The Harry Potter series is an exceptional piece of fantasy work enjoyed by people of all ages. The three main characters are extremely well woven. Today we shall focus on one of them – Hermione. The character of Hermione Granger is a well-layered character and she is a vital organ for the Harry Potter universe.
According to me – Hermione is one of the strongest female characters in pop culture. In many ways, she defied the stereotype of what a perfect ‘woman’, according to society, should be.
Let’s explore more about this.
Unlike what society expects from women – not to have their own ambitions apart from taking care of the family or even have their own opinions – Hermione is a motivated young girl who is driven by her ambition to do well in academics and create positive change in society. Often in our society, a woman is expected to suppress herself and not argue with anyone, because ‘good girls’ are the ones who follow all the rules and conform to social norms.
But, Hermione Granger breaks that stereotype again and again. She is unapologetically bossy (a trope often used to force female characters to feel shame) and she stands for what she believes in. She is strictly against muggle and house-elf discrimination. Being from a muggle background herself, she is often faced with discrimination and pre-conceived notions about her background.
For example – when Professor Horace Slughorn invites students over for dinner, he questions Hermione about the profession of her parents in the muggle world. She tells him that they are dentists and also indulges in a funny incident which took place with her father while he was operating on a young boy’s teeth. This shows that no matter what is thrown at her, she handles it with humor and dignity.
This is, for sure, a trait of a strong girl.
The character of Hermione Granger develops naturally over the course of the story. She learns that it is important to question the world around you. She is born a leader and repeatedly helps her friends and rescues them from tight spots.
Most of all – what makes Hermione Granger such a likeable character?
The answer to that lies in the fact that she is flawed. She is not portrayed as a ‘badass’ girl or a Jill of all trades or a girl who is conventionally good looking. She is a girl with a no-nonsense personality, large front teeth and bushy hair – which made her instantly relatable. Even though she is a witch. She is not good at everything. She is terrible at Quidditch and what she is good at results in her often being labelled as an ‘insufferable know-it-all’.
But that does not stop her from being herself. She doesn’t change herself despite the fact that she was disliked by many, especially when it came to her penchant for strictly upholding school rules. And that in itself is an admirable quality – to be comfortable in your own skin and personality because guess what? No one is perfect.
They imperfections about her make her a fictional but also a very real character to be inspired from.
Hermione proves her intelligence and quick-thinking time and again despite the odds. She helped Harry free his godfather Sirius Black from captivity. She takes the risk of going back to in time via a time turner despite knowing that bad things happen to those who mess with time. But Hermione used her intelligence and helped Sirius escape. She also saved Buckbeak from being executed.
Time and again, Hermione had the ability to surprise her friends and the Harry Potter readers. She teaches that journalist bully Rita Skeeter the lesson of a lifetime. She is instrumental in founding Dumbledore’s Army and breaking “about 50 school rules” to make the Polyjuice Potion. Also, how can we forget the way she punched that hideous brat Malfoy?
And that undoubtedly is 10 points for Gryffindor!
Hermione is the brains of her group. She is constantly looking for solutions and is instrumental in keeping Harry and Ron alive, as well as finding the Horcruxes. She saved Harry at Godric’s Hollow. She saved Harry and Ron at Xenophilius Lovegood’s house. With the entire wizarding world marking them as fugitives and hunting them – Hermione kept herself and the boys hidden and protected for nearly a year.
Clearly, she showed heroism time and again. She is no doubt an inspiration to so many young girls out there. She is also that fierce and loyal friend that everyone would like to have in their life, and she will continue to live in our hearts forever.
Also Read: Game Of Representations: The Women In Game Of Thrones
Featured image used for representative purpose only. Image source: Pinterest.
