WST 3015
2/17/10
A Feminist Analysis of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) is a film that is remarkable in its egalitarian portrayal of the sexes. Though a few gender stereotypes may be implied, it is much fairer than most other Hollywood films.
In this film, it is implied in several places that the female lead, Hermione Granger, is attracted to Ron Weasley. During Chapter 17, they are sharing a private moment enjoying a scenic view of a haunted castle, and during Chapter 10 and 22, they touch intimately when Hermione is startled or frightened. Her friendship with Harry is strictly platonic, though Harry does demonstrate some protective postures in Chapter 30 when the pair face Dementors.
Even though Hermione's fear in some moments may be seen as perpetuating the stereotype of women as weak and in need of protection, she shows dominating strength in many other ways. For instance, throughout the movie she is heavily characterized as smart, attentive, and clever. She takes extra classes, always knows the answers in class, and is quick to solve problems. She is also trusted by her superiors; in Chapter 28, it is revealed that she has been entrusted by Professor McGonagall with powerful and dangerous magic, and is even encouraged my Professor Dumbledore to use it in an unconventional way. It is also worth noting that Hermione is never dressed in an overtly sexual manner. Most of the time her attire is indistinguishable from her male counterparts, but she does not dress any different than any other females her age.
While Hermione is a white female who is at least moderately prettier than most other females in this film, one should not be too quick to assume she is an "ableist" or "racist" beauty ideal (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 208). Hermione is low-maintenance, flat-chested, and very tomboyish in both personality and looks. Hermione also comes from non-wizard parentage, and faces discrimination for being a "filthy Mudblood"; Draco Malfoy shows overt racism toward her for this, and Professor Snape demonstrates a more covert form of discrimination, treating her as inferior in a classroom setting. Other characters also face discrimination that could be interpreted as "racial"; Professor Lupin, who is a werewolf, resigns from his position at the end of the film for fear of discrimination from his students' parents, and is also passively deemed inferior by Professor Snape. Even Ron deals with classism by being harassed by Malfoy for coming from a poor family.
Even though she faces this kind of racism on a day-to-day basis, she manages to remain well-behaved for most of the film. One might suppose this is a bad representation of how we should passively accept the bitter pill of discrimination, but Hermione faces this discrimination in most cases by being the so-called "bigger man" and walking away from conflict, and not allowing herself to be put down by Professors like Snape who think she should sit down and shut up in class. This drive to be confident in herself and be heard is a much different ideal than many advertisers are selling girls these days, as Jean Kilbourne demonstrates in her essay "The More You Subtract, the More You Add" (231-239). And in facing the more blatant racism of Draco Malfoy, she eventually punches him in the face in Chapter 22. Though her motivation is not revenge for herself, but revenge for Buckbeak who is about to be executed, this moment balances quite nicely against other previously mentioned situations in which she shows fear and weakness.
Overall, I think Hermione Granger is a feminist role model worth looking up to. She is strong, smart, and brave, and does not back down when confronted with gender or racial discrimination.
Word Count: 597
Bibliography:
Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, the More You Add." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 231-239. Print.
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 208. Print.
