My daughter loves to raise her hand to answer questions. She puts it high up there.
She also likes to tell her brothers what to do.
And before we leave for a car trip, she organizes her essential belongings into one of her many bags.
I like to call her “My little Hermione.”
J.K. Rowling gives us many wonderful gifts with her Harry Potter series: a fantastically detailed magical world, an epic story of good prevailing over evil, and best of all, engaging characters that grow and mature as the plot thickens and convolutes.
Why I Love Hermione
Although Harry has many admirable qualities, Hermione earns my deepest affection. I loved following her from her spunky, yet tender (note the crying in the bathroom before the Cave Troll appears) preadolescent years into her young adult struggles with loyalty, sacrifice, and yes, still some bossiness. But let’s be honest, Harry and Ron need her direction, don’t you think?
Hermione has flaws, as every good three dimensional character should. She irritates her classmates and even her friends with her intense work ethic and exceptional intellect. She sometimes lacks tact. According to the books, she has buck teeth and frizzy hair. (Emma Watson portrays a far prettier Hermione in the movies, but we’ll forgive the producers this oversight.) And am I the only one who can’t fathom what she sees in Ron?
On the other hand, she has many strengths, such as brains, integrity, uncompromising loyalty, and a superb ability to cast spells.
But here’s the best thing about Hermione Granger: she refuses to shrink from her talents. Shouldn’t all girls possess such profound confidence? (Click here to tweet this if you agree!)
Yet Rowling makes it clear that Hermione couldn’t survive on her own. Her friendship with Ron and Harry thrives on interdependence. What Hermione lacks in humility, Harry certainly makes up for. What Ron lacks in knowledge, Hermione fills in. When Harry and Ron both suffer from lack of common sense, Hermione steps in to set them straight. It’s also nice to see Hermione and Harry develop a deep but strictly platonic friendship.
Cheers to Hermione for showing girls of every age that it’s okay to be smart and that you can like a guy and not want to kiss him.
Some of my favorite “Hermione quotes” from Mugglenet.com:
- “Just because you’ve got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn’t mean we all have.”
- “Twitchy little ferret, aren’t you Malfoy?”
- Hermione drew herself to her full height; her eyes were narrowed and her hair seemed to crackle with electricity. “No,” she said, her voice quivering with anger, “but I will write to your mother.”
- “Harry–you’re a great wizard, you know.” “I’m not as good as you,” said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let him go. “Me!” said Hermione. “Books! And cleverness! There are more important things–friendship and bravery and–oh Harry–be careful!”
Hermione has it right again; friendship, bravery and caution are very important things indeed.
Why do you think Hermione is a great character? What other strong female characters have you found in literature, especially in books for kids or young adults? Thanks for adding to the discussion!
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Julia
I think this was great article flushing out all the reasons why Hermione is such a great role model! I love how she does not apologize for who she is and continues to raise that hand, answer those questions despite being teased frequently for it. As for Ron, I think he is a fantastic character, who despite what many think, is smart, is brave and an important member of the trio. He was at age 11 able to think strategically enough to get Harry and Hermione through the wizard chess portion of the challenge, Ron was able to talk Hermione into saving them from the Devil snare and he was also the one who remembered Basilisk venom could destroy the Horcrux. Ron proved himself over and over in the books of his kindness,loyalty and sense of humour and I think thats why Hermione fell in love with him!
Great defense of Ron, Jennifer. I guess I haven’t given him enough credit. 😉 Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Hermione, in my opinion, is a good person but not a good character. She too many virtues and too many flaws. You may say she does have flaws, but the problem is they are self toxic, which makes her way too perfect.
She is a great character. Thanks for the click to tweet — what a fun interaction!
There’s always the classic Jo March. Especially for women who dream of being writers!
I agree! She really is a great character, and for a lot of the reasons that you’ve said. I love her intellect, and the fact that she relies on it, but comes to realize that sometimes, you can’t rely on intellect alone. I like the fact that she’s ladylike, which you don’t find in a lot of books these days, sadly. Also, I like her determination.
I have a lot of feminine heroines from books, although none immediately come to mind. There are so many great stories out there!
Thanks for the great post!
Alexandra~
I think that everything you said about her is exactly right. She is lacking in some areas, but she more than makes up for it in others. The members of the Trio balance each other out perfectly. I love Harry and Hermione’s relationship, too. They are the best of friends, and nothing more. They can tell each other everything, and be there for each other, without expecting anything more. I agree with you about Ron, though. Even though I accept J.K. Rowling’s decision to put them together, I don’t think Ron would challenge her. She would need someone to keep her on her toes, and make her laugh, and challenge her mentally. (Personally, I think that Fred should have survived and married her. I think he would have been perfect for her.)
I think that Luna should be given just as much credit, though. Luna was a strong and independent person, she was not afraid to be herself, whether people liked her or not, and she was very loyal to her friends. I look to Luna as a role model, for her fearlessness, bravery, and uniqueness are all desirable qualities.
I think we should all applaud J.K. Rowling for creating such relatable and lovable characters. Her books are so amazing, and I can’t get enough of them. (I’m reading them for the 8th time right now)
THanks for sharing about this book Julia. I have never personally read it, but am considering. 🙂 So many books, so little time. 🙂
Bless you, Hester 🙂
Recently a mother of one of Michaela’s friends said to me, “I love your daughter. Are you at all familiar with the Harry Potter books?” I of course answered- “Yes.” She then said, ” Your daughter so much reminds me of one of my favorite characters from the books, Luna Lovegood.” She then went on to defend why this was a compliment- Luna being considered a bit “different”. Of course that is one of the most lovely things about Luna and of course Michaela and myself as well. It is a shame different is so often seen as a negative trait especially through the teenage years. I love that so many of the beloved Harry Potter characters show that different is very often a positive.
Matilda by Roald Dahl is wonderful. Smart and sweet in spite of her upbringing and strong in her convictions.
I love Clementine by Marla Frazee. She is frequently in trouble, but she is never bad. She just marches to her own drummer. She reminds me a another curly-headed girl who lives in my house.
Finally, we shouldn’t overlook Luna or Ginny from the Potter series either. Both are smart, brave, and loyal. Luna is true to her self no matter what the other kids think of her and Ginny, never afraid to speak her mind, has a wonderful self-confidence that all our daughters should find in themselves.
These are all great suggestions! Thanks Crystal. And good point about the other girls. I guess Ron balances Hermione out. 😉
I love Hermione too. Did you know JK Rowling said that Hermione was based on her personally. And Hermione needs Ron to help her lighten up and to recognize when friendship is more important than following rules.