Make Up Blog: Femininity [SPOILER ALERT!!!]

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

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When I consider femininity in Harry Potter, the primarily obvious choice that comes to mind is Molly Weasley. She is a caregiver, homemaker, support system, and mother to not only her own seven children but to Harry and Hermione, as well. She shields her children from harm, oversteps boundaries, and attempts to fill Lily’s role in protecting Harry and ensuring he is happy. In the end, she kills Voldemort’s most faithful servant, Bellatrix, to defend Ginny. That scene in the Great Hall, for me, is one of the most powerful in the series because of that moment when Molly Weasley places herself in front of Ginny and the other students around her and yells, “Not my daughter, you bitch!” Throughout the series, her maternal instincts guide her actions. I would also like to briefly discuss Professor McGonagall’s femininity, as she is a consistent character throughout the series. 

When I consider Professor McGonagall and her role, femininity does not come to mind right away. However, reflecting back, I do remember several moments where we see a maternal side. A prime example of one of these instances is when she catches Harry and Ron roaming the castle on their way to the staffroom to find Snape. When they tell her they are going to visit Hermione, her eyes water and tears glisten in her eyes. She understands their pain and empathizes with their emotions. In this moment, she is not the stern, rule-abiding professor we have all come to know, she is human. Both Molly Weasley and Professor McGonagall represent varying levels of femininity through maternal instincts, their need to protect the students, and their ability to empathize with Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s fears, desires, joys, etc.

Courage To Grow

Courage is not necessarily something you are simply born with, it can develop from the experiences life throws at you. This seems to be one of the main themes that J.K. Rowling toyed with in the Harry Potter series. There are certain characters in the series that have obvious natural courage, but then there are others who gain courage and strength as they grow up in the series. The main character that exhibits a constant growth of courage throughout the books is Neville Longbottom. Neville entered the series as a shy boy who lacked self-confidence. He seemed very clumsy and as if he would win a “least likely to succeed” award if one was given at Hogwarts. Neville was awful in potions class, mostly because he was terrified of Professor Snape. Neville was also shown in the beginning of the series as being very forgetful and not being able to remember passwords to his Gryffindor tower. Towards the end of the first book however, Neville gets the courage to confront Harry, Ron, and Hermione about protecting the sorcerer’s stone. Neville continued to show sporadic examples of his growing bravery after this incident; he helped Harry fight at the Department of Mysteries, he helped lead Dumbledore’s Army, and Neville also killed Nagini for Harry. These are just some of the prominent examples of Neville becoming braver during each book in the series. Without Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series, there would not have been as strong of a theme of courage and of surprise. Everyone felt surprised reading the series and watching Neville turn from a boy to a man. Courage is one of the strongest themes of the series, and Neville enhanced the theme greatly. 

Blog Prompt #2: Luna and Neville: True Friends Through and Through

When I first read this blog prompt, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom immediately popped into my head. Both of these characters played minor, seemingly insignificant roles at the beginning of the series, with Luna not having been introduced until the fifth book. While Neville’s character has struggled to prove himself a worthy wizard and make a great impact on the series as a whole throughout the first four novels, he embraces the responsibilities thrust upon him in Order of the Phoenix and establishes his role in the cast of main characters; as does Luna. Throughout the series, Neville progresses from a shy, self-doubting boy who refuses to stand up to Malfoy, to a brave, capable wizard who defends Harry against the non-believers at Hogwarts and faces several Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic. Even when Dumbledore explained Neville’s past and the terrible fate of his parents, who are permanent residents at St. Mungo’s, I did not grasp the importance his character would have on Harry and the series as a whole. I found it curious that had Voldemort decided to target the Longbottoms, whose son was also born at the end of July, rather than the Potters, Harry’s life would have changed drastically. Luna, on the other hand, at first seemed like a toss-in character thrown into the mix to lighten the mood and provide humor for the audience. However, she was also one of Harry’s biggest advocates when the Ministry and other members of the wizarding world tried to discredit him after Voldemort’s return and she remains a loyal member of the D.A. throughout the series. She understands Harry’s curiousity and fear of the thestrals, which only he and Luna can see due to their involvement with death. It amazes me how well and complexly Rowling develops both of these characters in such a short time. Both Luna and Neville began as seemingly insignificant characters, needed to add humor to the series; however, both developed into significant members of Dumbledore’s Army, Harry’s circle of friends, and the series as a whole.

OotP Make Up Blog: Women and Femininity in Harry Potter

Femininity is handled in a variety of ways through different characters in the Harry Potter series. We see female characters portrayed in different ways- some are weak, some strong, and some lie in between. Rowling creates many different strong female characters, yet it is interesting to note that their ideologies often differ. It seems one does not necessarily have to be ‘good’ or even liked to be strong. Though these women possess such different qualities and morals, their strength of heart and mind is a commonality.

Dolores Umbridge for example is a character whose strength comes from her greed and want of power. She is strong willed and in charge, yet also evil in a sense, as she has no trouble torturing children. It is also interesting to note that she is described as very girly in appearance- she loves the color pink, frills, and is very quick to correct your manners. She is extremely powerful while at Hogwarts and even becomes headmistress, and is obsessively convicted when it comes to her beliefs. Yet her downfall is because of her greed, closed mind and her lack of empathy. She is not a good person in the common sense, but her strength in character cannot be questioned.

Molly Weasley is another example of a strong female character. Although Molly is a stay at home mother to her large family, she is clearly the one who wears the pants in her marriage to Arthur. She is the disciplinarian, the caretaker, and the one you know will always be there to support you. She is always trying to impress on her children that you must be a good person, and is very much a mother figure to Harry as well. While she is a typical housewife, and always ready to whip up a meal, she really is much more. She takes charge at Grimmauld Place for the Order of the Phoenix just as she does at her home in the Burrow. She is loyal and very brave. She cares deeply for anyone that she grows close to, and though she tries to hide it, is very emotional. She is a strong supporter of Dumbledore and the Order, yet terrified of what may happen to its members. Molly Weasley is not a woman to mess with, as her children and husband will surely tell you.

These are just two examples of strong female characters with different qualities. Hermione Granger and Minerva McGonagall should be mentioned as well. Both extremely sharp witted and smart, they are not to be crossed. Rowling certainly has no fear or issue with women having power. It seems that she is saying that given equal opportunity or in this case equal ability to do magic, women have just as many strengths as men do. It does not come down to being smart or talented, or even gender in the Harry Potter series, but it is more a matter of how we choose to use our powers, as shown through the different choices these women make.

post 2- Neville Longbottom: Is there a theme he doesn't cause you to ponder?

I have seen the Harry Potter Movies a thousand and one times, but this is my first time reading through the books.  Though I love the movies, reading the books has been amazing, and as I turn each page one character that I always look forward to delving further into his story is Neville Longbottom.  I adore him.   He, though being a pureblood, was often clumsy, with a terrible memory, and lacked self-confidence.  He had trouble learning magic and things that other students might catch on to a bit quicker.  During his first flying lesson he fell off of his broom and injured himself.  He made for an easy target of being picked on and teased.  Draco says to him in the first book, “Longbottom, if brains were gold, you’d be poorer than Weasley, and that’s saying something.”  When he is chosen to fight in the Dueling club in book 2 by Gilderoy Lockhart, Professor Snape quickly shoots him down by telling him that Neville has trouble with the simplest spells, and makes a sly remark that Justin is likely to be sent to the hospital in a matchbox if he is allowed to duel.  Neville himself even questions being placed in Gryffindor, because of Gryffindor’s bravery.  And yet there is so much more to him than just being a sort of loser that the bullies in Hogwarts make him out to be.  He excels in Herbology and he is brave enough to stand up to his friends.  If anything he is loyal and honest.  As his tale unfolds through out the books we learn there is so much more to him.  We find that the prophecy given by Professor Trelawney about Harry and Lord Voldemort could have also referred to Neville.  We learn that his parents were tortured to insanity by a death eater, which is a traumatic experience that drives him, just like the death of Harry’s parents drives him.  We also see that he is being raised by his Grandmother, who is much like the Dursley family in my opinion, and this is the theme of bullying being represented, as well as his many school experiences.  He represents so many major themes, death, coming of age, traumatic experience, friendship and courage.  Even though he may stumble with some spells and not be the coolest kid on the block, he is one person whose character I have never questioned and I always have this feeling that he will be there for his friends.  In the fifth book we see him at St. Mungo’s Hospital visiting his parents.  His mom, who is senile, gives him an empty wrapper.  His Grandma kind of sneers at it and suggests that he throw it away, and yet he sticks it in his pocket.  He is holding on to the love of his parents, just like Harry, which I believe is another theme in the series.  In book five, we learn of death eaters breaking free from Azkaban, including the death eaters that are responsible for Neville’s parents.  This sets off a fire in Neville.  In the D.A. meetings the only person faster to catch on to things than Neville is Hermione.  His actions here made me think of what was to come.  I thought this might foreshadow other wizards that have been hurt in some way by Voldemort and his followers seeing things happen and triggering them to rise up and become a force to be reckoned with like Neville.  This made me excited for what was to come in books six and seven.  Neville’s coming of age came for me when he showed great courage and strength by volunteering to accompany the three with Luna to the Department of Mysteries.  He didn’t leave when danger was great.  In fact he carried the hurt Hermione while trying to help the others fight.  Despite his trauma and fear, he shows great bravery, loyalty, strength and friendship.  His story causes me to look deeper into every major theme that I have previously expressed.

Blog Post #2

As the series goes on we see plenty of changes in many of the characters. As we grow up with Harry we see that the world isn’t always simple as we think. Percy Weasley, when we are first introduced to Percy we think nothing of it. Since Fred and George are the troublemakers of the family it is only right that there is also a (in the word of the amazing Weasley twins) prat like Percy to mellow things out. As the series progresses we see Percy “rise to power” which we all knew would go to his head. It is not until the Order of Phoenix that we realize how much he has changed. Percy, who has known Harry for quite some time turns his back on him. He also turns on his whole family; he doesn’t even visit over Christmas. So the question is what happened over the course of the first four books that made Percy choose this side? When I first read that Percy was no longer in contact with the rest of his family I figured that it wouldn’t last long. When he sent that letter to Ron in the fifth book I thought “once something important happens he will come back.” When his dad was lying in the hospital I figured he would be here any second now, but he never came. Rowling shows us that even people we think we know will desert you. She shows us that as we grow it gets harder for people to believe us and that not every branch grows in the same direction.

Wizard Angst Blog Post 2

I believe empathy to be a very important and sometimes underrated theme throughout the Harry Potter series. Each character, just like each human being, experiences his/her own unique level of trauma. What is trauma to one person may seem like nothing to another. What is important in life and in the novels is how each character is able to relate to the others and overcome their own unique traumatic histories in order to form a relationship. Empathy is at the root of this discussion, without characters that are capable of at least attempting to understand the pain the others have gone through no relationship would be able to be formed.

The trauma in Harry’s life alone could have driven a normal person off the edge. The sheer fact that he was not a) dead from suicide by the age 11, and b) belligerent and slightly insane, is a miracle (even though it is a story…I know that…I think…). But anyways, taking into account a character like Ron, whose only trauma consists of having to de-gnome the garden when he really wanted to play quidditch with his brothers, and making him be able to empathize with Harry is truly interesting. Ron cannot get on Harry’s level of pain, he can sympathize sure, try to understand, but he cannot fully comprehend what it is like to have your parents die, grow up in an abusive household, have your godfather die, see a friend die, have a dark wizard after him who cannot live while the other survives, and…should I go on?

 However a character like Luna can grasps Harry’s pain, she understands what he is experiencing and can get on his level. There are so many examples of this in the last 3 novels. From the first time we see her in book 5 when she states to Harry why she can see the threstles too, we know that this is going to be a unique relationship for Harry. Luna, in my mind, was the perfect addition to Harry Potter. I know this is a strong statement to make but I believe that her introduction in book 5 was the most brilliant decision Rowling made in the entire series. This is the point in which things in Harry’s life change, they “get real”, everything is darker, he’s got all that teen angst going on (see photo below!), in which his close friends, Ron and Hermione, cannot fully understand. Luna, however, gets it, she has seen pain, she has experienced real trauma, on the same level that Harry has. Her spirit is what brings a unique and vital twist. She is a voice of hope to Harry in his darkest hours. When Harry believes his world has come to an end at the loss of Sirius (so freakin sad!) Luna reassures him that it isn’t a big deal because they will see their loved ones again someday. She too could hear the voices behind the veil and she has a belief system that can bring hope in a terrible time.  

Prompt 2 Response

In regards to character development, the way that Harry develops in the story has affected my interpretation of the series. Over the years that he attends Hogwarts, Harry has had to go through some major issues, especially in traumatic experience. He has had to face countless times the occurrences of death and loss in the series. With each event, he grows stronger because of it. Don't get me wrong. He was already courageous and strong in the beginning. He had to be in order for himself to be even considered for the house of Gryffindor. With the loss of a fellow student, namely Cedric Diggory, it increased his strength considering that this was also the same time that Voldemort had returned. This only drove him more to wanting to defeat him. The same goes for when Harry lost his godfather Sirius Black. The loss only made him tougher and more strong-willed. He had to persevere through these events in order to get to where he is now.

Loony Lovegood

We first meet Luna Lovegood in The Order of the Phoenix, where she comes off a bit awkward. She reads a magazine upside-down and she talks with a quirky accent. We soon realize that Luna is not innocent little girl she is made out to be. The first thing we see is the fact that she can defend herself against the death eaters when her, Neville, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry go to the Ministry of Magic. We then see the friendship between Harry and Luna blossom in the beginning of The Half-Blood Prince. She helps explain why Harry can now see the thestrals, because she too has seen death as her mother died when she was a baby. This empathy for Luna only helps Harry's likeness for Luna grow stronger. 

Rowling also explains through Luna’s character the facts of growing up. At the end of The Order of the Phoenix Harry finds Luna posting signs for missing things of hers, but Luna isn’t upset or distraught. She knows that people make fun of her but chooses to be more mature than other people and let them have their fun. She simply says that because the term is ending, that she needs her stuff back. This tells us that people are likely to pick on us from time to time, but we (the reader) should know that is just the way people are and that we should let people have their fun. As long as their jokes are not hurting us in any way, why not? 

Rising Above the Trauma

Traumatic experiences and how one deals with them and shapes the character is one huge theme in the Harry Potter series. While this may be an old or used topic, I still keep coming back to how scarily similar Voldemort and Harry’s lives are to each other. Both grew up without their parents living and taking care of them. While Harry wasn’t necessarily orphaned, because he still lived with family, he might as well have been. He wasn’t treated lovingly, or properly at all. There are so many times in the series, especially within the first six books, that Harry could have chosen the bad, evil side, and just given up. It says something extraordinary about his character and how he is truly a good person. Harry choosing not to kill Wormtail in Prisoner of Azkaban, for example, is just one example of rising above his dark past and trying to be a better person. 

Another character who lost a parent in the series is Luna, who we meet in book 4. Although sometimes she is indeed a bit “loony”, she remains a sweet girl who firmly sticks to her opinions and doesn’t change them just because it isn’t the way the majority thinks or acts. Because of this, she gets teased and bullied quite often at Hogwarts. She too has had many opportunities to let the bullying affect her negatively and retaliate or harm her attackers. 

Draco Malfoy is a character that proves that even if one has a “normal” upbringing with two parents and a family, that they might not always turn out to be the most kind and understanding. Malfoy is a thorn in Harry’s side at Hogwarts, as well as anyone who isn’t in Slytherin or Crabbe or Goyle. Even though Draco had both of his parents growing up, he still became a bully and rather nasty. While Rowling never comes out directly to say why, it could be that he simply was abused or neglected in a more subtle way. Or maybe he does all the bullying to receive attention from his father and mother, both who seem quite distant and cold. 

Traumatic events, especially when you experience them so early on in life, have the power to drastically change your life. How one handles and hopefully overcomes these events certainly is a huge theme in the books, and one that will pop up time and time again while we wrap up the rest of Half-Blood Prince and finally, The Deathly Hallows. 

New Neville

For me, the character who has really undergone the most change throughout the series so far would have to be Neville Longbottom. When we were first introduced to Neville, he was more or less an idiot who couldn't remember a thing to save his life. His biggest fear was his grandmother. Pathetic. But then, all of a sudden, in the fifth book we see Neville develop some gusto about himself. Harry constantly notices how well Neville picks up spells and performs them well compared to the other members of Dumbledore's Army. One would expect the old Neville to shy away from going to the Department of Mysteries, but Neville 2.0 is more than willing to accompany Harry there, even with the prospect of facing Dark wizards and maybe even Voldemort. He even remains steadfast in helping Harry save the others after his wand has been broken in half and his mouth and nose bloodied and broken.
A case could also be made for Ginny. In the first and second books, she is mostly shy around Harry and isn't really seen as an important character (accept for the whole diary bit).  I think we finally see her, as with Neville, come into her own in the fifth book. She becomes a member of the Quidditch team and is relatively good at it and she also goes to the Department of Mysteries to help Harry. She seems to have an unwavering dedication to Harry...wonder where that could end up going?

Neville's Coming of Age

In the Harry Potter series so far, there has been several of the characters who have followed the theme of coming of age. One character in particular is Neville Longbottom. At the start of the series, Neville was a clumsy, awkward, and shy boy but was very loyal to those around him. Rowling made the reader to believe that Neville would never be the brave hero who saved the day. However, in the first novel, we get a glimpse of Neville becoming more confident and that he has the ability to stand on his own two feet. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to sneak out of the Gryffindor common room to save the sorcerer’s stone, Nevil stands up to them and says he will fight if they attempt to leave. Seeing this more brave and confident side of Neville makes the reader believe he has the potential to become the hero one day.

                Most of Neville’s life, he was raised by his grandmother. The reason for his parents’ absence from his life is because they were tortured and driven insane by death eaters. Living with his grandmother has never been easy for Neville. She continually told him he was never good enough and never had any talent or potential to become someone. In the fifth book, Neville proves to himself and also to the reader that his grandmother was wrong about him. He is constantly focused and determined to improve his spells and curses so he is able to avenge his parents. This shows the reader that Neville does not let others bring him down and that he strives to become the best he can be. Neville is an excellent character that portrays the theme of coming of age. We have seen him grow in confidence more and more with each book.

Dobby, a free elf

Assumingly born into a life of slavery, Dobby started as an oppressed and weak creature, but was soon to break from these bonds.  When we first met Dobby, we saw him acting in defiance of his master, although it pained him greatly to do so.  We can see from the start that this little creature has a fiery spirit but for quite some time, it was not so.  Dobby was only beginning to push the limits on the boundary life has given him.  For most of his life, Dobby was forced to do the bidding of the cruel Malfoy family and up until we meet him in Chamber of Secrets, Dobby had not fought back.  By coming to Harry in an attempt to warn him of the coming dangers, Dobby was breaking rules never broken before.  Meeting Harry showed Dobby that not all wizards are as cruel as the Malfoy’s and he did not have to stand for their ways.  Throughout the year, Dobby continued to defy his master in any way possible to help Harry in his own way. As the series continues, Dobby is set free, thanks to Harry, and begins his life as an independent being.  It isn’t until two books later that we saw Dobby again, when he is in a new position at Hogwarts.  We learn that Dobby has spent his time trying to find paid work, something completely unheard of for his race.  He has grown and become determined to better himself, making a brilliant comeback from his former life filled with abuse.  Dobby was able to take his old life, re-evaluate, and come out on top as an inspiration to all underappreciated beings, despite his horrid past.