Hermeione's Abilities

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 68528

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jsmithqwert" 
<jsmithqwert at h...> wrote:
> Much of this is a repeat from many other threads, but altogether is 
> asking a broader question than they do.
> 
> Does anyone else find Hermeione slightly unbelievable as a 
character. 
> I mean, we have all known know-it-alls, but now that she is 
> displaying a little more emotional maturity, it seems that 
Hermeione 
> is just too perfect. She learns all the spells, potions, and 
history 
> way faster and way better than anyone else, explains the complex 
> psychology of those around her perfectly, and demonstrates her 
> independence and tenacity to boot. Harry is supposed to be the hero 
> of the series, but he is always being one-upped by Hermeione. She 
> vanishes her snail on the third try when Harry doesn't get it all 
> lesson. She sees strait through Voldemort's little plan to lure 
Harry 
> to the Department of Mysteries. And she handles all the stress of 
> OWLs and prefecture in stride. Really, if Rowling is writing 
complex 
> characters, where are her faults? I had really hoped that the 
author 
> would have people catching up to Hermeione academically by now, and 
> her cool understanding of the emotional turmoil of everyone around 
> her was infuriating. 

This last bit was the one thing that bothered me about Hermione in 
this book.  For a fifteen-year-old kid, she has an enviable knack of 
being able to sum up the emotional and behavioral motivations and 
actions of the adults around her.  She's just a little too spot-on to 
be believable.  For instance, in speaking of Sirius early in the 
book, (and for the life of me I can't find it now) she comments that 
she thinks he's been very lonely for a long time and that's one of 
the reasons he is acting the way he does.  Now, she's probably got a 
point - the man spent 12 years in prison and 2 on the run.  And now, 
he has a sense of isolation from the other members of the Order 
because he can't be as active as they are.  

I don't know - maybe there are 15-year-olds who can ably interpret 
what makes adults tick right down to a tee, and are never wrong.  It 
just seems...off to me. And, maybe I'm overlooking some gross 
misunderstanding that Hermione has of another character. But, I can't 
think of one.

I don't really have a problem with her still being academically ahead 
of most of the others.  I think that not only is she smart, she's 
driven to succeed because she did not come from a wizard family. 

And, Hermione also strikes me as someone who really doesn't care 
about the opinions of the Pansy Parkinsons of the world, so, in her 
shrugging off of the insults or jeers she gets from them, it's almost 
not a stretch for her to appear much more mature than they are.

Marianne