[HPforGrownups] Re: What Hermione has Accomplished; Other Noteworthy Girls

[Jesta Hijinx]

No: HPFGUIDX 41236


> >She's good at school - but otherwise... (the sole exception being her
> >solving Snape's logic puzzle in PS)
>
>While I essentially agree that female characters are underdeveloped and
>there aren't quite enough of them and they don't do enough, I must come to
>the defense of my dear Hermione - a *factual* one, not an emotional one, as
>she would probably prefer. :)
>
I'm enjoying the fact that there *are* female characters present...but an 
element I personally am missing is a truly evil female character, either by 
presence or mention.  Rita Skeeter is quite simply annoying and 
two-dimensional, not a mortal threat.  Female DEs are *mentioned*, but Mrs. 
Malfoy, for example, simply sits around looking anemic and dyspeptic.  For 
all we know she could simply be an abuse victim with bad taste, or the 
"right" bloodline stemming from an impoverished family who was pressured 
into marrying Lucius.  (This would also explain their single offspring, 
perhaps.)

If I suspect JKR of adhering to more traditional constraints at several 
points - and I do - this is the one that bothers me the most:  not all 
villains are men.  Let's get a female nemesis in there.

>So did we; I remember 'cause I was one. The words were occasionally
>"tomboy" if she was into sports, but mostly it was "nerd" and "geek." (I
>usually wound up in friendships based on obsessive mutual interests, and it
>just kinda worked out that way, 'cause fashion, dancing, and social ranking
>were not on my OMI list, but Dungeons & Dragons, guitar equipment, and punk
>zines were). It's not that rare or freaky, as far as women and girls I know
>go--glad to see JKR's got one of us prominently featured, although I
>wouldn't necessarily say the Trio have an OMI, unless "keeping Harry alive"
>counts. (We can all relate to the "Oh, well spotted!!" phenomenon. Being
>"one of the boys" has upsides and downsides...but mostly it actually is
>very comfortable most of the time.)
>
I hung out with equal numbers of each, roughly, but rarely at the same time. 
  It didn't affect my "rep" nearly as much as wearing braces for all of high 
school, and glasses for half of it, did, nor for being smart, precocious, at 
a college reading level when I was in junior high, and slamming the curve in 
English and history tests through the roof.

Different mileage in different cultures and subcultures, I suppose.  I just 
suggest considering some of these other elements as well.

> >
> >Millicent Bullstrode:  Just a little incident in CoS that points out that
> >there is more to her than 'stereotypical' teen girl.  She dropped her 
>wand
> >and caught Hermione up in a head-lock during the dueling club!  Not many
> >girls would forego magic for brute strength and if they did, not many 
>would
> >use a head lock!  LOL  Teeth and nails is the 'stereotypical' girls' 
>fight.
>
>'Ell, yeah! Go Millicent! (Well, from a safe distance. I knew some girls
>like this too. Much, much scarier than similarly thuggish boys, 'cause they
>fight dirtier.)
>
Yeah.  I appreciated the lack of a "catfight" aspect to this.  Serious and 
down to brass tacks.

> >Angelina:  Somewhat jockish.  Nothing too different about that.  But when
> >Fred asked Angelina to the Yule Ball, she first "appraised" him with her 
>eyes
> >then said okay.  She got a funny little grin but didn't disolve into 
>giggles
> >- especially considering how publicly the date was made.
>
>My theory is that they had been an item for a while, hence the easy humor
>on both their parts. Note Fred's typically irreverent way of asking. (It's
>worth noting too that Angelina is black and Fred is white; it's nice to
>know that Hogwarts folk don't get uptight about that).
>
>AV
>
>

My heart rejoiced when I read this part in the book.  I have half a hope 
Fred and Angelina wind up together for good.

Here's another note, which is something of a segue but ties in with other 
posts I have read about relative "coming of age" with boy/girl things:  if I 
get repetitive about this, forgive me, but I *do* feel the need to point it 
out in all aspects of my life:  not everything can be put down to hormones!  
I personally believe Harry will marry early - at least, what might seem 
"early" to many of you - for the simple reason that he has no family and had 
a deprived upbringing emotionally (as well as in other ways); it's quite, 
quite common for such people to seek healing through creating what they did 
not have, and to seek stability in this way.  And I do believe he'll marry 
Ginny, not Cho:  I think Cho and Harry may be lifelong friends, Cho may even 
be Harry's first kiss.  But I think that, among other things, Ginny will 
represent to him a tie to the first family that *gave* him any sort of real 
family upbringing.

Before anyone screams at me about this :-), I have a solid social science 
background, and it is very much human nature to form and grow positive 
feelings for someone who is associated for them with pleasant and seminal 
events in one's life.  Consider that, aside from being a schoolgirl crush, 
Harry rescued Ginny ("damsel in distress" syndrome); he put his own life at 
risk to save her.  *That's* gotta leave a mark (on her at least).  :-)  
Secondly, Cho is forever going to be associated with CEdric's death, and 
will to some extent associate Harry with the events as well herself.  I 
think that will be a barrier to any kind of permanent liaison.

Felinia


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