Marietta and the DA- Hermione's Mistake

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 121653


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "eggplant9998"
<eggplant9998 at y...> wrote:
> 
>  "Steve" <bboyminn at y...> wrote:
> 
> > In hindsight, here is where I see Hermione's
> > mistake. At the point > where everyone present
> > agreed to join, but before they signed the
> > paper, Hermione should have given them the
> > option to bow out. 



> I don't understand your point at all. At the exact instant you 
> specify Marietta could have stood up and said, "I don't care to 
> sign", and then walked out the door. I am quite certain nobody would 
> have stopped her.
> 
> Eggplant


bboyminn:

Yes, but what is the likelihood of that happening in /real/ real life
or /fictional/ real life. Marietta at that point is under a lot of
peer pressure, and she may feel her mere presence there implies a
willingness or commitment to join. By specifically stating that people
have the opportunity to walk away, Hermione would be opening the door
for those who feel pressured to be there or feel reluctant to make the
commitment. Once people start signing, it would be extremely difficult
for a kid to go against their peer group.

In addition, a preceptive Hermione should have called people out by
name, and given them the opportunity to leave if they didn't feel
comfortable with the idea. It was clear from Zacharias Smith's
statements and Marietta's body language that neither of them seemd too
sure. 

It's sometimes difficult for young people to fight the group
mentality. But calling them by name, and giving them a genuine
opportunity to express their reluctance and leave, Hermione could have
saved them all some headaches.

True, techincally those uncertain people are quite capable of speaking
up for and asseting themselves. But, I know from experience that in
groups, especially groups of young people, that doesn't always happen. 

Let's face it, Marietta from the very beginning didn't want to be
there, and that reluctance was picked up by observers in the group.

-OotP Am ED, HB, pg 339-
"(Cho's) friend, who had curly reddish--blonde hair, did not smile,
but gave Harry a thoroughly mistrustfull look that told Harry plainly
that, given her way, she would not be here at all"

Pg 347
"..though Harry saw Cho's friend give her a rather reproachful look
before adding her name..."

So, there were signs, and Marietta's reproachful look certainly can be
considered an indication that she was yielding to group pressure and
not following her feelings.

Pg 347

"...(Cho's) friend stood beside her (Cho), arms folded, clicking her
tongue, so Cho had little choice but to leave with her."

Also, an indication that Marietta had a strong desire to leave but
couldn't bring herself to act independant of the group. 

What people CAN do, and what people are LIKELY to do are often very
very different. Through the whole thing, Marietta is clearly doing
something she doesn't want to do. She is yielding to pressure from
Cho, and pressure from the group.

As I said, if Hermione had been on the ball, she would have paused and
specifically given people a way out.

Of course, I say once again, that JKR needed things to go the way they
did. That need more than anything is was influenced Hermione and
Marietta's choices. As a reader, the question becomes, were those
actions and choices consistent with real people and with the
characters themselves. Personally, I think they were dead on. Smart as
she is, I can see a 15 year old Hermione not having the foresight to
think of all these details, and I can easily see 15 year old Marietta
feeling very pressured (consciously and subconsciously) to go a long
with the group.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)