Is Luna Lovegood the anti-Hermione?

[elfundeb2]

No: HPFGUIDX 113568

Paul wrote:
> 
> I agree 100% that Luna is the exact opposite of Hermione. She is 
> aloof and certainly a non-rational person. I can't see her as the 
> catalyst of Harry's redemption. Yes she was unwillingly helpful at 
> the end of OOTP, by creating feelings of pity from Harry to her. 
But 
> she was only a deus ex machina in order to de-escalate the tension 
> of the main character and the readers and give an optimistic note 
> for the future. Instead Hermione is virtually living inside 
Harry's 
> mind, heart and soul. Don't get me wrong this is not a shipping 
> comment. We know that his conscience is talking with Hr's voice. 
We 
> also know that in almost every case he acts having Hr's opinion 
for 
> him in his mind. She knows him and understands him better than 
> anyone else, and vice versa. So it is logical to assume that 
> Hermione will  be the key player if not the sole player for 
Harry's 
> survival and redemption.

Debbie:
I agree wholeheartedly that Luna is the "anti-Hermione" but must 
disagree with the statements that Luna's only value at the end was 
to create feelings of pity, and that Hermione is virtually living 
inside Harry.  It was at the beginning of Harry's conversation with 
Luna -- when Luna commented "serenely" how people take her 
possessions -- that Harry felt pity.  I think the importance of 
their meeting was her own experience with and ability to accept 
death despite her acknowledgement that the loss of her mother still 
make her sad. (I see that Siriusly Snapey Susan has posted a similar 
comment.) 

Also, Luna's acceptance of herself, despite the fact that others 
take her possessions and call her Loony Lovegood behind her back, 
may be the catalyst that will allow Harry to grow to accept the role 
that has been thrust upon him.  She doesn't need to do it 
proactively.  She doesn't even need to appear in HBP.  The brief 
conversation at the end of OOP was all that was needed to plant the 
notion in Harry's mind.  It's not a "redemption", just an idea that 
nudges him in the right direction.

Hermione, on the other hand, tends to take a pro-active approach to 
things.  She is a keen observer and implemented a number of schemes 
to deal with his problems, but there's plenty of evidence that she 
was not truly in sync with Harry.  A simple example is the homework 
planner she gave him for Christmas.  She was trying to impose her 
own organization and study methods on him, and it didn't work.  And 
she nagged him again and again about Occlumency without seeming to 
appreciate Harry's attraction to the corridor.  Again, Hermione is 
advocating her solutions to his problems instead of trying to 
understand his needs. 
 
Now, if Luna is a counterbalance to Hermione, why did JKR wait until 
now to introduce Luna to the story?  My simple answer to that 
question is that JKR introduced her so late, and made her so odd, so 
that we would not become too attached to her before JKR kills her 
off.   If you think about it, her calm acceptance of death and 
belief in the afterlife would soften the blow considerably.  

JKR has also laid a foundation for reader acceptance of that death.  
In addition to her speech to Harry,  Luna's oddness (kooky jewelry, 
upside down reading habits, lack of concern for her material 
possessions) is itself an otherworldly characteristic.  She refuses 
to conform to adolescent norms and seems at times to be very 
detached from the world of the living; nevertheless, she does not 
embrace death as a suicide-obsessed teen might.

There's also a parallel between Luna's introduction and Sirius' (and 
Cedric's, too).  Sirius was not introduced as a character until PoA 
(though he's mentioned in PS/SS ch. 1), and manages to last 
approximately 2 books after we meet him.  We also don't get to know 
him very well until OOP.  Likewise, Luna is introduced in OOP (with 
an offhand reference to her family in GoF (the Portkey chapter), and 
if she lasts through two books, her demise would take place sometime 
in Book 7. Cedric is introduced ever so briefly in POA and we never 
really get to know him well before he is dispatched in GoF.  

Yes, unfortunately, I believe Luna may be history before the series 
is done. 

Debbie
who approaches problems like Hermione but wears her wand like Luna