Hermione the Heroine
Salon.com carries an article by Christine Schoefer critiquing Harry Potter from a feminist perspective, decrying the fact that wizardry is still a man's world.
While Schoefer made many points comparing male and female characters throughout the four books. I agree with some of those points and disagree with many others. In a nutshell, I believe that in creating an alternative magical universe, Rowling must include enough parallels with the existing universe to enable us to relate to the alternative. All the female characters Schoefer has found fault with represent real types we find in the real world every day. While the females have faults, so do the males. Her novels are not trying to promote a feminist agenda but to tell a tale. Enough about that.
My largest area of disagreement regards the character of Hermione. I don't feel Schoefer properly appreciates her. Schoefer mentions that Hermione is just a "tag along" for much of the story and has only recently become accepted by Harry and Ron. She is rigid and pedantic about rules like Professor McGonagall. This is true, especially in the beginning. Again, lots of little girls are like this and Hermione is instantly recognizable. Like many girls, Hermione is a perfectionist and an overachiever, probably to overcome a fear of failure should she let up on her discipline. However, it would be false to say that this is all there is to Hermione. She has shown a great deal of character, independence and backbone in her own right.
When she was concerned about the safety of Harry's new broom, she went to McGonagall about it, thereby incurring the wrath of both Harry and Ron. She endured ostracism by them for a long time and, although it caused her great pain, she did not weaken and beg them to take her back because she believed she was right. Also, who can keep a secret better than Hermione? She never divulged her method of being at two classes at the same time nor the identity of her date to the big dance. Her determination to take excess the normal number of credits was nothing short of heroic. Schoefer felt her extreme studiousness showed a character disorder but it is that kind of single-mindedness and discipline that enable people to successfully get through medical school, build a business or write a novel. (Rowlings has said that Hermione is most like herself of all the characters.)
Schoefer says that Hermione is limited to the helping role in all adventures. That is not at all true. She has, again and again, played a very important and dynamic role in the heroic exploits of the trio. It was her ability to go back in time that enabled Harry, Ron and herself to save Buckbeak and Black. She was also the one who directed and organized the plan for the three of them to transform their appearance in order to sneak into the Slytherin house and pump Draco Malfoy for his secrets. Hermione was the one who found the proper spell, who discovered the bathroom in which they could work undisturbed, and who struck up a relationship with Moaning Myrtle, the resident ghost of that bathroom. Schoefer only remembers that Hermione suffered a mishap when she was transformed into a partial cat by mistake. I remember that the deed could never have been carried out had it not been for Hermione's resourcefulness.
Schoefer says Hermione (like McGonagall), loses control over her emotions. True, she goes off the deep end about house elves rights, kind of like a preachy vegetarian. But to me, this shows her sweetness and compassion. She also got a crush on that disgusting imposter, Professor Lockhart. But it is precisely her emotionalism that keeps her from being a stereotyped bookworm. First Schoefer criticizes her for being overly studious and a goody-goody. But, when she lets her emotions move her, it is another weakness. Hermione started off at Hogwart wanting to be a stickler for the rules, this is true. But she never hesitated to break the rules when she saw the need. Her character has a lot of balance. She has intensity and the ability to go to extremes. But she also has a softness and warmth that tempers her intensity with depth. To me she is a terrific and exciting human being. She shows greater depth, ability and maturity than Ron, Harry's sidekick. She often steps in and solves problems when the boys are stumped. And she has shown herself a loyal friend when Ron turned against Harry. As a woman, I am proud to identify with such a bright spirit!
In conclusion, I find that Rowling's work often reflects the real world as it is, including a lot of women (and men) with all-too-human flaws. But she does allow women to shine and, while her books are not specifically feminist and don't have a political agenda, they are not sexist or male supremacist either.
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