In the Harry Potter books, we watch the characters change and grow up. The idea of coming of age is one of the strongest themes in the books and this is most evident with how Hermione has changed over the course of the series. As she becomes more sure of herself as a woman and as a witch, we see her relax her “killed or worse - expelled” way of navigating Hogwarts.
When we first meet Hermione in book one, she is extremely adverse to breaking any of Hogwarts rules. She thinks that getting in trouble with the administration (and possibly getting expelled) to be one of the worst things imaginable. Even by the end of that book, she is beginning to go along with Harry and Ron’s rule breaking adventures a little more. By Order of the Phoenix, Hermione is the main force behind the creation of the DA, an illegal student group. Harry isn’t too sure about forming it but Hermione and Ron set up everything. Her line “It’s exciting isn’t it, breaking the rules” is telling of the major changes that her character has gone through.
Hermione goes from being a girl who follows the rules no matter what, to being a woman who understands which rules are necessary and which ones need to be broken. It isn’t that she views the rules as being less important, she just has developed a better understanding of what she views as right and wrong, and sometimes the rules aren’t what is right.
I agree that Hermione has had a huge character development throughout the series. I like her character better when she starts deciding that some rules need to be broken. She seems to have an enormous sense of justice and stands up for others. I enjoyed watching her become the know it all to the know it all that seems to solve every problem, even if that involves breaking the rules.
ReplyDeleteI love the movie version of Hermione. I believe that she does a great job of portraying the “killed or worse - expelled” attitude of the younger Hermione and the Hermione that develops over the years!
I could not agree more with what you have said about Hermione. She has gone from uptight school girl to a strong, independent woman who is willing to break the rules in order to get things done. Her coming-of-age throughout the series has been thrilling to read as I believe most young girls go from someone fearful of getting in trouble to someone who is willing to be a little mischievous. For me, I could relate strongly to that change in thinking. Hermione is an amazing and complex character that anyone can look up to, and I believe her willingness to start breaking some rules is what makes her such an extraordinary individual.
ReplyDelete-Erin Bepler, Slytherin House