Nel Question #9: Gender - Perfect Sense

[kempermentor]

No: HPFGUIDX 127478


> > bboyminn:
> > Instead of complaining that the books are male-centered, which of
> > course they well should be, people should be marveling, as I do, 
that
> > a female author could so thoroughly and accurately capture the
> > male-mind. Speaking as a former boy (current man), JKR got it
> > amazingly and wonderfully right.


>phoenixgod2000: 
> I would make the opposite arguement. To me it seems obvious that a 
> woman is writing this story. the whole thing smacks of stereotypes 
of 
> boyhood and boyish tendencies without any real understanding. I 
think 
> in a lot of ways the books are demeaning in their portrayal of teen 
> boys. Ron in particular seems a victim of this to me. I refuse to 
> believe that a boy with *five* older brothers could be so clueless 
> about the fairer sex while a bookish only child with few friends 
> possesses keen insight into the same pairings. It totally buys into 
> the sterotype that teen boys are immature and silly while girls are 
> somehow born with maturity and social wisdom. I work with kids 
their 
> age every day and I can tell you it just ain't true.  

kemper now:
Even though Ron has *five* older brothers he's not really spending 
time with them.  The two oldest are already out of school by his 
fifth year.
In school, Ron has had at most three older brothers.  The oldest at 
school, Percy, seemed to get into a quiet relationship with 
Penelope.  Ron also doesn't like this older brother too much, and so 
it is understandable that Ron and Percy might not have `guy talk'.  
The other two brothers, the twins, seem less interested in girls (let 
the slasher fanfic writers have their fun) and more interested in 
their life mission, to entertain people, so Ron doesn't see them 
spitting game at the ladies.  It is only in Ron's fourth year that he 
sees one of them ask one of the chaser girls (Angelina?) to the 
Winter Ball.  The reader is left to understand that they are NOT 
girlfriend/boyfriend.  Are they later?  Who knows?
Also, during the school year, Ron does not share a room with his 
brothers.  He doesn't seem to share a room with any other brother 
when not at school.

The bookish girl with few friends is a keen observer of people which 
makes her a believable character who has keen insight to 
relationships.

JKR doesn't just right boys as immature and silly, there're some 
girls in the books as well.  It's just that boy immature and silly 
looks different than girl immature and silly.