The Battle Continues: Harry Potter and the Attack of the Muggles - Essay Example

The Battle Continues: Harry Potter and the Attack of the Muggles In a highly commercialized age like ours, literary success is deemed measured by the saleability of the literary piece. Sometimes consumers are logically enticed to purchase a book because of the popularity that it gained nationally or globally. For most readers, figures such as the “millions of copies sold worldwide” tag indicate that there is a great story behind a book or a series, which is worth their every penny. The Harry Potter phenomenon is the forerunner of this kind of success story in children’s literature. What makes the Harry Potter series even more formidable is that all seven books were widely supported by the public. The last instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold fifteen million copies in its first 24 hours after its release (Forbes.com, 2008). Thus, from start to finish, many readers found it their while to stick with Harry and Rowling. It is interesting to note however that, from Philosopher’s Stone until Deathly Hallows, attacks against Harry were not exclusively made by Voldemort and his cohorts. Harry’s journey, adventures, and values were constantly questioned by unafraid muggles of the real world, who had the luxury to both love and hate him without being hexed or cursed, based on their own set of standards and morals. Now that the battle against Voldemort has been won, an even larger battle on Harry’s legacy is thus looming in the horizon. This paper seeks to delve into one such attack involving the role of girls or women in Harry’s story. It is also this paper’s objective to explore and analyse the representation of gender roles in the series. And particularly address Christine Schoefer’s claim that boys come first in Harry’s world pointing to the inferior characterisation of girls therein. I. Christine Schoefer’s Criticism The Harry Potter series appealed not only to children but to adults as well. Some of whom probably want to relieve the child within them through the books’ magical theme, while others probably just want to share the Harry Potter experience with their children. One such parent is Christine Schoefer, a mother of three die-hard female Harry Potter fans (Salon.com, 2000). In January 2000, Schoefer wrote an article claiming that the story has a sexist undertone against girls. Schoefer states “Harry’s fictional realm of magic and wizardry perfectly mirrors the conventional assumption that men do and should run the world. From the beginning of the first Potter book, it is boys and men, wizards and sorcerers, who catch our attention by dominating the scenes and determining the action. Harry, of course, plays the lead […] Girls, when they are not downright silly or unlikeable, are helpers, enablers and instruments. No girl is brilliantly heroic the way Harry is, no woman experienced and wise like Professor Dumbledore. In fact, the range of female personalities is so limited that neither women nor girls play on the side of evil’ (Schoefer, 2000). To Schoefer, the characterisations of the brainy Hermione, young Ginny, authoritative McGonagall, and eccentric of Trelawney do not come close to Harrys flamboyant, rule-defying, brave character or the all-knowing Dumbledore (Schoefer, 2000). One would understand Schoefer’s resentment. The realization that the series beloved by her daughters contains overflowing male and female stereotypes and lacks a sort of female empowerment that would inspire girls to move past the subordinate position of women in a power driven setting such as Harry’s world perplexed her. Although her concerns are valid, it is essential that her article be properly contextualised in order to objectively address her criticism. Context, Analysis, and Alternative Point of View It must be noted that Schoefer wrote her article on the background of the series’ first three books. She is partially correct in claiming that roles of utter significance were given to men. However, I felt that her contentions relating to the conventional notion of men’s domination, description of girls as silly and mere instruments, idea of heroism, and limitation of female personalities were done prematurely. Additionally, in 2003, Elizabeth H. Heilman shared Schoefer’s sentiments by suggesting that Rowlings novels "feature females in secondary positions of power and authority and replicate some of the most demeaning, yet familiar, cultural stereotypes for both males and females" (222). Heilman further posited that the series’ main good and evil characters are predominantly male. She disdained the negative depictions of women in the series, to wit: Hermione’s show of fear during the troll incident in Philosopher’s Stone and her constant supporting role in Harry’s adventures, women’s inclination to anti-intellectual classes such as Divination, and poor performance of Fleur Delacour, the only female champion, in the Triwizard tournament in the Goblet of Fire, among others. (130,223) Schoefer and Heilman’s similar charges of discrimination are misplaced. The common flaw in their critique is their limited sources. It is always dangerous to make any conclusions with incomplete information because that would certainly expose one’s arguments to loopholes. The tendency of critics with such approach is to single out events to support their claims without looking at the bigger picture. It is obvious that Harry Potter is the main protagonist of the series. It is, I think, expected of us to understand that the story will most likely put him in the centre of almost everything. We are resigned to accept that the other characters, both male and female, do have supporting roles. Schoefer cannot stand the fact that, for the most part, the first three books speak only of Harry Potter and the male supporting casts. Additionally, the meagre portion, which speaks of girls in Harry’s world, tends to demean their character and cast doubt to girls’ proper place in the wizarding world. I would have to partially agree with Schoefer about the male characters. After all, it is a magical story about a boy who lived during one of the darkest days in the wizarding world, when one powerful wizard tried to impose his will amongst all magical creatures. However, the point after that makes our opinions different. Rowling’s style of storytelling was predominantly progressive with little regression of events. The story thus builds around Harry by introducing characters and plots, which link his past, present, and future. Undoubtedly, Harry Potter’s story is a story of a boy’s life, from his infancy, childhood and early adolescence, spiced by the intertwining tragedy that acquainted him with destiny. Thus, it is but natural for the development of other characters and the revelation of their worth to take place later. In a story about life, it is logical to assume that the lead character would physically, emotionally, and intellectually mature alongside his contemporaries. To attack the characters of Hermione, a muggle-born witch, and the eleven-year old Ginny outright during their development years is to undermine the natural law, which teaches us that intelligence, pragmatism, or bravery comes in years of experience. While Harry needed to be brave during his early years because the situation between life and death calls for it. In The Order of the Phoenix, Harry even mentioned that his triumphs against evil usually included luck rather than skill. He, like anyone, just has to learn from the experiences that life brings him. After all, if critics were convinced at the first instance that heroism in this story is reserved to men, then they are sadly remiss for ignoring the ultimate sacrifice that made the whole Harry heroism possible, Lily’s. II. Representation of Gender Roles in the Series The Harry Potter series is different from most fantasy literature because its setting coincides with the human story. Rowling did not create a world exclusively for witches and wizards. Rather she chose to intertwine it with the human world. The themes that make up human history and wizarding history are likely very similar. Our past has been tainted by violence, war, discrimination, inequality and so was theirs. Unmistakably, Rowling largely patterned Harry’s mystical world to our very own world. One would not be surprised if the characters reflect human qualities we see, struggle with, praise or despise every day. Fantasy, according to T.E. Apter, is not an escape from reality but an investigation of it (1982, p.2). The series is so close to its readers’ hearts because of the parallelisms that they see and feel toward the story and its characters, not to mention the exciting new experience of infusing magic therein. Additionally, David Gooderham mentions that “the conceptualisation fantasy is thus seen to describe not so much a collection of marvels which divert readers from ordinary human concerns, but a distinctive and fruitful way of speaking about just these concerns” (Gooderman, 1995). The perennial human themes of love, friendship, sacrifice, battle between good and evil, fighting for truth and justice, discrimination, corruption, power, and domination, among others, were evidently seen in the Harry Potter series. What makes it even more real is that Rowling created Harry’s world to be as spontaneously human as it can be. She intended her young characters to adhere to the normal characteristics of young boys and girls. She was unafraid to show that magic does not automatically alter a boy or girl’s natural distinction from each other. Because all else being equal, with or without magic, boys will be boys and girls will be girls. Background of the Gender Debacle Although it is my opinion that Rowling did not intentionally use the gender card in the series, it has to be noted that male domination of the pre-Harry era has a very human-like explanation. Given the assumption that the wizarding world exists simultaneously with the human world, the answer to that question lies in our similar histories. Men of power are common fixtures in human history. Civilizations have showcased the love affair of men with power, authority, and stature and how their craving for more spelled their respective demise. There are of course women counterparts like the queens of Europe or Empress Dowager in China. However, the queens ascend to the throne usually by blood relations rather than merit while the Empress Dowager is deemed to be an isolated case. Our history illustrates that men as compared to women seemed to have a natural affinity to want power and crave more of it. The story of Lord Voldemort is a similar case. His rise to power in the late 20th century was motivated firstly, by the pureblood ideals of Salazar Slytherin and secondly, by his longing to be the greatest, most powerful wizard that ever lived. Consumed by this aspiration, Voldemort murdered hundreds of witches and wizards with the hope that through these he could attain immortality. Pre-Harry era was male dominated not because the wizarding world considered witches as secondary to wizards. It just happened that Slytherin’s heir was born during that time, while Dumbledore lived long enough to be a part of it. Rowling may have mirrored such theme with the real world’s 1960’s, which as we know still has prejudice to women empowerment and was not tolerant to the idea of a potentially vicious evil woman. I believe that Rowling was just trying to make the background as real as possible, without consciously engaging in a battle of the sexes. Representation of Gender Roles during the Harry Potter Era Given that Rowling made the story as human as possible, the existence of gender roles in the series is undeniable. These gender roles can be categorized into two, namely, traditional and modern. Traditional gender roles were mostly observed by the elder witches and wizards probably because they were born and raised during a time when the male and female roles can still strictly be delineated. While modern gender roles still separate the boys from the girls but in no case can be considered as an absolute rule in all cases. Arthur and Molly Weasly personify the traditional roles of a man and woman regarding family life. Throughout the series, Arthur has worked for the Ministry of Magic to provide for his family. While Molly plays the role of a traditional housewife who manages the affairs of the household. Contrary to Molly’s traditional role, Ginny has managed to become a modern-day mom of three and play for the Holyhead Harpies (mugglenet.com). This was probably made possible because the children were usually educated at boarding schools like Hogwarts. Molly had the same circumstance but, as we know, chose a different path. Traditionally, boys are depicted as playful, easy-go-lucky, unemotional, brave, and sporty. Although boys at Hogwarts can generally be identified with those traits, Rowling illustrates in the person of Neville Longbottom that this is not the case. As early as The Philosopher’s Stone, Neville showed an aptitude to Herbology, which is a “not so masculine” O.W.L. as compared to Defense Against the Dark Arts, which Harry enjoys. Neville also loves traditional dances such as the waltz as seen in The Goblet of Fire. This departure from stereotypes does not make him less of a man. He showed bravery when he stood up against his friends in Philosopher’s Stone and fought alongside Harry at the Battle of Department of Mysteries in The Order of the Phoenix, and the Battle of Hogwarts in The Deathly Hallows (277). Girls are traditionally depicted as emotionally more matured than boys, initially shy, opinionated, focused and efficient with work, and usually well-mannered. Hogwarts during Harry’s time encountered girls like these. But the character of Hermione ended up as a modern one. Hermionie’s persona, as compared to Harry and Ron, painted a vivid picture of what makes girls different from boys and not at all feel inferior about it. In the story, Harry was the chosen one. He became brave because he has to and he became equipped with defensive spells out of his experience against the Dark Arts. Hermionie’s bravery on the other hand was earned and consciously decided upon. Remember that Hermionie entered Hogwarts as a muggle-born witch. Her intelligence, industry and hard work proved to be her saving grace and confidence booster. Hermionie, in The Prisoner of Azkaban, confronted Malfoy and even spanked him after Buckbeak’s condemnation. She convinced Harry to form Dumbledore’s Army in The Order of the Phoenix in preparation of the coming war. She also became an advocate of Elves’ rights and fair treatment of other magical creatures. She fought alongside Harry in all battles mentioned in the series and decided to stick with Harry during the quest for Horcruxes as opposed to Ron’s indecision. The Deathly Hallows also illustrated Hermionie’s character under pressure when Bellatrix was torturing her. After reflecting on Hermionie’s character, we can say that bravery, courage, and womanhood can definitely be written in one sentence. At the beginning of the series, gender roles with respect to authority showed us back to an era when men were the authority figures. During Harry’s time, authority has already been fairly shared by men and women. There were already numerous witches working in the ministry. Umbridge, who became Headmistress of Hogwarts, served as Senior Undersecretary and head of Muggle Born Registration Commission. Tonks served as an auror before she died in battle while Hermionie worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (mugglenet.com). Clearly, as our world becomes open to equal opportunities for women, so is Harry’s world. Finally, Traditional gender roles usually depict heroes as men who save damsels in distress. Heroism then necessitates the conscious use of force and strength. Usually men do the saving while women were the ones saved or were instrumental to men’s heroic moment. The Harry Potter series contained a combination of traditional and modern gender roles relating to heroism. Lily Potter’s ultimate sacrifice for her son was heroic in itself albeit its predictability. Maternal love and instincts make mothers naturally protective of their child, as also illustrated by Molly Weasly in the Battle of Hogwarts. Lily’s heroism was subtle yet equally profound and enduring as it was a pure act of love. Harry’s heroism was partly traditional because of the fights, and physical pain that he has to endure. While some heroes were born and destined to be so, Harry always had the choice whether to adhere or reject his destiny. In the end, Harry chose to be the hero that his world needed. His acts became enduring depictions of both male and female heroism. Harry’s courage to face the unknown made him a warrior amongst men while his decision to sacrifice his life, in order for his friends to live, made him a selfless advocate of love amongst women. Harry is indeed his mother’s son. Conclusion In the series, gender did not hamper anyone in trying to reach their full potential as witches and wizards. Empowerment is tied not with one’s biological makeup or social standing but the choices that one makes to become better. Clearly, the issue on gender arises because of the mainstream characterisations of men or women coupled by the antiquated and misplaced idea that one characterisation is superior to the other. References Primary: Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. London: Bloomsbury Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury Rowling, J. K. (1999). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury Rowling, J. K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury Rowling, J. K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. London: Bloomsbury Secondary: Apter, T.E. (1982), Fantasy Literature: An Approach to Reality. London: Macmillan Gooderman, David. “Children’s Fantasy Literature: Toward an Anatomy”. Children’s Literature in Education. Web. September 1995. Heilman, Elizabeth E. (2003). Blue Wizards and Pink Witches: Representations of Gender Identity and Power. In: Heilman, Elizabeth E. (ed.). Harry Potters World: Multidisciplinary Critical Perspectives. London/New York: RoutledgeFalmer Schoefer, Christine. "Harry Potters girl trouble: The world of everyones favorite kid wizard is a place where boys come first". Salon.com. 13 Jan. 2000. Read More