Hermione Granger: a magic girl, a real girl (draft)

The Harry Potter series ended forever this summer, but the names of three protagonists will last forever in the history of the magic world, and in the memory of most teenagers like me. As the only girl in the group of three, Hermione Jane Granger ended up being a heroine and having a happy family after the great battle against Lord Voldemort, which should be almost everyone’s desire. She is a reflection of J.K.Rowling in many ways, and has been regarded as an example of feminism. Her success code is complex, but can be concluded in several aspects.

Hermione is portrayed as a hard-working girl, as she is expected to be. As a Muggle-born student, she has to pay more effort and she did. She is not like her roommates, Lavender Brown and Parvati, who spend most time gossiping rather than studying and care more about their appearance than homework. If her roommates represent the common stereotype of girls, Hermione is obviously the symbol of feminists. Harry and Ron rely much on her to finish their courses: she let them copy her notes, proofread their homework and helps them to make improvement. They also rely on her in their adventure: for countless cases, her encyclopedic knowledge allows the story to continue-Harry should have died for many times without her. If she has not read so many books, he would struggle greatly to find the way to destroy Deathly Hallows. Hermione, as a knowledgeable girl who academically performs better than any other boys in the same year, has been a mirror of the wish of feminists.

Hermione is also a logical girl with right sense, as described by the author J.K.Rowling. This helped Harry and Ron many times because she can always work out the best way under emergent and unexpected situation with her logic and sense. In the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Philosopher’s Stone, she realized and solved the puzzle calmly, ensuring them to break more barriers and got the magical stone. Her preference of courses also reflects this point: she prefers Arithmancy and Ancient Rune rather than the “inaccurate branch of magic”, Divination. However, her sense stops working sometimes: many critics censure her for the occasionally hysteria and crying. When she heard about Ron with another girl, she can be so jealous that does something impetuous. But the fact is that she is an ordinary girl, who should be allowed to have her sensibility which would surpass her sense sometimes-even the great hero Harry Potter would imagine crazy sights once he saw Ginny Weasley and her boyfriend by accident.

Unlike Harry Potter, who was chosen to be the hero, Hermione decided to be a heroine by herself. When she first entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was regarded as an annoying girl and was labeled “an insufferable know-it-all”. It seemed that nobody liked her, including Harry and Ron. However, after she was rescued from a troll by them, she lied to protect them from being punished. She learned when is the time to break unreasonable rules, and her contribution is and devotion to their adventure was beyond doubt. The most valuable thing is, she never cared about fame or reward; she just did want she thought she should do. She could be a good student welcomed by most professors, never broke rules and caused troubles, unrelated to danger and risks. Without her, Harry would never survive until the last fight, but she was never unsatisfied with the title “a close friend of Harry Potter”. This selfless spirit deserves respect, and it breaks the stereotype that girls are self-concerned and full of vanity.

Hermione is not a typical heroine who is created under male-gaze. She appeared to be a girl with brown bushy hair and large front teeth-normal, not eye-catching at all. However, she never cares about it even after she grew to be more and more beautiful. Envied by peers for her academic success, she was not admired by people around her as most heroines were. She was not always receiving help from others, especially the hero; in contrast, she depended more on herself and was always ready to help others. She dared to face her shortages, crisply admitted that Harry was much better than her in Defense Against the Dark Arts and suggested him to be the leader of the Dumbledore’s Army. These characteristics broke the traditional rules of heroines.

She is Hermione, an imperfect girl, brave in front of enemies; fragile while changing her parents’ memory to ensure their safety; in her right senses while facing emergency; beside herself occasionally. She is a role model for many girls, a symbol of feminism.