Stereotyping, Molly Weasley, and male/female role models.

[David & Lisa Seuferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 84967

Cindy C. wrote:
>
>Hi!  I'm jumping in here a little late, but hopefully not too late 
>
>  
>
>That certainly changed in OoP, but some female characters (chiefly
>Molly) went from being a bit stiff and underdeveloped to being . . .
>well, space aliens.  Molly in particular went from a character that
>was internally consistent and made sense to being just plain *weird.*
>  Tidying the place up while war preparation goes on all around her. 
>Stuck in a time warp and unable to grow with her children.  What I
>can't figure out is if JKR did this to Molly on purpose or even for a
>reason.  
>
>Cindy -- hoping she hasn't offended
>

Hi Cindy!  I'm very new here, but couldn't resist jumping in here, as 
Molly is my #1 favorite "secondary" character.  I'm not offended, but 
may I respectfully disagree?  I have four kids.  To me, taking care of 
the kids and the house and etc., is what I DO.  I am also college 
educated, and work 2 evenings a week outside my home.  But primarily, my 
kids are #1. 

To me, Molly's behavior was so EXACTLY PERFECT to who she is.  A very 
intelligent, caring, strong woman who has devoted much of her life to 
caring for her family.  I am a U.S. citizen.  On September 11, 2001, 
when all the news was terrifying, I baked cookies and did laundry with 
every tv and radio on in the house.  Doing an "everyday" and "mundane" 
thing like baking and cleaning helped me keep grounded when I could have 
been panicking.  I love how Molly guides and directs her household both 
overtly and covertly.  Sure, she probably "babies" her kids too much, 
and doesn't let them fully "grow up".  But I have never yet met a parent 
who doesn't behave that way towards their kids to some extent, falling 
somewhere between way over-done to not at all.  Molly isn't even that 
far on the extreme end of overdoing, in my opinion. 

Molly is living through every mother's worst nightmare.  A horrible war 
situation where many of her kids are actively fighting and in danger, 
others are in harm's way just by the nature of the war, and one has 
completely estranged himself and is working for the "other" side, at 
least during the bulk of OoP.  Her eloquent stating of that elemental 
fear..."what if something happens to one of us and we've never had a 
chance to make up?"  To me that was one of the most heart wrenching 
moments of OoP.

Of course, this is just my opinion and how I read her.  I love her.  To 
me, Molly Weasley is the most "normal" of all the characters.  She is 
the least characatured, least overdone in any direction.   At least, 
that is how she appears to a mostly-at home  mom in "fly over country" 
of  Iowa!

I don't mind that most of the strong characters in the books are male, 
either.  I am homeschooling my kids, and I can tell  you that on 
average, girls of the 9-11 age range tend to enjoy reading more than 
similarly aged boys.  Also, as my son is my oldest and the one I taught 
to read first, I struggled for MONTHS trying to find SOMETHING for him 
to read that wasn't all geared towards girls, with girls as the primary 
characters or at least the strongest characters.  Little House on the 
Prairie series.  Baby-sitters' club.  Box Car Children. Junie B. Jones 
for the younger group.  Ask any librarian.  By far the vast majority of 
series books for the early readers all the way to advanced are geared 
towards girls.  Horse books.  Relationship books.  Girls are just an 
easier audience to write towards, so there are more books written to 
appeal to them.  None, I think, with nearly the depth and fascination of 
Harry Potter, but then, there is only one JKR!

To me the most amazing gift of JKR is that she DOES appeal to boys and 
give boys a chance to read a really good story from a boy's 
perspective.  I don't think it would have been nearly as popular if it 
had been written identically but with a female leading character.  
Research of school aged kids shows that most boys won't read a book (in 
general) with a female leading character, but girls will read a book 
with a male lead.  I'd like to think that JKR knew that and wrote 
specifically to fill that niche.  I think that is why they have been so 
wildly popular!  What parent of a reluctant reader won't go out and 
spend any ammount at any time of day (or midnight release parties) to 
buy a book that their child is anxious and willing to read?

I choose to think it is because we're more imaginative and adaptable. 
*grin* And I am grateful to have a good book of an advanced reading 
level that enthralls my son almost as much as it does me.

Anyway, just my perspective.  Feel free to disagree back!

Lisa