The Sociology of Harry Potter
by Meredith Railton
"Everything about you is horrifying: your voice, body, hair, inability to be witty and panicky desires for approval and companionship.”
So sums up Curtis Sittenfeld’s personal experience and general social commentary of what it’s like for a girl growing up in out society. We struggle with pressure forced upon us by society to be pretty, thin, popular, etc., and growing up we see these pressures as insurmountable. We are born as either biologically a male or a female (most of the time), but our gender is something we learn from society, and society makes it tough on for those lacking a Y chromosome to achieve social equality. Starting at an early age and continuing until the day we die, society teaches us to be feminine, submissive to men, weak, agreeable, and dependent on others (i.e., men). From the womb our mothers stick pink bows on our bald heads to make sure everyone knows what gender we are, and some of our first toys as toddlers are baby dolls that we’re told to nurture. Little boys get B.B. guns when they reach a certain age; little girls get tea sets. We learn our genders from every possible source, and books are no exception.
It’s a common known fact that the Harry Potter series crossed all sorts of demographics to become one of the most popular and beloved book series of all time. Unfortunately, the ability of Harry Potter to cross these boundaries is lost on some and underappreciated by most, specifically when it comes to gender lines.
One of the many reasons Harry Potter has sold so many copies is its ability to appeal to both genders, something that the fantasy genre had previously been lacking. That’s not to say that there were no female fans of earlier fantasy fare like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings (because there were and are plenty female fans of both, but such series were unarguably geared towards a male audience.
Before I continue, it’s important to note that those examples aren’t considered children’s books. I’m not saying the Harry Potter books are or should be classifies as children’s books, but they are generally placed in the children’s section in bookstores and on children’s book lists. This fact is essential in examining how Harry Potter changed the fantasy genre and its relation to early childhood socialization. I will also point out that while I will touch on Harry’s character in terms of gender issues, I’m going to focus on the female characters of the series due to the fact that females are the subordinate gender in our society and thus make the portrayal of female characters in young children’s books a much more pressing issue than the portrayal of male characters.
The first aspect to consider is book covers. The saying goes “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to childhood socialization in literature, the cover is crucial in drawing a kid’s attention enough to want to read it.
Next time you go to a bookstore, take a look around the children’s section. Notice how the items are organized by which gender they’re geared toward? Items meant for young girls are almost all pink, purple, lavender, or pastel and are about ponies, princesses, or other ‘girly’ subjects. Boys’ items are almost all primary colors, orange, or green and are about dinosaurs, cars, or other ‘boy’ stuff. Gender neutral items are scarce and sometimes (like one of my local Borders) are even near the back, the least visited area of the section.
Now think about the Harry Potter covers. Yes, there’s a boy (Harry) displayed prominently on all of the covers, but some of the covers also have a girl (Hermione and/or Ginny) in plain view. The first four books are multi-colored, and by the time the fifth book rolls around, starting the one-color scheme, the readers are already drawn in and the covers’ colors don’t matter. The color schemes of the first four books don’t put off either gender, and the art style of Mary Grand-Pr is soft enough to appeal to little girls who otherwise might not want a book with a boy on the cover.
Of course, there will be a few little girls who may still not want to read a book with a boy on its cover. But then again, there will also be little boys that may not want to read a book that doesn’t look enough like an action/adventure/army/dinosaur/race car book. The fact of the matter is, there are more differences among females and among males then there are between the two, and the same goes for young children concerning something as gender neutral as the Harry Potter books.
Covers are what draw young children to books, but the contents are what influence their ideas of gender behavior. In 1997, children’s librarian Kathleen Odean reported that although over four thousand children’s books are published each year, in the vast majority females are presented in supporting roles and very few female characters are brave, athletic, or independent. Out of the thousands of books available for children of all ages, she compiled a list of only six hundred that are about girls who go against feminine stereotypes: girls on sports teams, girls who are brave and take risks and face challenges without having to be rescued by a male, girls who solve problems rather than having the solutions given to them, and girls who make mistakes but learn from them (Renzetti and Curren, 92). The number of children’s books depicting girls who go against feminine stereotypes may have gone up slightly since this study was conducted, but the increase would undoubtedly be so modest that the text I was reading didn’t even bother including more recent studies that showed improvement.
Now consider the subject matter of the Harry Potter books. Yes, the main character is a boy and thus told mostly from his point of view, but there is nothing in Harry’s character that turns away female readers Harry’s not sexist in the least bit; there is nothing in the books to suggest that Harry sees girls as less talented, less intelligent, or less brave than he is. There are no indications in the series to make the reader think that Harry thinks any of the girls are less skilled (smarts or otherwise) than himself because of the fact that they’re biologically a girl.
The girls in the series are what make this series so brilliant from a sociological perspective the gender messages (intentionally or unintentionally) that this series sends to young girls and young boys alike are very profound. Of course, J.K. Rowling is a woman, but her gender doesn’t matter; not all females see themselves as equal to males, and not all female authors write their female characters as equal to males (like in that other franchise with the sparkling vampires). When it comes down to it, J.K. Rowling’s gender doesn’t matter she has the right idea about gender equality.
When it comes to these girl characters of Harry Potter, well, there is no shortage of intelligence, talent, and bravery. Ginny, Professor McGonagall, Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione are a few of the most prominent female characters, and all go against the usual female stereotypes one would find in a children’s book.
Ginny is portrayed as a good student and a very talented witch in the books she is specifically known for being able to perform an excellent Bat-Bogey Hex. She shows bravery in many situations throughout the series (though mostly in the later books), and is only once is she the damsel in distress. Though in Book 2 she is cast as the damsel, it’s due to being possessed, not to her being ditzy or dumb. Ginny’s also portrayed as an athlete; she not only loves Quidditch, but she’s an exceptionally good chaser and a decent enough seeker. Because Ginny is written as a character who is quite pretty and relates well to others around her (she is described as being very popular), young girls in the real world won’t find it hard to relate to Ginny. Right or wrong, young girls want to and will relate to a female character that is portrayed to be pretty and popular. But since Ginny’s character is quite the strong female, in this case, this tendency to emulate the pretty, popular girl is definitely not something to gripe about.
Professor McGonagall is, from the very first chapter of the series, portrayed as an extremely strong woman. Although not invited by Professor Dumbledore to be at Privet Drive the day of Harry’s arrival, McGonagall takes the initiative to observe the Dursleys in order to gain knowledge about the environment in which the Boy Who Lived would be raised. Throughout the series, McGonagall is no-nonsense when it comes to her teaching and personal relationships. It’s made pretty clear that she is not anyone, male or female, you’d want to cross. When she rushes outside to defend Hagrid and is shockingly stunned into unconsciousness by a group of Ministry officials in Order of the Phoenix, Madam Pomfrey exclaims that had it been daylight, they would have had no chance against Minerva McGonagall. As one of many repeat-readers of the series, I had no reason to doubt Madam Pomfrey. In Book 7, McGonagall had a most triumphant moment of glory, taking on the still-believed-to-be-evil Snape. We didn’t see Snape in action all that much throughout the series, but it was implied that he was an extremely powerful wizard, and it would be take a witch or wizard of equally extreme power to match him in a duel. McGonagall is, arguably, the most powerful witch in the series. Regardless of gender, all readers not just the younger ones find McGonagall to be an extremely respectable educator and person.
Some would argue that Molly Weasley is an anti-feminist character because she chose to be a homemaker. Now, I think there’s an important distinction to be made between being a homemaker and a submissive housewife. It cannot be stressed enough that being a homemaker does not automatically make you anti-feminist or submissive to your husband. That is what makes the character of Mrs. Weasley so important: she has chosen to be a homemaker, but she is by no means a weak, submissive housewife. There shouldn’t be any disagreement among readers about this, in my opinion. Mrs. Weasley, while not the moneymaker of the household, is clearly the one calling the shots. Mr. Weasley is shown to love and respect his wife, and, when necessary, reasons with her when she gets carried away. She’s also not portrayed as weak in the least: though we’d gotten used to seeing her doing household-type magic and never got the full scope of her magical strength, when Mrs. Weasley took down Bellatrix Lestrange there was not a reader out there who could ever classify her as weak or question her bravery. Mrs. Weasley’s character is not a character who’s choices or actions can or should be called into question: she is such a domineering character that there really isn’t any doubt that had she wanted a job outside of her house, she would have gone for it and not let anyone stop her. It’s important for young readers to see a character like Molly Weasley, because it shows them that it is possible to be domestic without being weak, submissive, or anti-feminist.
Hermione, being the most central female character, gets the most attention. There’s no subtlety in her portrayal as intelligent her intelligence is addressed quite often throughout the books. Harry and Ron comment on Hermione’s brilliance almost repetitively, and she’s often referred to as the brightest witch of her age. (Some might argue that this teachers-pet quality is a feminine stereotype, and maybe it would have been if there hadn’t been for other “teacher’s pets” in the series Ernie and Percy are both portrayed as teacher’s pets, and they’re obviously both boys.) Though in the first book Hermione panics in a tense situation with the Devil’s Snare, she quickly adapts an extremely level head that immensely helps in the trio’s various adventures. Hermione’s lack of bravery is never questioned; though she sometimes hesitates to break rules, it’s less to do with bravery and more to do with, you know, following rules. Hermione learned spells faster than anyone in her class (minus the Patronus Charm), and her ability to use her talents and her smarts in stressful situations is remarkable. She wasn’t a character to take hits from boys either; she never let Draco Malfoy’s taunts intimidate her, and she never backed down and apologized when did so.
But the most important aspect of Hermione is her relationship with Harry and Ron. Being best friends with two boys might seem like it would be a challenge, but their friendship was established early enough in age and plot that they entered it as equals. Harry and Ron respected her brain as much as her talents and they never treated her as inferior because of her gender. More importantly, J. K. Rowling, in her innate wisdom, wrote the trio as equally dependent on each other. Harry gets them out of plenty of tough spots, but even though he’s the hero, he’s not Superman. Harry’s and Ron’s dependence on Hermione was on clear display particularly in Book 7 she was more prepared than they ever could have imagined, and used her talents and ability to think on her feet to get them out of countless sticky situations. Aside from her talents, Hermione’s also incredibly assertive. Like Ginny, McGonagall, and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione’s not afraid to speak her mind, and does so quite aggressively sometimes. Anyone who reads this series can see how powerful a character Hermione is, and young girls will find one of the best role models in modern fiction. Harry is the hero of the books, but Hermione is undeniably a heroine.
Now look carefully at all these women: what is the unifying factor? It’s not magic, if that’s what you’re thinking. Magic’s got nothing to do with it. In a society where children’s books teach young girls to be docile, submissive caregivers and any girl characters who deviate automatically get labeled as tomboys, the female characters of Harry Potter push the envelope. These characters manage to break feminine stereotypes without coming off as boy-ish. Are the boys turned off by Ginny’s athleticism? Quite the contrary, she’s got a variety of male admirers. Does McGonagall’s strict manner give her the negative label of uppity spinster or cold bitch? She may be a little uptight, but students and staff deeply respect her. Mrs. Weasley may be tough, but she’s also one of the nicest characters in the series. Hermione may not be the most popular girl at Hogwarts, but she doesn’t receive homophobic remarks, and she’s been known to clean up quite nicely. It takes extreme writing skill to create strong female characters without sacrificing their femininity, but J. K. Rowling has done so extremely well. Also notice that none of these women, from what we see in the books, put pressure or feel pressure from others akin to what Curtis. Sittenfeld felt. In turn, readers will not feel any of that negative pressure from these characters. Instead of writing characters who send these negative messages to female readers, Rowling has written characters who face far more important challenges, and thus readers who see these characters as role models will come away with the same attitude. And for young readers, the importance of seeing such a positive portrayal of women cannot be overstated.
The roles these girls play in the books are unquestionably vital to the story, but the role they play in real life is just as vital to the process of childhood socialization. J. K. Rowling may or may not have intentionally written a series that promotes gender equality, but it’s present either way. Young girls (and boys!) who read this series will find pages upon pages with strong female (and male!) characters, and they’ll never come away from the books with a stereotyped impression of either gender, fantasy world or real world.
It’s a common known fact that the Harry Potter series crossed all sorts of demographics to become one of the most popular and beloved book series of all time. Unfortunately, the ability of Harry Potter to cross these boundaries is lost on some and underappreciated by most, specifically when it comes to gender lines.
One of the many reasons Harry Potter has sold so many copies is its ability to appeal to both genders, something that the fantasy genre had previously been lacking. That’s not to say that there were no female fans of earlier fantasy fare like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings (because there were and are plenty female fans of both, but such series were unarguably geared towards a male audience.
Before I continue, it’s important to note that those examples aren’t considered children’s books. I’m not saying the Harry Potter books are or should be classifies as children’s books, but they are generally placed in the children’s section in bookstores and on children’s book lists. This fact is essential in examining how Harry Potter changed the fantasy genre and its relation to early childhood socialization. I will also point out that while I will touch on Harry’s character in terms of gender issues, I’m going to focus on the female characters of the series due to the fact that females are the subordinate gender in our society and thus make the portrayal of female characters in young children’s books a much more pressing issue than the portrayal of male characters.
The first aspect to consider is book covers. The saying goes “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to childhood socialization in literature, the cover is crucial in drawing a kid’s attention enough to want to read it.
Next time you go to a bookstore, take a look around the children’s section. Notice how the items are organized by which gender they’re geared toward? Items meant for young girls are almost all pink, purple, lavender, or pastel and are about ponies, princesses, or other ‘girly’ subjects. Boys’ items are almost all primary colors, orange, or green and are about dinosaurs, cars, or other ‘boy’ stuff. Gender neutral items are scarce and sometimes (like one of my local Borders) are even near the back, the least visited area of the section.
Now think about the Harry Potter covers. Yes, there’s a boy (Harry) displayed prominently on all of the covers, but some of the covers also have a girl (Hermione and/or Ginny) in plain view. The first four books are multi-colored, and by the time the fifth book rolls around, starting the one-color scheme, the readers are already drawn in and the covers’ colors don’t matter. The color schemes of the first four books don’t put off either gender, and the art style of Mary Grand-Pr is soft enough to appeal to little girls who otherwise might not want a book with a boy on the cover.
Of course, there will be a few little girls who may still not want to read a book with a boy on its cover. But then again, there will also be little boys that may not want to read a book that doesn’t look enough like an action/adventure/army/dinosaur/race car book. The fact of the matter is, there are more differences among females and among males then there are between the two, and the same goes for young children concerning something as gender neutral as the Harry Potter books.
Covers are what draw young children to books, but the contents are what influence their ideas of gender behavior. In 1997, children’s librarian Kathleen Odean reported that although over four thousand children’s books are published each year, in the vast majority females are presented in supporting roles and very few female characters are brave, athletic, or independent. Out of the thousands of books available for children of all ages, she compiled a list of only six hundred that are about girls who go against feminine stereotypes: girls on sports teams, girls who are brave and take risks and face challenges without having to be rescued by a male, girls who solve problems rather than having the solutions given to them, and girls who make mistakes but learn from them (Renzetti and Curren, 92). The number of children’s books depicting girls who go against feminine stereotypes may have gone up slightly since this study was conducted, but the increase would undoubtedly be so modest that the text I was reading didn’t even bother including more recent studies that showed improvement.
Now consider the subject matter of the Harry Potter books. Yes, the main character is a boy and thus told mostly from his point of view, but there is nothing in Harry’s character that turns away female readers Harry’s not sexist in the least bit; there is nothing in the books to suggest that Harry sees girls as less talented, less intelligent, or less brave than he is. There are no indications in the series to make the reader think that Harry thinks any of the girls are less skilled (smarts or otherwise) than himself because of the fact that they’re biologically a girl.
The girls in the series are what make this series so brilliant from a sociological perspective the gender messages (intentionally or unintentionally) that this series sends to young girls and young boys alike are very profound. Of course, J.K. Rowling is a woman, but her gender doesn’t matter; not all females see themselves as equal to males, and not all female authors write their female characters as equal to males (like in that other franchise with the sparkling vampires). When it comes down to it, J.K. Rowling’s gender doesn’t matter she has the right idea about gender equality.
When it comes to these girl characters of Harry Potter, well, there is no shortage of intelligence, talent, and bravery. Ginny, Professor McGonagall, Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione are a few of the most prominent female characters, and all go against the usual female stereotypes one would find in a children’s book.
Ginny is portrayed as a good student and a very talented witch in the books she is specifically known for being able to perform an excellent Bat-Bogey Hex. She shows bravery in many situations throughout the series (though mostly in the later books), and is only once is she the damsel in distress. Though in Book 2 she is cast as the damsel, it’s due to being possessed, not to her being ditzy or dumb. Ginny’s also portrayed as an athlete; she not only loves Quidditch, but she’s an exceptionally good chaser and a decent enough seeker. Because Ginny is written as a character who is quite pretty and relates well to others around her (she is described as being very popular), young girls in the real world won’t find it hard to relate to Ginny. Right or wrong, young girls want to and will relate to a female character that is portrayed to be pretty and popular. But since Ginny’s character is quite the strong female, in this case, this tendency to emulate the pretty, popular girl is definitely not something to gripe about.
Professor McGonagall is, from the very first chapter of the series, portrayed as an extremely strong woman. Although not invited by Professor Dumbledore to be at Privet Drive the day of Harry’s arrival, McGonagall takes the initiative to observe the Dursleys in order to gain knowledge about the environment in which the Boy Who Lived would be raised. Throughout the series, McGonagall is no-nonsense when it comes to her teaching and personal relationships. It’s made pretty clear that she is not anyone, male or female, you’d want to cross. When she rushes outside to defend Hagrid and is shockingly stunned into unconsciousness by a group of Ministry officials in Order of the Phoenix, Madam Pomfrey exclaims that had it been daylight, they would have had no chance against Minerva McGonagall. As one of many repeat-readers of the series, I had no reason to doubt Madam Pomfrey. In Book 7, McGonagall had a most triumphant moment of glory, taking on the still-believed-to-be-evil Snape. We didn’t see Snape in action all that much throughout the series, but it was implied that he was an extremely powerful wizard, and it would be take a witch or wizard of equally extreme power to match him in a duel. McGonagall is, arguably, the most powerful witch in the series. Regardless of gender, all readers not just the younger ones find McGonagall to be an extremely respectable educator and person.
Some would argue that Molly Weasley is an anti-feminist character because she chose to be a homemaker. Now, I think there’s an important distinction to be made between being a homemaker and a submissive housewife. It cannot be stressed enough that being a homemaker does not automatically make you anti-feminist or submissive to your husband. That is what makes the character of Mrs. Weasley so important: she has chosen to be a homemaker, but she is by no means a weak, submissive housewife. There shouldn’t be any disagreement among readers about this, in my opinion. Mrs. Weasley, while not the moneymaker of the household, is clearly the one calling the shots. Mr. Weasley is shown to love and respect his wife, and, when necessary, reasons with her when she gets carried away. She’s also not portrayed as weak in the least: though we’d gotten used to seeing her doing household-type magic and never got the full scope of her magical strength, when Mrs. Weasley took down Bellatrix Lestrange there was not a reader out there who could ever classify her as weak or question her bravery. Mrs. Weasley’s character is not a character who’s choices or actions can or should be called into question: she is such a domineering character that there really isn’t any doubt that had she wanted a job outside of her house, she would have gone for it and not let anyone stop her. It’s important for young readers to see a character like Molly Weasley, because it shows them that it is possible to be domestic without being weak, submissive, or anti-feminist.
Hermione, being the most central female character, gets the most attention. There’s no subtlety in her portrayal as intelligent her intelligence is addressed quite often throughout the books. Harry and Ron comment on Hermione’s brilliance almost repetitively, and she’s often referred to as the brightest witch of her age. (Some might argue that this teachers-pet quality is a feminine stereotype, and maybe it would have been if there hadn’t been for other “teacher’s pets” in the series Ernie and Percy are both portrayed as teacher’s pets, and they’re obviously both boys.) Though in the first book Hermione panics in a tense situation with the Devil’s Snare, she quickly adapts an extremely level head that immensely helps in the trio’s various adventures. Hermione’s lack of bravery is never questioned; though she sometimes hesitates to break rules, it’s less to do with bravery and more to do with, you know, following rules. Hermione learned spells faster than anyone in her class (minus the Patronus Charm), and her ability to use her talents and her smarts in stressful situations is remarkable. She wasn’t a character to take hits from boys either; she never let Draco Malfoy’s taunts intimidate her, and she never backed down and apologized when did so.
But the most important aspect of Hermione is her relationship with Harry and Ron. Being best friends with two boys might seem like it would be a challenge, but their friendship was established early enough in age and plot that they entered it as equals. Harry and Ron respected her brain as much as her talents and they never treated her as inferior because of her gender. More importantly, J. K. Rowling, in her innate wisdom, wrote the trio as equally dependent on each other. Harry gets them out of plenty of tough spots, but even though he’s the hero, he’s not Superman. Harry’s and Ron’s dependence on Hermione was on clear display particularly in Book 7 she was more prepared than they ever could have imagined, and used her talents and ability to think on her feet to get them out of countless sticky situations. Aside from her talents, Hermione’s also incredibly assertive. Like Ginny, McGonagall, and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione’s not afraid to speak her mind, and does so quite aggressively sometimes. Anyone who reads this series can see how powerful a character Hermione is, and young girls will find one of the best role models in modern fiction. Harry is the hero of the books, but Hermione is undeniably a heroine.
Now look carefully at all these women: what is the unifying factor? It’s not magic, if that’s what you’re thinking. Magic’s got nothing to do with it. In a society where children’s books teach young girls to be docile, submissive caregivers and any girl characters who deviate automatically get labeled as tomboys, the female characters of Harry Potter push the envelope. These characters manage to break feminine stereotypes without coming off as boy-ish. Are the boys turned off by Ginny’s athleticism? Quite the contrary, she’s got a variety of male admirers. Does McGonagall’s strict manner give her the negative label of uppity spinster or cold bitch? She may be a little uptight, but students and staff deeply respect her. Mrs. Weasley may be tough, but she’s also one of the nicest characters in the series. Hermione may not be the most popular girl at Hogwarts, but she doesn’t receive homophobic remarks, and she’s been known to clean up quite nicely. It takes extreme writing skill to create strong female characters without sacrificing their femininity, but J. K. Rowling has done so extremely well. Also notice that none of these women, from what we see in the books, put pressure or feel pressure from others akin to what Curtis. Sittenfeld felt. In turn, readers will not feel any of that negative pressure from these characters. Instead of writing characters who send these negative messages to female readers, Rowling has written characters who face far more important challenges, and thus readers who see these characters as role models will come away with the same attitude. And for young readers, the importance of seeing such a positive portrayal of women cannot be overstated.
The roles these girls play in the books are unquestionably vital to the story, but the role they play in real life is just as vital to the process of childhood socialization. J. K. Rowling may or may not have intentionally written a series that promotes gender equality, but it’s present either way. Young girls (and boys!) who read this series will find pages upon pages with strong female (and male!) characters, and they’ll never come away from the books with a stereotyped impression of either gender, fantasy world or real world.
Sources
Renzetti, Claire and Daniel Curren. 2003 (5th ed). Women, Men, and Society. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Sittenfeld, Curtis. 2001 by Barbara Findlen. Listen Up: Voices From the Next Feminest Generation. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press.
Sittenfeld, Curtis. 2001 by Barbara Findlen. Listen Up: Voices From the Next Feminest Generation. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press.
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