It has recently been suggested that Ginny Weasley is not worthy of Harry Potter's love; that Hermione Granger is a bit of a wet blanket; and that Ronald Weasley is a twit... and unworthy of Hermione's love. And I have to say, I heartily disagree... heartily.
Ginny Weasley is gutsy and strong; she has always proven herself thus. She is not some lovestruck girl waiting on her romantic hero to come back to her. Just because she plants an amazing kiss on him in honor of his 17th birthday doesn't make her lovestruck -- she does it to remind Harry that he has something, someone to live for, someone to come back to after his task is complete. She steps up when she needs to step up -- plays Quidditch with the best of them, has a wicked sense of humor (cultivated by older brothers George and Fred), holds her own in a battle. And she has a deep understanding of what Harry's been through, and what he needs, because she was his friend first and his girlfriend later. Apparently she's really hot, too, which I hear tell men find to be a big added bonus.
And I just can't have people insulting Ron Weasley. Ron Weasley is Our King. Ron Weasley is hilarious, a true and loyal friend, a brave Gryffindor, at times a voice of reason, and someone capable of great things. He grows tremendously through the course of 7 books, and Hermione, astute of character as she is, understands him and what he is capable of. Indeed, I feel sorry for anyone who isn't capable of understanding Ron, because he is one of the most fun characters in the entire series -- all those small things I love about JK Rowling's writing all wrapped into one tall redheaded dude. But most importantly is his ability to be a true loyal friend, and his ability to admit when he's been a prat. And sometimes, just being the very best friend you can be is enough, and this is why Harry and Hermione both see something in Ron that others may not.
As for Hermione... I'm not sure what else people want from this girl. Has she not done enough? I think the whole point behind Hermione as a character is to show that brains are enough -- you don't need to be beautiful (even though rumor has it she cleans up pretty nice), you don't need to be funny, you don't need to be sporty, because being smart is enough. We didn't have to see Hermione destroy the horcrux she destroyed, because that's not what we're supposed to see about Hermione. We're supposed to see "cool intellect in the face of fire" -- Dumbledore's words at the end of book 1, and the words about Hermione that stick with me longer than any others. But in addition to her considerable intellect, she too is a loyal friend and a person capable of seeing in others what they often fail to see in themselves. She teaches Harry and Ron -- and everyone around her, whether they admit it or not -- so much, and all she asks in return is that no one ever insult her intelligence. Just because the books aren't called "Hermione Granger and the dot-dot-dot" doesn't discount the fact that she's one of the strongest female characters I've ever seen in children's literature. Strong to me isn't a physical thing, it's a character thing, and Hermione's strength of character is probably greater than any other character in the Harry Potter series... Dumbledore included.
And yet, she can kick a Death Eater's ass in a duel with the best of them.
I think sometimes, in literature as well as life, we just need to accept that what people have to offer is enough, rather than projecting our own needs and desires onto them and expecting them to meet these needs and desires.
Ginny is a goddess. Ron Weasley is a hero. Hermione is a genius.
1 comment:
'bout time you got down to some serious writing/thinking again. ;->
I fail to see how I am wrong. I do not impugn either Ginny or Hermione as individuals; I merely question the use they put to all their obvious talents. What are these talented, desirable ladies doing wasting their time on these two unworthy geeks? Harry's got a bit of a death wish, besides having had the bad taste not to have appreciated Ginny sooner, while Ron has to be bashed over the head to appreciate so many of the good things and people in his life. I guess one might argue that such talented ladies like adequate challenges... Ron certainly is one - nineteen years later he's still clearly mired in some seriously pubescent perspectives. Of course, he is amusing, besides being non-threatening to Hermione because his strengths are so far (different) from hers and his weaknesses highlight her strengths, giving them almost unlimited scope for development and achievement.
Women who like their men to come with plenty in need of "fixing" are setting themselves up for trouble later in life, to say nothing of ultimate disappointment.
Mind you, I'm not saying that Harry will need much fixing, contrary to what a currently circulating video might suggest. He's actually developing at a nice pace. It's nice to see that he can afford to sit back and relax while Ginny tries her wings in professional Quidditch and sports broadcasting. I just thought we'd get to see more of her actually in action, but I guess, realistically, our narrator would have been far too distracted to complete his task if he'd spent enough time watching Ginny's exploits to share a useful perspective with the rest of us.
Are you sure you think I'm wrong?
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