“The way in which we come to know ourselves in literary work is not embedded in the work, but rather emerges from our own interaction with the work. It is in this interactive process, manifested in the feeling of being lost, that the reader of the novel is sometimes able to find feelings, ideas, possible worlds that he did not have prior to the reading.” – Sumara (1992/1999)

Different readers comes with different pre-conceived notions. As young readers, we’ve all heard about popular fictional stories such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, but where do men and women fall within these stories? Are women heroes? Or is it the men who dominate? In this blog, I will focus on the notions and opinions of gender stereotypes in the Harry Potter novel, and how women achieve gender equality within the series.

In chapter eight of Critical Representatives on Harry Potter, it discusses skewed gender representations within the novel. Gender stereotypes such as men being the brave savior and women being the cowardly victim are reinforced in the saga. Scenes such as, “Ron and Harry saving Hermione from the twelve-foot troll,” is proof of gender stereotypes. Thus, it is obvious that the assumption about gender and power, with males being the stronger of the two, follows the stereotype that plagues gender equality. Although, as we all know, “Harry Potter is a long and complex series with much going on.” With that, we can anticipate how female characters evolve from their feminine attributes and converge into gender equality.

The final verdict section makes the claim about the developing attributes of female characters throughout the series. Scenes such as, “Molly Weasley leaving the Burrow to protect her children and duels to defend her daughter, making her aggressive assertions consistent with her mothering role,” is a prime example of women taking authority and exiting their comfort zone to prove that they are strong and independent. Next, Heilman and Donaldson asks, “Does their (women) presence in authoritative positions satisfy a rich feminist conception of equality?” To answer, although our stereotype demands that women look unnatural when they try to incite their authority towards an overwhelming opposition. In my opinion, yes, women are closer to equality when taking up roles of authority. Therefore, in conclusion, women who can stand up and face the challenges above them are just as equal as men that do.

Sources

Heilman, Elizabeth E., and Trevor Donaldson. n.d. “From Sexist to (sort-Of) Feminist: Representations of Gender in the Harry Potter Series.” In Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter, 2nd ed., 139–61. New York, USA: Routledge. https://harrypottersummer2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/from-sexist-to-sort-of-feminist-representations-of-gender-in-harry-potter.pdf.