Gryffindor Staircase

[Richard]

No: HPFGUIDX 82977

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "fourjays22" <jayandjay22 at h...> 
wrote:
> Standard newbie disclaimer -- I was unable to find anything about 
> this in my search, and I apologize if it has already been 
discussed. 
> 
> I was curious what role (if any) people think the Gryffindor 
> staircase might play in books six and seven.  I'm referring to the 
> bewitched girls staircase we learn about in OoP that doesn't allow 
> boys to ascend because they (boys) were at one time thought to be 
> untrustworthy.  I've been wondering if all the boys' staircases in 
> the four houses were bewitched?

Richard here:

The boys' staircase in Gryffindor is NOT bewitched, as evidenced by 
the dialog that follows the boys' attempt to visit Hermione in the 
girls' tower.  The point out that Hermione was able to visit their 
dormitory, but that they could not visit her in the girls' dorm.  
Hermione then points out the historical mistrust of boys.

> If so, is this common knowledge?

Richard again:

Obviously not, if the neither Harry nor Ron was ready for what 
happened.

> Could this be a key location of some sort of final battle if/when
> LV enters Hogwarts?
<snip>

Richard again:

Doubtful, but not impossible.  Remember, we are dealing with a 
magical realm, and the inability to walk up stairs is not a major 
impediment.  A wizard or witch could as easily FLY to the appropriate 
room as walk, as evidenced by the escape of Sirius at the end of PoA.
Therefore, I think those stairs are more an inconvenience than a real 
impediment.  Their primary advantage as a defense is in the warning 
they give, not the obstacle they represent.

> The staircase also made me think about Rowling's take on sexism in 
> the books.  Clearly, her focus is primarily on racism/prejudice,
> but  I think she's made some hints that the Slytherins/Death Eaters
> (I know the two groups are not interchangeable) types are sexist as 
> well.  I'm thinking about the fact that there are no girls on the 
> Slytherin Quidditch team (JKR says this specifically and I don't 
> think this is a throwaway line), eg, and the fact that the Death 
> Eaters are primarily male, while the Order, by contrast has a large 
> number of females.  And of course, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is 
> almost half female.  Obviously, there are plenty of girls in 
> Slytherin house, so it's not as clear cut as the Slytherin's
> dislike of Mudbloods, but I've thought that JKR might be making a
> point that the strength of Gryffindor and the Order lies not just
> in their embrace of non-100% wizarding folk, but in the full
> integration of women and men into the ranks.  The staircase is
> kind of a "reverse sexist" institution, based on a stereotype of
> boys, and I wonder if this theme will come into play in the later
> books, perhaps a bit more overtly.
<snip>

Richard yet again:

Others have noted the sexism of Slytherin, and of Voldemort in his 
selection of Death Eaters, but I don's see this as being any more 
significant than the synthetic preducies JKR has suffused the WW 
with.  Rather, I see it merely as a prejudice she could not have 
manufactured a credible synthetic prejudice proxy for.  It will 
likely come into play, but I think the "grander" prejudices of 
purity, race and such will be more central by far.


Richard