[HPforGrownups] Re: Pansy Parkinson (Was: House characteristics)

[Karen]

No: HPFGUIDX 150632


On Apr 6, 2006, at 4:20 PM, horridporrid03 wrote:
>
>
>
> And that's where JKR falls down, I think, on really showing us what
> makes Pansy a bad type.  So we know Pansy's a bad sort because she
> doesn't like Harry and friends and does like Draco.  She also tends
> to have more girlfriends than boyfriends, which JKR seems to use as
> a short-cut for either "shallow" or "mean", with her female
> characters.

kchuplis:

I don't see where you read this. Because of Pansy and Draco on the  
train? I don't recall Hermione disparaging Pansy's girl gang anwhere  
and frankly, we don't know enough about Pansy to make that kind of  
statement. But maybe I missed that the first 4 or so times through  
the books. I think JKR uses statements such as were reproduced  
earlier from the Pansy site as to why Pansy is "shallow" and "mean".  
I mean, OK, she tried to suppress a smile over baby unicorns. That's  
about the only pleasant thing we've seen out of her.
horridporrid:
>
> [An Aside: Which leaves the "popular" Ginny with no friends her age
> that the reader can see.  It made me think that JKR must be changing
> her view of Pansy when we saw Pansy without her girlfriends and
> hanging with the boys in HBP.  And it's a big part of the reason I
> think Lily and Snape were friends.  JKR will not leave Lily with
> girls as her closest friends, IMO, unless she's going to turn Lily
> bad.]
>
kchuplis:

Again, how much do we see Ginny? The stories are from Harry's POV.  
Ginny hangs out with Hermione when she is a bit older. Hermione is  
only a year older, so I'd say that's her age. She knows Luna who  
isn't even in her house. Just because in the later books she is  
dating does that mean she doesn't have girl friends?

horridporrid:
> But Pansy never does much to fill the "mean girl" role.  She doesn't
> steal, or try to steal, a boy from Hermione.  She stays loyally
> interested in a boy Hermione is not interested in.  She also doesn't
> seem to be going for the "most popular" boy of her class or of
> Hogwarts.  Again, she sticks with Draco, who is popular (it seems)
> with Slytherins but not all of Hogwarts.  She stays with him even
> after his father is publically shunned. (And privately shunned
> amongst the Death Eaters.)

kchuplis:

Errr....."stealing boys" is not necessarily the sole definition of  
"being mean". Pansy's mouth seems to take care of that if you ask me.  
But that is just my opinion I guess.

horridporrid:
>
> Just as Draco really doesn't give Harry any competition (Harry is
> richer, more famous, more athletic, and better connected) Pansy
> doesn't have any power over Hermione.  They're the school-days mean
> kids, but without any teeth.

kchuplis:

Does that make it less mean somehow? I remember unkind things from my  
childhood more than any other type of event. And, really, Harry is  
richer? The Malfoys seem to have plenty of dross, a big house,  
servants, Lucius would appear to be better connected politically (if  
you were of the general wizarding public. Actually, "better  
connected" is a really subjective thing. Depends on if you are  
worried about LV or worried about DD taking over the ministry and  
having too much influence) really and therefore Draco. They are at  
least even. Yeah, Harry might be the better athlete, but that's all I  
give you on that one.


>
> Betsy Hp:
> The funny thing is, I doubt Hermione would have much time for me, if
> we were in school together.  I got downright giggly about boys
> (still do, sometimes).  I'm not sure Pansy and I would have gotten
> along, either, but yeah, JKR did not do enough, IMO, to paint Pansy
> as a bad egg that young girls would do best to avoid emulating.

kchuplis:

Soooo, she would have to, like, kill kittens or something to be  
"really mean".