| Half-Blood Prince |
I’d like to say there was a lot of character growth for all of
them through Book 6. For instance, in Book 1 they all have their
own arcs. Hermione goes from bossy little bookworm to the loyal
and brave Gryffindor we all know and love today.
However, there’s not much growth from anyone in this poor excuse
for a Potter novel. And I might have been able to ignore the
glaring plot-holes and character wonkiness had they left my
Hermione alone. Once you attack the Granger, though, prepare for
war.
Her odd character assassination begins almost the moment we meet
her. Harry arrives at the Burrow, warmed by the presence of
Crookshanks knowing undeniably that Hermione is there. And, hark,
he is awakened by Hermione and Ron the next morning.
She sits on his bed with him as he tells his “nearest and
dearest” of the prophesy. Though they act calm and say they
expected something of the sort, all three of them lose their
minds after learning of the portent.
them through Book 6. For instance, in Book 1 they all have their
own arcs. Hermione goes from bossy little bookworm to the loyal
and brave Gryffindor we all know and love today.
However, there’s not much growth from anyone in this poor excuse
for a Potter novel. And I might have been able to ignore the
glaring plot-holes and character wonkiness had they left my
Hermione alone. Once you attack the Granger, though, prepare for
war.
Her odd character assassination begins almost the moment we meet
her. Harry arrives at the Burrow, warmed by the presence of
Crookshanks knowing undeniably that Hermione is there. And, hark,
he is awakened by Hermione and Ron the next morning.
She sits on his bed with him as he tells his “nearest and
dearest” of the prophesy. Though they act calm and say they
expected something of the sort, all three of them lose their
minds after learning of the portent.
- "The Prophet's got it right," said Harry, looking
frightened and Ron amazed. "That glass ball that heard
the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was the one
the prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. From
what it said," Harry took a deep breath, "it looks
like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort...
At least, it said neither of us could live while the
other survives."
- The three of them gazed at one another in silence
vanished behind a puff of black smoke.
- "Hermione!" shouted Harry and Ron; the breakfast
- Hermione emerged, coughing, out of the smoke,
purple black eye.
- "I squeezed it and it - it punched me!" she gasped.
And sure enough, they now saw a tiny fist on a
- "Don't worry," said Ron, who was plainly trying
minor injuries -"
- "Oh well, never mind that now!" said Hermione
- She sat down on the edge of his bed again.
| Half-Blood Prince Chapter 5 |
One of the only times Hermione becomes the comic relief, it's
usually Ron who breaks the tension. She gets popped in the eye by
one of Fred and George’s left-overs and Harry bolts up from the
bed, dropping his forgotten breakfast to the floor.
Hermione doesn't care about herself though. She's too concerned
with Harry's well-being. She asks him if he's scared. He tells
her that he was before, but now not as much. Bravado from a boy
trying to protect his best friends or does being in their
presence make him feel bolder?
She shows mild annoyance at Ron’s dazed reaction to Fleur even
after all this time. Proof of love or not, it’s always struck me
that she was more indignant about it than jealous and more
disappointed in her boys for being superficial orangutans.
Or at least one of them is. Harry may be more of a ‘thinking man’
but as long as the word ‘man’ is anywhere present, a girl should
take some caution. Not because they’re particularly dangerous, or
bigger physically, but because they’re somewhat idiotic almost
ninety percent of the time.
Anyway, back to the arc.
Book 6, in turn, becomes the last ditch attempt for three teens
to be as dunderheaded, selfish, inconsiderate as teens generally
tend to be.
The main problem then is that they’ve never been normal, typical
kids before – on the contrary, they’ve been stellar in every way,
exceeding the standards and expectations of everyone – so why
start now, where’s the sudden drive to be ordinary come from?
This theory would explain why the characters behave irrationally
and entirely unlike themselves. It would not, however, explain
why they don’t seem to be able to remain friends nor Ron’s
emergence as a ladies’ man, and the fact that he’s the only one
who seems to relish this changeover. Where the other characters
suffer and act insane, Ron continues to act callous and obtusely
ignorant of others and he gets rewarded. Actually, I’m lying –
Ginny flourishes in this book as well. Odd, that.
usually Ron who breaks the tension. She gets popped in the eye by
one of Fred and George’s left-overs and Harry bolts up from the
bed, dropping his forgotten breakfast to the floor.
Hermione doesn't care about herself though. She's too concerned
with Harry's well-being. She asks him if he's scared. He tells
her that he was before, but now not as much. Bravado from a boy
trying to protect his best friends or does being in their
presence make him feel bolder?
She shows mild annoyance at Ron’s dazed reaction to Fleur even
after all this time. Proof of love or not, it’s always struck me
that she was more indignant about it than jealous and more
disappointed in her boys for being superficial orangutans.
Or at least one of them is. Harry may be more of a ‘thinking man’
but as long as the word ‘man’ is anywhere present, a girl should
take some caution. Not because they’re particularly dangerous, or
bigger physically, but because they’re somewhat idiotic almost
ninety percent of the time.
Anyway, back to the arc.
Book 6, in turn, becomes the last ditch attempt for three teens
to be as dunderheaded, selfish, inconsiderate as teens generally
tend to be.
The main problem then is that they’ve never been normal, typical
kids before – on the contrary, they’ve been stellar in every way,
exceeding the standards and expectations of everyone – so why
start now, where’s the sudden drive to be ordinary come from?
This theory would explain why the characters behave irrationally
and entirely unlike themselves. It would not, however, explain
why they don’t seem to be able to remain friends nor Ron’s
emergence as a ladies’ man, and the fact that he’s the only one
who seems to relish this changeover. Where the other characters
suffer and act insane, Ron continues to act callous and obtusely
ignorant of others and he gets rewarded. Actually, I’m lying –
Ginny flourishes in this book as well. Odd, that.
| To Be Continued... |
Hermione’s arc has been consistent since her introduction into
the series. Before our eyes, we’ve watched as she’s grown from
courageous, kick-ass friend willing to scrape through any
situation for her friends.
And now we watch as she abandons Hagrid, spares Harry a passing
warning that some girls are planning to attack him, fights with
Ginny, and gets so spastic over Ron’s behavior she attacks him.
I'm sorry. How does that make sense to anyone? That change
doesn't make you suspect? This is my problem with "anvils" and
those who worship them...I just don't see how you can accept this
fundamental change in character without questioning it.
Now, all of these points will be discussed in detail of course,
but let’s for right now note that Hermione isn’t exactly prone
violence. Yes, she’s been known to counter a verbal strike, but
she’s generally of the mind-set to hold herself above such things.
The only times she’s had to smack a few heads together it’s been
in self-defense, the protection of her friends, or when she is
truly at her wits’ end.
For instance, she smacks the hell out of Malfoy in the Third
Year. This is the year we see Hermione stress herself out to the
maximum. She’s taken on an overloaded course schedule, which is
bad enough, but add on top of that the anxiety, frustration and
loneliness she’s got to deal with because her two best friends
aren’t speaking to her and the additional stress and work for
Buckbeak’s case. She’s a tad bit frazzled, I’d say.
So when the trio makes their way down to say their goodbye’s to
Buckbeak, Malfoy decides it’s time to open his fat mouth and
degrade Hagrid and his pets (for the umpteenth time!), Hermione
snaps! She first threatens him with her wand, which the boys hold
her back from using. Let’s face it; if Hermione were to ever
unleash the full power of her magic, we’d feel the bleed over
into this world. She would have killed him instantly. Or at the
very least, could have.
Instead, she pulls back and with the full force of her heavy-book-
carrying muscle she smacks the hell out of the git! (Best moment
EVER!) And where it’s completely deserved and a little overdue,
the shock that Hermione was the one to do it still has not worn
off.
That’s really the only time we see her snap like that. And the
fact that it’s her highlights the point of how severe the
situation is, if you weren’t supposed to take notice or pay much
attention to it, Ron would have just hurled himself at Malfoy
like he always does. Because it’s Hermione and you know her to be
gentle and caring, you fall out of your seat when you read about
her hurting someone (however deserved it may be).
These leads directly into another topic I’d like to discuss...
Hermione’s betrayal of Hagrid. I know I’ve mentioned it before,
it’s the most grievous sin any of them commit in this book. The
most obvious example of their sudden oddity.
I will write about it more later. I’ll just point out now, that
in Third Year, Hermione’s most stressed out year in history,
there was one person Hermione turned to, one friend who stood by
her throughout everything, one person she took time away from her
studies to fight for, one shoulder she cried on, one guy who
dried all her tears. Who was that very best friend you ask?
No, not Harry. He was busy being pissy about a broomstick.
Certainly not Ron. Not only does he not have the emotional range
to be there for someone in need, he also despised her at this
point because he blamed her for the death of Scabbers.
It was Hagrid.
the series. Before our eyes, we’ve watched as she’s grown from
courageous, kick-ass friend willing to scrape through any
situation for her friends.
And now we watch as she abandons Hagrid, spares Harry a passing
warning that some girls are planning to attack him, fights with
Ginny, and gets so spastic over Ron’s behavior she attacks him.
I'm sorry. How does that make sense to anyone? That change
doesn't make you suspect? This is my problem with "anvils" and
those who worship them...I just don't see how you can accept this
fundamental change in character without questioning it.
Now, all of these points will be discussed in detail of course,
but let’s for right now note that Hermione isn’t exactly prone
violence. Yes, she’s been known to counter a verbal strike, but
she’s generally of the mind-set to hold herself above such things.
The only times she’s had to smack a few heads together it’s been
in self-defense, the protection of her friends, or when she is
truly at her wits’ end.
For instance, she smacks the hell out of Malfoy in the Third
Year. This is the year we see Hermione stress herself out to the
maximum. She’s taken on an overloaded course schedule, which is
bad enough, but add on top of that the anxiety, frustration and
loneliness she’s got to deal with because her two best friends
aren’t speaking to her and the additional stress and work for
Buckbeak’s case. She’s a tad bit frazzled, I’d say.
So when the trio makes their way down to say their goodbye’s to
Buckbeak, Malfoy decides it’s time to open his fat mouth and
degrade Hagrid and his pets (for the umpteenth time!), Hermione
snaps! She first threatens him with her wand, which the boys hold
her back from using. Let’s face it; if Hermione were to ever
unleash the full power of her magic, we’d feel the bleed over
into this world. She would have killed him instantly. Or at the
very least, could have.
Instead, she pulls back and with the full force of her heavy-book-
carrying muscle she smacks the hell out of the git! (Best moment
EVER!) And where it’s completely deserved and a little overdue,
the shock that Hermione was the one to do it still has not worn
off.
That’s really the only time we see her snap like that. And the
fact that it’s her highlights the point of how severe the
situation is, if you weren’t supposed to take notice or pay much
attention to it, Ron would have just hurled himself at Malfoy
like he always does. Because it’s Hermione and you know her to be
gentle and caring, you fall out of your seat when you read about
her hurting someone (however deserved it may be).
These leads directly into another topic I’d like to discuss...
Hermione’s betrayal of Hagrid. I know I’ve mentioned it before,
it’s the most grievous sin any of them commit in this book. The
most obvious example of their sudden oddity.
I will write about it more later. I’ll just point out now, that
in Third Year, Hermione’s most stressed out year in history,
there was one person Hermione turned to, one friend who stood by
her throughout everything, one person she took time away from her
studies to fight for, one shoulder she cried on, one guy who
dried all her tears. Who was that very best friend you ask?
No, not Harry. He was busy being pissy about a broomstick.
Certainly not Ron. Not only does he not have the emotional range
to be there for someone in need, he also despised her at this
point because he blamed her for the death of Scabbers.
It was Hagrid.
Things start getting wonky after Harry
tells of the prophecy. Perhaps it’s
finally struck the kids how serious and
desperate the situation is, they sense the
beginning of the end of their innocence
and attempt to escape.
tells of the prophecy. Perhaps it’s
finally struck the kids how serious and
desperate the situation is, they sense the
beginning of the end of their innocence
and attempt to escape.
| The Ultimate Harry Potter Analysis Source |
| Choosing what is Right over what is Easy |
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