Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

 1)

Feminist reading of Harmione’s

character in Harry Potter: How do the character

portrayal of Harmione and other female

characters support feminist discourse?

Lets begin the discussion with the question that why do we need to discuss Feminist discourse time and again?  Lets illustrate it with an example that "Man would be proud to call himself wizard, but will women be proud in calling her witch? definitely not. Because there is something wrong in the structure and language of society. obviously it is patriarchal. we tend to see everything in binaries.Where one automatically comes into dominating power position and Other is labled as "Lack", something that they doesn't have.

And to uncover, unearth this binaries we will require counter discourse which is obviously our point of discussion Feminist reading of Hermione's character.

When we judge any character we've to keep in mind with whom we are comparing? If we compare Hermione with Ophelia(Hemlet) or Hester Prynne (The Scarlet Letter) then definitely Hermione is far better female character. And we can also derive the conclusion that day by day the role and place of female in society as well as in literature also.She is very intelligent girl from childhood and beats boys also in learning magic tricks, which proves her a fast learner.And that's why in Deathly Hallows part Ron says to Harry that without Hermione they cant survive a day or two. Ron says but don't tell this to Hermione.  they admire Hermione's knowledge and strength as a great witch. so it looks very good . But is it so? Is there really no problem with the portrayal of Hermione?

Yes, there is problem. She is used as a OBJECT for the rivalry between Ron and Harry. This OBJECTIFICATION is problematic. Writer could have use something else for rivalry between two friends.

More than that 'Padma' and 'Parvati'- Patil sisters and 'Cho' are also Used as object, nothing else.

another thing is that All the intellectual talk happens between Harry and Dumbledore. why Hermione is not part of that? if she is really intellectual character then why she is absent from the scene? Other charge can be that "How many Horcruxes were really destroyed by Hermione? Unluckily, the answer is not favorable.

Because somehow it is deep rooted in our Psyche that women are always weaker than men.

But perhaps surrounded by Patriarchal structure Rowling can't do that. Some how she is also a subject. Imagine what would have been happen if Hermione will be protagonist, not harry??Then perhaps the series won't be as popular as it is. Only female protagonist will not work for sure. So even Rowling wish she cant do that.

So, after deeply pondering these points one can conclude that Strength of Hermione's character is superficial and surfacial only. If we dig deeper then Hermione fails as a strong character(compare to Harry).

2)      Discourse on the purity of Blood and

Harry Potter: How do the novels play with the

thesis of pure blood (Master Race) giving an

anti-thesis by belonging protagonists to half-

blood / Mud-blood? What sort of synthesis is

sought in this discourse in Harry Potter series?

Concept of purity of blood (race) is very much present in the Harry Potter. Establishing social order by master race is not a new idea. Killing other as inferior race is very prominent in the history.

Now the point is that what is attacked by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter? And what she finally wants to establish as a conclusion by the thesis- antithesis on race?

Protagonist- Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are  Mud -blood. Ron Weasley is a pure blood. Draco Malfoy is also pure blood. Where as evil Voldemort is Mud Blood but craving for pure blood.

Rowling SUBVERTS the entire narrative by making protagonists who are mud bloods. And important thing is that they are equally or sometimes more powerful in magic than Pure blood. so, definitely it leads us to think that what should be criteria to judge the people - Race/ blood or merit?.

At the same time we have to keep in mind that Rowling is not despising Pure blood. Voldemort is evil and he is also mud blood. if writer make Voldemort as a pure blood, then definitely it is problematic.Witches and wizards consider themselves superior than non-magic people or non-human species like elves and giants. This act again shows racism working within the magical world. 

It is a satire on Voldemort kind of people that idea of superior race is dangerous/ harmful.  recent History has proved us that how dangerous it is.

many times reference comes in the novel they how pure blood were insulting mud bloods as inferior. And if we hear this kind of dialogue even today in and around us, then we've to be double careful.

5)      The discourse of Power and Politics in

Harry Potter: How does Ministry of Magic

control the resistance? How do they prosecute

the ‘Other’?

It will be interesting if we bring in Michel Foucault's view regarding Power, knowledge and Politics.According to Foucault Knowledge is created by those who are in power position about Other. For Foucault, power and knowledge are created by discourse. Truth, morality and meaning reside within discourse,

Where is the politics in the novel? The answer is that ministry of magic is  the law making body in the wizarding world. The information about Hogward or magical world is kept secret from the non magical people. It is also controlled that one should not strictly do magic in front of muggles outside the Hogward. and if one does then they are punished. This control and punishment itself are the sufficient example of power and politics in Hogward.

Lets quote Foucalt's views abut power......

In his “History of Sexuality” Foucault approaches the concept of power in this manner:

“ power is everywhere, not because it embraces everything but because it comes from everywhere. And power insofar is repetitious, inert and self-reproducing…power is not an institution, not a structure; neither is it a certain strength we are endowed with it; it is the name of a complex strategical situation in a particular society.”   

   

We can also apply Althusser's concept of ISA- ideological State Apparatus, Where Ministry of Magic functioning as a ISA.  they defy rules to gain knowledge. At the same Other (Students) those who are not in power position they are constantly under SURVEILLANCE. There are always two - one who Sees and other are being seen.(The kind of  phobia of constantly seen by somebody CCTV as shown in 1984 by George Orwell is also present here)  but one is trapped in this ideology. of one wants to get real/ true knowledge then they've to break the rules.

 

The specific function of a school means that essentially a power structure. Starting from the headmaster, professors, students and finally servants- Hogwarts presents a HIERARCHICAL POWER STRUCTURES  Students are split up in houses and each house has a common room that is accessed through a secret password. In order to navigate the school the students must be aware of the rules, the signs and symbols that regulate life. Harry Potter manages to defy these rules by gaining knowledge of the castle’s secret passages from the maradaurer’s map.