Bigotry in the Potterverse

[sartoris22]

No: HPFGUIDX 188055

Rich:

 I think the movies do a better job of showing the 
multinational absorption of the UK than the books because they are a 
visual medium, but that's mostly a failure of careful reading and 
knowledge of dialect:
'
sartoris2:

Tangentially, Rowling does capture the multi-ethnic, multi-racial character of modern day Britain. There are non-white characters such as Kingsley, Cho, the Patil sisters, and Dean. And if the different outsiders such as elves, goblins, and centaurs can be looked upon as substitutes for oppressed human minorities, then Rowling adds a political sensitivity to her writing. Of course, none of the non-white characters are really that essential. Cho has her moment but is subsequently erased from consciousness and Dean, like Seamus, hovers about like a forgotten memory. The Potter books aren't groundbreaking in their contemplation of race relations, but there's no reason why they should be. What I find most curious about the books is their treatment of young women. Although Hermione is an integral part of the trio, we never see her interacting with other girls. There are countless scenes of Ron and Harry interacting in their dorm room with the fellows, but none of Hermione interacting with her dorm mates. And Hermione, except for Ginny, has no female friends, and even Hermione and Ginny aren't BFFs because Hermione is always hanging out with Ron and Harry. True, Ginny and Luna get some attention in the books. But Ginny seems to come out of nowhere, suddenly appearing as this fierce hottie in the sixth book, then quickly forgotten in the seventh. Luna is one of Rowling's most interesting inventions and serves as a nice counterpoint to Hermione's pedantic certitude, but Luna is another outsider who never fully comes out from the cold. In the epilogue, didn't you want to find out what happened to her? For some odd reason, I hoped that she married Neville or Dean. Alas, we never discover if Luna is accepted in the wizard community. The Potter books are strangely male-centric and reinforce, to me, a notion of male supremacy. I've read comments from Emma Watson about the books exhibiting girl power, but, if anything, they occasionally exhibit Hermione power. To me, there's a current of traditional sexism that runs throughout the books, and I find that somewhat disheartening.