the good stuff:

>>Panic attacks:

1. In SS during the Devil's snare episode ("Are you a witch or 
not?!") 
2. While riding Buckbeak behind Harry (not so much *panic* as just 
general
discomfort with flying on a hippogriff)

Tears:

1. In the bathroom all day after Ron's cutting remarks about her, 
before she's
friends with the boys (SS)
2. When she is awarded the 10 points for her cool use of logic under 
fire, she
looks as though she *could* burst into tears (Harry suspects she has) 
(SS)
3. I could think of nothing in CoS off-hand
4. She cries when Ron makes it clear that she's not welcome to join 
in the
post-game party (you know the *2nd* time that Harry makes overtures 
to try and
make things up with Hermione .... that time) (POA) 
5. Hagrid says she has cried a fair few times over her estrangement 
from Harry
and Ron (POA)
6. She cries when she makes up with Ron at last (POA)
7. She cries when Harry & Ron make-up with each other (GOF)
No evidence that Hermione dissolves into a pile of mush and cries at 
the drop
of a hat, and there's especially no evidence that she bursts into 
tears (or
otherwise succumbs to emotion) when the pressure is on. All the 
evidence
points to is that she takes it very badly indeed when any of the Trio 
are at
odds with each other. >>

All that, and add in the way Hermione reacts to Draco's curse in 
GoF...and that's all the instances I can think of.  If you weigh in 
everything the little witch has been through, then I'd say Hermione 
isn't as bad as alot of people make her out to be(it's not like she 
just starts crying when she doesn't know what to do).  And also, 
she's between the ages of 10-14 when all of this happens: she's 
definately learning.  And I know that you're probably not calling 
Hermione a wimp, just saying it's not neccesary for the *girl* to 
always go to peices, but she doesn't, really.  And when she does I 
don't find it unreasonable or unlikely.

But there was one instance involving Hermione that kind of bugs me.  
Professor Lupin's little exam in PoA...the one where he has a sort of 
obstacle course for the kids?  Hermione is said to have not made it 
all the way through, becuase the Boggart got her at the end when it 
appeared as Professor McGonagall and tolf her she had failed 
everything.  Now, the girl was under alot of stress, but it still 
sort of bugged me that that's what broke her down when she knew it 
was coming.  And also the fact that Ron was led astray by a HinkyPink
(I think that's what they're called), after he'd known exactly what 
they do to lure people away.  Granted, I guess this was just to show 
how well Harry was doing in DADA(he made it through fine), but it 
still bugs me for some reason.  Just seems slightly out of character 
for the two, I suppose.


Claudia:
>>Well, Binns is a ghost - I agree on Flitwick. Maybe the subject 
Transfiguration is connected with the position since we know that 
Dumbledore himself taught that before he became Headmaster.>>

Hmm...I don't know about that.  You have to be good at 
Transfiguration to be Headmaster?  That doesn't seem quite right.  
I'm thinking it goes to whoever's best qualified(maybe there's some 
magical object that picks?  GoF picks School Champions, Sorting Hat 
chooses your House...hey, it's a possibility).  


Claudia:
> ~Aldrea, who wants to know who Harry's godmother is...

>>Interesting. I only have a godmother. My brother only has a 
godfather. Is it an English costum to actually have god*parents*? If 
Harry really has a godmother I hope JKR comes up with a credible 
reason that she couldn't take Harry in. And it better be not some 
kind of coma, amnesia or dream and she suddenly found herself in a 
shower. ;)>>

Well, I don't know.  I just assumed that since he has a god*father*, 
he'd more than likely have a god*mother*.  I, myself, don't have any 
godparents. Neither do any of my brothers and sisters, as far as I 
know, anways..but I'm not English, so i don't know what the custom is 
ove there.  Well, even before Sirius Black was convicted, he couldn't 
get hold of Harry.  Dumbledore wanted him with the Dursley's; so even 
if Harry has a godmother, I don't know if we'll need some big story 
to explain her absence from his life, other than the fact that 
Dumbledore had his say.


Cyra posted some very good examples of strong female charactes in the 
books, and I agree with what she said. But if I'm interpreting 
Claudia correctly, she's not saying that there aren't any strong 
female charactes, she's just saying that they don't play as strong a 
role as the male ones.  And that's true, they don't, and they don't 
have as strong a developed background either. They're there, but they 
don't have as much of that real flavor as OnceWasADeath-Eater!Snape, 
Azkaban!Sirius, Werewolf!Lupin, and such.

~Aldrea