Gender Stereotypes in J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

Term Paper , 2020 , 8 Pages

English Language and Literature Studies - Literature

The portrayal of women in the Harry Potter series could be considered a highly controversial topic, especially among feminist advocates. Firstly, J. K. Rowling herself has faced discrimination based on the fact that she is a woman, which is why she ultimately was pressured into releasing the Harry Potter series under a pen name. This was done in order to get the support of a publishing company after getting rejected a total of twelve times. Despite this, many argue that she has portrayed some of the most significant characters within the Harry Potter series in stereotypical to even harmful ways.

As there are some, who, especially due to Rowling’s public actions, believe women are not portrayed in a favorable or feminist way in the Harry Potter series, it is the aim of this paper to take a closer look at the seventh, and arguably most important, part of the series to determine whether or not specific characters are portrayed in a stereotypical and sexist ways. I will briefly take on the notion of sex and gender, explained by Connel, West and Zimmerman, as well as gender stereotypes and the way gender is portrayed in children’s literature, introduced by Wilma J. Pyle. Furthermore, I will take a look at the seventh book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and briefly put its content into context.

Lastly, I will take on specific female characters and explain, how i. e. through specific language and behavior patterns, they are portrayed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow. In a separate chapter, I will take a closer look at the female protagonist Hermione Granger to discuss, whether she is presented in a stereotypical, sexist way or not and how the way she is portrayed is recognizable in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

1. Introduction

2. The Definition of Gender
2.1 Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Literature

3. Harry Potter (and the Deathly Hallows)

4. The Portrayal of Women in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
4.1. Analysis of Character: Hermione Granger

5. Conclusion

6. References

1 Introduction

The seven-part Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling is one of the most well- known and popular pieces of children’s literature worldwide. Translated into more than 80 languages and enjoyed by audiences of all ages globally, it is safe to say that the Harry Potter books have been an influential part of many people’s lives. Although the final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released 13 years ago in 2007, the Harry Potter franchise remains to be popular for audiences globally.

Growing up reading, admiring and following the Harry Potter book series, many, including myself, have been fascinated by the wondrous world of magic surrounding the three main characters Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. After picking up the novels again at a more advanced age, I have realized that there are two aspects specifically, that of racism and feminism in the series, which have been pointed out and criticized regarding the Harry Potter books throughout the years. One of these aspects is a feminist approach regarding the portrayal of female characters in the series. With the author herself, J. K. Rowling, confronting this topic previously, it has inspired me to look further into the portrayal of female characters specifically in the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The portrayal of women in the Harry Potter series could be considered a highly controversial topic especially among feminist advocates. Firstly, J. K. Rowling herself has faced discrimination based on the fact that she is a woman, which is why she ultimately was pressured into releasing the Harry Potter series under a pen name. This was done in order to get the support of a publishing company after getting rejected a total of twelve times. Despite this, many argue that she has portrayed some of the most significant characters within the Harry Potter series in stereotypical to even harmful ways (Heilman, Donaldson, Kellner). As there are some, who, especially due to Rowling’s public actions, believe women are not portrayed in a favorable or feminist way in the Harry Potter series, it is the aim of this paper to take a closer look at the seventh, and arguably most important, part of the series to determine whether or not specific characters are portrayed in a stereotypical and sexist ways.

I will briefly take on the notion of sex and gender, explained by Connel, West and Zimmerman as well as gender stereotypes and the way gender is portrayed in children’s literature, introduced by Wilma J. Pyle.

Furthermore, I will take a look at the seventh book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and briefly put its content into context.

Lastly, I will take on specific female characters and explain, how i. e. through specific language and behavior patterns, they are portrayed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow. In a separate chapter, I will take a closer look at the female protagonist Hermione Granger to discuss, whether she is presented in a stereotypical, sexist way or not and how the way she is portrayed is recognizable in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

2. The Definition of Gender

The term gender is often used in connection with the term sex; although both are sometimes so closely associated that the differences between them may seem insignificant, it is important to point exactly said difference out. According to Raewyn Connell, gender is the “key dimension of (one’s) personal life, social relation and culture” (Connell, Preface: 9). Therefore, gender is what society influenced by different cultures perceive as feminine or masculine. It can be observable through one’s actions or general behavior patterns and is constructed by society, which is why the notion of gender can vary throughout time and different cultures (ibid.). Something that may not be perceived as masculine in one culture, may be perceived as exactly that in another; while something that may not be perceived as feminine in one country, may be perceived as feminine in another. For instance, although society is evolving all over the world and the notion of gender changes constantly, wearing make-up as someone who is a man may be perceived as feminine and attributed to feminine characteristics in Western countries, whereas it is not unusual for men to wear make-up in Asian countries. Gender is generally “constituted through interaction” (West and Zimmerman, 129) in society. To differentiate from gender is sex, which is “ascribed by biology(;) anatomy, hormones, and physiology” (West and Zimmerman, 125). Therefore sex represents each individual’s biological features, which in most cases define women and men.

2.1 Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Literature

According to Wilma J. Ryle, it is not rare to notice certain gender stereotypes being put on to character in children’s literature. Sexist attitudes in children’s literature are those, which “relegate women to a secondary and inferior status” (Ryle, 116). Literature is sexist if certain language portrays women in stereotypical ways with less character traits and general capabilities (ibid.). Stereotypes attributed to women characters often portray them as emotional to the point of irrationality; stereotyped women in literature are often portrayed as weak, submissive, passive standing in a secondary position after a male protagonist or character (Peterson and Lach, 185). Oftentimes men who are emotional in literature end up being ridiculed for exhibiting behavior which is closely associated with femininity, which leads to said male characters feeling ashamed for their behavior. This concept can briefly be found in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as Harry wipes his tears in shame after losing his pet owl (The Deathly Hallows, 52). This may be the case as Harry grew up in an emotionally abusive household, in which he was ridiculed, mocked and mistreated whenever he showed even emotions such as joy. Ridiculing and mocking behavior patterns associated with femininity in literature usually occurs in order to make men seem superior to women.

3. Harry Potter (and the Deathly Hallows)

The Harry Potter series consists of seven books, written by J. K. Rowling between 1997 and 2007. The series deals with the main protagonist Harry Potter, who is known as “the boy who lives” after being the only known person to survive an attack by the dark wizard Voldemort in the world of witches and wizards, separated from the world of non­wizards, so called Muggles. After growing up as an orphan in the abusive household of his aunt and uncle as well as their child, Harry finally learns about magic, his parents and the wizarding world, which leads to him leaving the Muggle world behind in order to study at Hogwarts, a school for young wizards and witches. Beginning his journey at Hogwarts, each year Harry experiences new adventures with his two closest friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, as well as dangers because Voldemort still has not given up on his aim to kill Harry. His time in Hogwarts, during which Harry befriends many people including the headmaster Albus Dumbledore, becomes more and more dangerous, until finally, Dumbledore gets murdered and Harry, Hermione and Ron go onto a mission to find a way of destroying the source of all evil - Voldemort. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows deals with the trio’s journey; it tells the reader stories about friendship, team work, loyalty, loss and finally presents the last battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort, which influences the entire wizarding world.

4. The Portrayal of Women in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Although the wizarding world in the Harry Potter series is definitely dominated by men, which is no surprise as the main protagonist is a man, there is still a wide variety of different female characters present within the series. Especially in the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, some of the most significant female characters seem to break out of their characters the way they were originally created.

Two women, who have been very consistent throughout the Harry Potter series, but who act completely out of character in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are Molly Weasley, mother of Ron Weasley, as well as Narcissa Malfoy, mother of Harry Potter’s school rival Draco Malfoy. While both characters are known as quiet stay-at-home mothers, they prove themselves to be much more than that. It is obvious that Molly Weasley is and will always be a mother to her seven children and a mother-figure to Harry. Even during stressful circumstances, after the Order of the Phoenix, a group trying to keep Harry safe from Lord Voldemort, tragically loses members while rescuing Harry from his ordinary human home, Molly Weasley entertains her guests, specifically Hagrid, by making sure to provide drinks and a comfortable atmosphere. Additionally, apart from the already stereotypical image of a stay-at-home mother of seven children, Molly Weasley is presented as an emotional character, along with most female characters in the series, which is why she “burst[s] into tears” (The Deathly Hallows, 495) at the sight of one of her sons, Percy. While preparing for battle, her motherly instincts take over and she fully returns to her motherly role as she tries to keep her youngest child, her daughter Ginny, from participating in battle. Rather than crying or squeaking, as a lot of female characters do within the series, she “bark[s]” (ibid. 495) at Ginny in order to show authority and keep her from harm. Furthermore, similar to Hermione during her travels with Harry and Ron, Molly Weasley is one of the witches and wizards responsible for casting protective spells in order to keep Hogwarts and the students from harm. The most noticeable moment, in which Molly Weasley takes the initiative and acts with complete autonomy occurs right when Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the few evil women in the Harry Potter series, is about to kill Molly’s daughter Ginny (ibid. 602). For the first time since the beginning of the Harry Potter series, the reader witnesses as Molly Weasley does not only defend her daughter and her own life, but she starts to “scream” and ultimately kills Bellatrix Lestrange (ibid.). Similar to Molly Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy also ends up embracing her motherly role in order to protect her child from harm, however that occurs in a quite different way than the reader was able to witness earlier. While Narcissa Malfoy is known to be on the evil side of magic alongside her family, and while she is usually portrayed as a sort of one-dimensional, passive character, she turns that trope into a different direction by taking advantage of it. As she is always seen as a quiet, stoic character that follows orders perfectly (ibid. 371), finally, nobody has any reason to doubt her when Voldemort chooses her to examine Harry and she lies about his death in order to protect her son and safely get to him (ibid. 593).

While Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley fully embracing their roles as mothers willing to do anything to protect their children finally leads to both of them being able to keep their children, in Molly Weasley’s case not all of them, safe, it does not exactly end that way for Nymphadora Tonks, known as Tonks. Throughout the Harry Potter series, from the moment she is introduced to the audience, Tonks proves herself to be different. Other than other women, who would not have acted like her, she attempts and finally manages to persuade Remus Lupin into marrying her after getting rejected by him multiple times. Once she becomes pregnant, Lupin leaves her at home (The Deathly Hallows, 171) while he is questioning her marriage and momentarily pushes her into a more stereotypical role by taking away her autonomy, despite Tonks being a talented Auror and mostly independent woman. Once Tonks decides to leave her child with her parents to join the battle against evil, both Tonks and Remus Lupin lose their lives (ibid. 540) and forever influence that of their child.

According to Heilman and Donaldson, Ginny Weasley, daughter of Molly Weasley and love interest of Harry Potter, is an “archetypal girl and is presented as deeply passive, weak and repetitive. She has a crush on Harry, which disables her” (Heilman and Donaldson, 230).While this description may partly be accurate in terms of her portrayal in earlier Harrry Potter pieces, it is certainly no longer accurate in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. While reading the seventh part of the Harry Potter series, the reader may notice that when women express their emotions, they are usually being described as characters with “shrill” voices, “scream[ing]” ,“screech[ing]” (The Deathly Hallows, 310) or “squeal[ing]” (ibid. 171). That however is not the case when it comes to Ginny. Ginny breaks out of such stereotypical descriptions when she shows bravery and helps her classmates by attempting to steal an important artifact in order to sabotage the evil wizards who have power over Hogwarts and the entire wizarding world, despite getting severely punished for it (ibid. 243).

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• Author: Su Erden (Author)
• Publication Year: 2020
• Pages: 8
• Catalog Number: V1032885
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346445469
• Language: German
• Tags: gender, stereotypes, rowling, harry, potter, deathly, hallows