Hermione and DU (was: CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 33 - Fight and Flight)

[Tammy]

No: HPFGUIDX 119452



> > Tammy replies now:
> > 
> > I don't think Hermione is like DU. Umbridge is arrogant and 
> > self-serving. DU is a racist, plain and simple, which is what 
> > leads to her downfall with the centaurs. She expects them to 
> > realize they are "lower creatures" and to respect her higher status.
> > 
> > Hermione on the other hand, has loads of book knowledge, but 
> > little to no interpersonal people skills. She's a standard 
> > "nerd" (no offense to any nerds in the group, and please note 
> > I'm generalizing for the purpose of my point :P ). She can't 
> > interact with people. She has a hard time interacting with 
> > Ron and Harry most of the time. 
> > 
> > I think that while Hermione and DU had basically the same 
> > result with centaurs, it was for entirely different reasons. 
> > Still a good point from JKR though.
> > 
> 
> Vivamus:
> Tammy, you are absolutely right that they are different in all those
areas.
> DU is all of those things, and Hermione is not.  But when it comes to
> respecting other people's boundaries, I think they have a similar
blindness.
> Just as Harry and LV have many similarities, even though they are
radically
> different, so Hermione and DU have similarities.  DU stomps on other
people
> because she can, and because she is a sadist, and because she is the
epitome
> of a power-hungry beaurocrat, but she probably didn't start out that
way.
> She probably started out thinking that she was making the world a better
> place by "helping" people "for their own good", and that is not
altogether
> different from where Hermione is.
> 
> I'm not suggesting that Hermione would ever grow into a DU or anything
> remotely like her.  Hermione is brave, kind, intelligent, and good,
and I
> don't think DU was ever very much of any of those things, even when
she was
> young.  But it is so easy to view the world as black and white that we
> forget that people are highly complex, and don't easily fall into
good/bad
> categories.   
> 
> Hermione is a wonderful person, but she can be pretty annoying.  One
of her
> most annoying traits is that of disrespecting other peoples freedom of
> choice.  It is never said in the books, but it seems clear to me
that she is
> doing this "for their own good."  That applies whether she is following
> Harry around all day, nagging him about a choice that is his (not
hers,) or
> making his potion disappear (earning him a zero) when cleanup is HIS
> responsibility, not hers, or *arguing* with the house elves (and
everyone
> else) about what the house elves actually *want* in life.
> 
> All to their own way of looking at the books, but I very much like
the fact
> that the heroes are flawed.  They are incredible in some ways, but
blind in
> others, and they do make huge mistakes that have huge consequences.

Tammy replies:

You're definitely right about Hermione. In addition to her bad people
skills, she thinks she's right. Just look at her idea of nice gifts
(the talking homework planner popped into my head when reading your
reply).

I really wonder if JKR will eventually have Hermione end up "right"
about the house-elves or if she will be forced to give up her mission
to free them. I think Hermione's attitude has been too much of a part
of the books for it to lead to nothing. 

-Tammy, who says the heck with book 6, gimme book 7!