ESE!McGonagall (not what you think)

[cassyvablatsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 164443

Hello everyone, (my first post!)  [:)]

Interesting thread... as people have commented on the scarcity of JKR's
references to McGonagall, I thought I might supply what we do have on
the subject...

Incidentally, I've always assumed that JKR uses Dumbledore's mantra
regarding honesty when talking to her fans: `The truth is a
beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great
caution. However, I shall answer your questions, unless I have a very
good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not,
of course, lie.' (PS17) (It's what makes me think that Regulus is
really dead.)

JKR implies that McGonagall is a strong, positive female role model:
Lydon, Christopher. J.K. Rowling interview transcript, The Connection
(WBUR Radio), 12 October, 1999
Question: Do you get criticisms that you don't have enough females in
strong positions in your stories?
Answer: 
 Er - if you look down the - the staff-list in - in the
school, you will find that it is exactly 50% women and 50% men as
teachers. Now, people possibly don't realise that enough. I see
Professor McGonagall, for example, as a - as a very strong female
character. I did get an email the other day from someone in America
saying 'when are we going to see a strong female character?' And I wrote
back and told her that I was deeply offended because I think Hermione
and Professor McGonagall are very strong characters ... but I did say to
her 'but if you mean a nasty female character - er - wait till book
four!' (My Italics)

JKR lets us know that McGonagall is compassionate (and emotional):
"About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on
Scholastic.com," Scholastic.com, 16 October 2000
Question: In the second book, Harry and Ron went to the girls' toilet
and met McGonagall. They told her that they were going to visit
Hermione, and she started crying. Why?
Answer: She found it very touching that Harry and Ron were missing
Hermione so badly (or so she thought). Under that gruff exterior,
Professor McGonagall is a bit of an old softy, really. (My Italics)

JKR says that she loves Professor McGonagall (comparing her to
Dumbledore and Hagrid):
Couric, Katie. Interview of J.K. Rowling, NBC Today Show, 20 October
2000
Question: Who is your favourite teacher or staff member at Hogwarts and
why?
Answer: It's a tie really between Dumbledore and Hagrid. But I also love
Professor McGonagall. She's a great teacher. (My Italics)

JKR tells us that an old teacher, of whom she was `extremely
fond', may have influenced the character of McGonagall:
Ballard, Nigel. Interview, BBCi Bristol, 12 November, 2001
Question: Harry Potter's new school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry, is full of magic, even outside lessons. It's a
boarding school, located in a remote part of the British Isles. All the
teachers have strange powers, and can perform tricks. But were any of
their antics inspired by any of Joanne's old teachers?
Answer: Oh, no one... no. I have been interested to read, continually,
that I've based characters on people — I, I never do base them
on — I did have teachers, in a plural, who were bullies, erm, who
may have contributed to certain characters, but it would be totally
wrong to say any one teacher became any one character. I had an English
teacher, Miss Shepherd, of whom I was extremely fond... er, she was a
great teacher. She may, unconsciously, have influenced Professor
McGonagall, for example, but I never, ever thought, She is Professor
McGonagall. At all. (My Italics)

JKR says that if a teacher is head of a Hogwarts house, we can assume
they were in that house as a student:
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=62
<http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=62>

JKR says that the teachers don't stay at Hogwarts during the holidays:
http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/0700-swns-alfie.htm
<http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/0700-swns-alfie.htm>

JKR says that a few of the Hogwarts professors have (had) spouses, but
that the information is restricted:
http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2001/0301-bbc-rednose.htm
<http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/0700-swns-alfie.htm>

JKR says that there is something more to the cats appearing in the books
than first meets the eye:
http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/1000-scholastic-chat.htm
<http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/1000-scholastic-chat.htm>

JKR says that although McGonagall is not Dumbledore's equal, she is
a `worthy' second in command:
Anelli, Melissa and Spartz, Emerson. "The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet
interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part One," The Leaky Cauldron, 16
July 2005
Answer: In fact, I would tend to think that being very, very intelligent
might create some problems and it has done for Dumbledore, because his
wisdom has isolated him, and I think you can see that in the books,
because where is his equal, where is his confidante, where is his
partner? He has none of those things. He's always the one who gives,
he's always the one who has the insight and has the knowledge. So I
think that, while I ask the reader to accept that McGonagall is a very
worthy second in command, she is not an equal. You have a slightly
circuitous answer, but I can't get much closer than that. (My Italics)

NB: It's interesting that JKR implies that this lack of confidantes is a
problem with Dumbledore, not McGonagall! It's his
weaknesses/vulnerabilities that are being discussed. Dumbledore is
solitary by nature... as far as we know, he doesn't share his thinking
on Horcruxes with (old friend) Moody, (bright, young protegee) Lupin or
(second-in-command) McGonagall. Snape is another matter; Snape probably
knows a lot anyway. (As for the confused Dumbledore/McGonagall
relationship in the first chapter of PS/SS, it's worth bearing in mind
that this chapter is mostly expositional. Indeed, JKR's already had to
remove the notorious reference to 'Sirius Black' for the lack of
internal logic in Dumbledore's response to Black's name at this point.)

I'm with Carol in believing that McGonagall is basically what she seems,
(which makes a change!).

Also, I think that standard!McGonagall serves several important
purposes:

-McGonagall is a wise and powerful female leader (& quite talented at
dueling as we saw in HBP!)
-McGonagall (along with Lupin) is JKR's ideal teacher: respected (not
feared) by the students, determined to do her best for them, equally
determined that they should do their bests for her, strict and clever,
with high standards and a gift for communication, entirely without
favoritism (but with a shrewd idea of who the troublemakers are in her
class!)
-McGonagall is important as a mentor for Hermione. (This is rather
touchingly understated, but I expect that McGonagall was always
especially interested in Muggle-born Hermione with her obvious talent
and her huge anxiety not to disappoint!) She also shows strong faith in
Neville.
-McGonagall provides pastoral care for the students of
Gryffindor/Hogwarts (whereas Dumbledore is more distant) and she has
significant role in Harry's moral education.
-McGonagall defends Harry from Snape – whom she balances nicely
– and champions his ambition to become an Auror. (In classical
mythology, `Minerva' was a benevolent goddess, though stern and
just – the champion of heroes – who protected her favourites
from rival gods/goddesses).
-McGonagall has fond memories of teaching the Marauders, providing an
important link to Harry's past.
-McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout were all loyal to Dumbledore (so
I believe!), confirming DD's fitness to lead the Four Houses.
-McGonagall (along with Hagrid) was a contemporary of Tom Riddle. (And I
do think this is interesting; especially, in view of the fact that
Voldemort's old schoolmates are mostly too scared to talk. There's
unfinished business between Hagrid & Riddle. There might well be some
between McGonagall & Riddle. She was probably good enough for him to
notice... as a rival. And maybe she was attracted to his brilliance. I
could see him taunting her in Book 7. But if she did ever have a crush
on him then it's long past, IMHO... Minerva McGonagall couldn't be more
different to Hepzibah Smith! In any case, I'm looking forward to meeting
Mr. McGonagall. :-))

Whereas after Quirrell and Moody-Crouch, we've just about exhausted the
dramatic possibilities of an unforeseen traitor within Hogwarts - and
EE!McGonagall or even ESE!McGonagall in Book 7 would be almost the
equivalent of a new main character, IMHO, which we don't need at this
stage, especially with all the outstanding ambiguity over Snape. Book 7
is the time for resolutions, not more questions. Besides, Rufus
Scrimgeour is my idea of a traitor-in-waiting...!

So while people are right to notice that Dumbledore confides in Harry
more than his de juro second-in-command at the end of HBP, I think this
is meant to show the uniqueness of the Harry-Dumbledore bond (the Chosen
One and his Mentor) and not to signal that McGonagall is untrustworthy.
Dumbledore would not have left Hogwarts in the care of an unworthy
successor (after all, the Head's Office sealed itself against
Umbridge) and he has already indicated his confidence in McGonagall as a
deputy:

'He [Dumbledore] will not be single-handed!' said Professor McGonagall
loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.
'Oh yes he will, Minerva!' said Dumbledore sharply. 'Hogwarts needs
you!' (OOtP27)

I believe that McGonagall is simply trying to do what is right when she
questions Harry at the end of HBP. She is clearly very shaken by
Dumbledore's death and believes that Harry might have information
she needs to know. But in the end, she allows him to leave her office
and protects him from the Ministry. I think that McGonagall will play a
significant part in Book 7, as a loyal member of the Order of the
Phoenix and as a Headmistress defending Hogwarts from siege. But Harry
has the greatest task of all and Dumbledore's decision to confide in
him (and by extension Ron and Hermione) symbolises the passing of the
torch from one generation to another 
 as Dumbledore says towards
the end of the book: `I am not worried, Harry. I am with you'
(HBP26).

Cassy V.
http://book7.co.uk/ <http://book7.co.uk/>

P.S. KJ wrote:
One of the reasons that I find McGonagall interesting is because
Dumbledore is a compulsive collector of strays. He has Hagrid, a half
giant, who would not be accepted in WW society. He has Flitwick, also a
half-breed, who's non-human half would not be accepted. We have Snape,
who is a Death Eater, and would be hard pressed to find suitable
employment outside of Hogwarts, and we have Sybill, who is rather too
fond of the cooking sherry. We also have Firenze, who has been thrown
out of his herd, and has nowhere else to go.

Good point. (Though I suppose we also have some rather more conventional
members of staff who are just good teachers (Sprout, Hooch etc.) –
and resented for it in the case of poor old Grubbly-Plank!) But the idea
of McGonagall as a 'stray' made me think of her visiting Arabella Figg
in her Animagus form... what does she make of Mr. Paws & Mr. Tibbles, I
wonder? What did she make of Padfoot?!




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