JKR prone to old preconceptions about females?

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 41220

Claudia wrote:
> So I wonder why JKR doesn't achieve such a depth in her 
female  characters. I really don't understand this discrepancy - 
and maybe  this is what truly bothers me: Not so much the lack 
of female  characters itself but that I can't understand the reason 
for it.<<

I think the absence of female characters echoes the central 
tragedy of Harry's life: the loss of his mother. We wouldn't be so 
keenly aware of that if there were a mature, powerful, dynamic 
female character. Instead,  the mother role is fragmented (look at 
how many female characters  have 'M' in their names.)

Except for Hermione, females  are not shown struggling. This 
makes them symbolic of mastery and  fulfillment, surely 
desireable things, but it also gives them less to achieve than the 
males, all of whom are unfulfilled in some way and trying to do 
something about it. Surely the females have their dreams and 
desires also, but we are carefully not made aware of 
them--except for one: Ginny wants Harry.

 We are  *not* told what Hermione would see in the Mirror of 
Erised. This is part of the narrative hook--surely at some point 
(we hope) JKR is going to reveal exactly what Hermione plans to 
do with all her knowledge. But meanwhile, males represent 
action and females represent goals: even Voldemort is given a 
woman to rescue from the dungeons of Azkaban.

Pippin