Harry potter

Hermione Holds Her Own How does one measure the magnitude of a hero? Is it by some special skill or trait the character possesses, or how they use their normal qualities to an extraordinary level, or is it a mixture of both? Either way, in the end it comes down to who completes the assigned quest or mission. Did he or she gain or learn anything along the way? There is much that should be addressed when analyzing the status of an individual as a hero, and clearly, the lines between being a hero and simply being human can become quite blurry. Such is the case for the characters in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series. Many people are quick to name Harry as the one and only hero of the novels, but I argue otherwise. It seems impossible to say that Harry is not a hero at all, but is he the only hero? According to Margery Hourihan a hero is someone who “overcomes [his] opponents because he is strong, brave, resourceful, rational, and determined to succeed. He may receive assistance from wise, benevolent beings who recognize him for what he is” (Hourihan 9). If readers follow this guideline for identifying a hero, it is safe to say that many of the characters in the Harry Potter series (including Harry himself), could be classified as heroes. Hermione Granger in particular, is one of those characters. Her role in Harry’s life, as well as her role in the ultimate fight against Lord Voldemort, makes her much more than a typical supporting character during the course of the seven novels. She has a much deeper and much more significant role in the series than many give her credit for, and her character is worth studying and analyzing. So, through a detailed exploration of Hermione’s character and her actions, I will prove that she is an essential part of Harry’s success within the novel, and despite being a female secondary character, she exemplifies the idea of a hero. While Harry is certainly meant to be considered the main hero of the series, it is important to realize much of his success comes directly from the aid of his friend Hermione Granger. For example, it almost seems that Hermione often acts as the guiding hand that leads Harry toward his success in the events of the Triwizard Tournament in J.K. Rowling’s novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This can be seen in the wake of the first task when Harry asks Hermione to help him learn a summoning charm. He needs the charm in the arena when battling the dragon. Hermione is a very knowledgeable witch for her age, and Harry knows her magical skills are more advanced than his own. Calling upon Hermione for help signifies a change in the balance of power between the two characters. Hermione now has the control in this situation. If she teaches Harry, he will likely succeed; Harry is the one who must ultimately face the dragon, but Hermione is the one who must show him how. Despite his training, Harry is very anxious about his impending encounter with the dragon, and when his name gets called to enter the arena he “[notices] dimly that his legs [seem] to be made of marshmallow… [he feels] panic rising into a crescendo inside him” (Rowling, Goblet 353). Harry then notices the Hungarian Horntail “at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly black lizard” (Rowling, Goblet 353). Harry then uses the summoning charm and waits fearfully for his trusted Firebolt broomstick to appear. When it successfully enters the arena, Harry “[swings] his leg over the broom and [kicks] off from the ground…He [is] back where he [belongs]…This [is] just another Quidditch match, that [is] all…just another Quidditch match, and that Horntail [is] just another ugly opposing team…” (Rowling, Goblet 354). The language used by Rowling in the first passages compared to that of the second passage indicates to readers that Harry is unmistakably more confident when he has his broom. With his broom in hand his “marshmallow” legs suddenly allow him to powerfully kick off the ground and into the air. The panic in Harry’s chest caused by the unfamiliar setting of the arena is replaced by the feeling of belonging he gets when flying and playing Quidditch; both are activities he excels at, and upon realizing this, his attitude towards facing the dragon suddenly changes. Most noticeably though is the change in Rowling’s language as she describes the dragon from the first passages to the second. The Horntail goes from being a “crouched”, “evil”, “monstrous”, “black lizard” to merely an “ugly opposing team”. In other words, the dragon goes from being frightening and dangerous to something Harry has faced countless times before; it turns into something he is capable of beating. Now readers can see that Harry will be successful in completing the task, but that his victory would have been impossible without Hermione’s help. Before Hermione’s hours of coaching, Harry is completely hopeless in his attempt to cast a summoning charm, but because she diligently and effectively teaches him and coaches him, Harry is able to gain the confidence and skill level required to complete the task. Throughout the novel, Hermione proves crucial to Harry’s growth and learning as well as his self-confidence, which is indispensable when taking on the many tasks and responsibilities Harry faces.
While Hermione proves to be a great teacher throughout the duration of the series, her planning skills also help Harry succeed. In the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione’s ingenuity can be seen in the escape from the Burrow wedding as well as her beaded bag, which turns out to serve as much more than a fashionable clutch. After Bill and Fleur’s wedding is infiltrated by Death Eaters, Hermione grabs Ron and Harry and disapparates before the trio can be harmed. While this seems like an impulse decision on Hermione’s part, it rapidly becomes obvious that Hermione has been planning their escape. She says “...I’ve had the essentials packed for days, you know, in case we needed to make a quick getaway. I packed your rucksack this morning, Harry, after you changed, and put it in here…I just had a feeling…” (Rowling, Deathly Hallows 162). While it may seem that Hermione is simply a proficient packer, her level of preparedness becomes clear with the types of things she has been packing. Luckily for her companions, Hermione packs everything they may need for an indeterminate amount of time including extra clothes, books, potions, a tent, and Harry’s invisibility cloak. While the items may seem trivial, they all end up being very useful. For example, the extra clothes allow them to blend in when they first flee the wedding, the books are useful when searching for information regarding the sword of Gryffindor and the destruction of Horcruxes, and the potion, Essence of Dittany, saves Ron’s life after he is splinched while escaping from the Ministry of Magic. Hermione thinks ahead. When the Death Eaters attack the wedding, they indeed have the element of surprise; Harry himself is not expecting an attack, nor is he anticipating the need for an escape plan. However, Hermione is prepared for both. In a way, she has out witted the Death Eaters and perhaps even Voldemort himself. While her careful and meticulous planning techniques are certainly not examples of the raw physical (or in this case magical) attributes of a typical hero, they do qualify her as a different type of hero; the clever hero. Orrin Klapp, author of The Creation of Popular Heroes, talks a lot about the different types of heroic roles a person or character may assume. According to Klapp, the clever hero is one who “requires the opposition of an opponent of much superior size, power, or pretense” and is “a person who bests [his] rivals by wit, unexpected tricks, or hoaxes…” (Klapp 136). This hero classification fits Hermione as a character because there is no denying Voldemort’s superiority. While Hermione is the smartest of her class, Voldemort is still more powerful, but though her ability to plan and prepare she is able to take a heroic position within the novel. What would have happened if Hermione had not put the undetectable extension charm on the beaded bag and stuffed it with all of their necessities? Harry is a hero because he fights Voldemort face to face and wins, but he would never be prepared for such a battle without the steps and precautions Hermione takes along the way. This verifies how much of an asset she is to the mission overall. Just because Hermione is not the one to ultimately rebound the spell that causes Voldemort to die (Rowling, Deathly Hallows 743), does not, and should not lower her status as a female hero in the Harry Potter series.
When making the claim that Hermione Granger is a hero amongst the many characters in the Harry Potter series, it is important to discuss other heroic traits she exemplifies. Authors George R. Goethals and Scott T. Allison have done much research into what constitutes a hero, and according to Goethals and Allison, resiliency, which they have tied to accomplishment, perseverance, and determination, is one of the “Great Eight Traits of Heroism” (Goethals 194). Throughout all of the novels in the series, Hermione is a character that is full of determination, and she possesses an urge to make positive changes in her surroundings. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Hermione begins to be seen as an activist for the rights of house-elves in the wizarding world. When fleeing the Quidditch World Cup after Death Eaters attack, Hermione witnesses Barty Crouch’s house-elf, Winky, trying to escape the terror. Hermione says, “You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!...It’s slavery, that’s what it is! That Mr. Crouch made [Winky] go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he’s got her bewitched so she can’t even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn’t anyone do something about it?” (Rowling, Goblet 125). When Ron then suggests that the house-elves enjoy being servants, Hermione retorts, “it’s people like you, Ron…who prop up rotten and unjust systems…” (Rowling, Goblet 125). This passage brings up an interesting thought; Hermione, Harry, and Ron have just narrowly escaped a group of Death Eaters and yet, Hermione finds the welfare of Winky the house-elf to be important enough to get angry about. Ron certainly does not seem to be concerned. Ron is from a family that does not keep house-elves, so he really has no need to defend the many wizards that do. He clearly has not given much thought to the enslavement of the elves when he suggests that they enjoy being used as servants, and in his defense, not many wizards have. Not many witches and wizards even take notice of the elves in their daily lives, and there is something to be said for the fact that Hermione does notice. Her ability to express so much passion about an issue many wizards regard as irrelevant is a quality that sets her apart from the rest and makes her heroic. While Hermione’s interest in the wellbeing of the house elves and her desire to stand up to the “rotten and unjust systems” is apparent, her determination and resiliency becomes even more prevalent when she forms S.P.E.W. or, the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. In fact, “[Harry] and Ron’s lack of enthusiasm [has] done nothing whatsoever to curb Hermione’s determination to pursue justice for house-elves. True, both of them had paid two Sickles for a S.P.E.W. badge, but they had only done it to keep her quiet. Their Sickles [have] been wasted, however; if anything, they [seem] to have made Hermione more vociferous. She [has] been badgering Harry and Ron ever since, first to wear the badges, then to persuade others to do the same, and she [has] also taken to rattling around the Gryffindor common room every evening, cornering people and shaking the collecting tin under their noses” (Rowling, Goblet 239).
Hermione is passionate about something that her friends clearly have no interest in at all. The fact that Hermione can continue to be “vociferous” about her cause when she has absolutely no support, says a great deal about her character. She does not quit when her friends begin to wear the badges, but instead she urges them to do more; Hermione wants everyone to take action and she does not give up when she does not see the results she wants; it is here that readers truly see the determination and perseverance of a true hero even though the cause seems so small. It is also interesting to examine the language used by Rowling in this passage. Words such as “badgering”, “rattling”, “cornering”, and “shaking” are all used, and they make Hermione almost resemble an annoying insect that will not go away. She is like a small persistent little bug that will not quit buzzing. While Hermione and Harry are obviously very different, many aspects of what make Harry a hero can also be seen in Hermione. In the novels, Harry is raised largely in the muggle world by his aunt and uncle. He is forced to work as a sort of servant in their home, and in her essay Hermione Granger: Insufferable Know-It-All or Superhero, Christine Klingbiel compares Harry to “…poor Cinderella unloved by surrogate parents and picked on by a stepbrother. He is the youngest son; the smallest creature no one expects will amount to anything” (Klingbiel 166). Harry seems to have nothing going for him; he appears destined to live in the muggle world serving his aunt, uncle, and cousin forever. But when he is introduced to magic everything changes. He is suddenly thrust into a world he belongs in and where he can actually be someone; it is a world where people expect him to be great. The fact that Harry has somewhat of a horrid childhood and that everyone in the wizarding world expects him, an eleven year old boy, to accomplish things even highly trained wizards cannot undertake, makes him the classic unlikely hero. However, it is important to notice that another unexpected hero exists in the Harry Potter series as well, and that is Hermione. While Hermione grows up in a loving household, enduring none of the pain Harry endures, her parents are muggles, and in the magical world, being muggle born makes her an outcast. Furthermore, Hermione is female. Some people in society hold very low expectations for muggle borns, and the fact that she is a girl lessens those expectations further. Hermione works constantly to prove to others that she is and will be successful, and according to authors George R. Goethals and Scott T. Allison, this is part of what makes Hermione a hero. They say, “…self-protective tendencies such as disidentification alert us to factors such as stereotype threat that can undermine [a hero’s] effort and achievement” (Goethals 209) Hermione works to change the identity society has placed on her, and in doing so, she alerts readers to the stereotypes she must overcome. At the same time, she also reveals her position as an underdog or an unlikely hero. In order to set her further apart from the rest of the witches and wizards at Hogwarts, Rowling describes Hemione as having “…a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth” (Rowling, Sorcerer’s Stone 83). This is the first description readers get of Hermione and it is certainly not a glamorous one. It makes her stand out as someone who is unattractive, awkward, and a little out of place. Due to these many factors, Hermione is as much of an unlikely hero as Harry, just in a slightly different, slightly more covert way. She struggles to build and maintain expectations for herself while Harry struggles to reach the expectations of others, but in the end, both are victorious. Hermione parallels Harry’s journey as an unlikely hero, and yet she is often not considered a hero at all. However, Hermione should be considered more heroic because she overcomes obstacles, such as being a muggle born female, that make her an unlikely hero, and she does this by her own determination and will to prove others wrong, and to break the stereotypes working against her. Upon reading the Harry Potter series for the first time, the hero of the story seems to be Harry. However, with further examination and analysis it becomes clear that another hero exists in the novel. Hermione Granger is an essential part of the story. She frequently helps Harry accomplish his tasks, and without her aid Harry may not succeed in destroying the Dark Lord. One must not discredit Hermione nor should she be overlooked as a hero. While Harry possesses the identity of “The Chosen One”, a title he earns by an event he had no control over and cannot remember, Hermione chooses to make herself the hero. She takes her education into her own hands and she uses her knowledge to help her friends and herself. She does all of this while overcoming the stereotypes that other wizards have established, and when she does overcome them she is victorious. She and Harry have different obstacles they must each overcome, and while Hermione’s are less obvious, they must not be deemed insignificant. So, what makes a hero? An analysis of Hermione Granger has proven that this question is not one that can be answered by a simple dictionary definition. A hero is not always obvious. It is often necessary to explore deep into a person’s character to discover the traits that may not be evident on the surface. As in Hermione’s case, the noticeable physical traits can be misleading. Heroes exist everywhere; especially in the places people often overlook.

Works Cited
Goethals, George E., and Scott T. Allison. "Making Heroes: The Construction of Courage, Competence, and Virtue." Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 46 (2012): 184-231. Print.
Hourihan, Margery. Deconstructing the Hero: Literary Theory and Children 's Literature. N.p.: Routledge, 2005. Print.
Klapp, Orrin E. "The Creation of Popular Heroes." American Journal of Sociology 54.2 (1948): 135-41. Print.
Klingbiel, Christine. "Hermione Granger: Insufferable Know-It-All or Superhero?" Hermione Granger Saves the World: Essays on the Feminist Heroine of Hogwarts. Ed. Christopher E. Bell. N.p.: McFarland, 2012. 163. Print.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. N.p.: Arthur A. Levine, 2007. Print.
- - -. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. N.p.: Scholastic, 2002. Print.
- - -. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer 's Stone. N.p.: Scholastic, 1998. Print.

Cited: Goethals, George E., and Scott T. Allison. "Making Heroes: The Construction of Courage, Competence, and Virtue." Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 46 (2012): 184-231. Print. Hourihan, Margery. Deconstructing the Hero: Literary Theory and Children 's Literature. N.p.: Routledge, 2005. Print. Klapp, Orrin E. "The Creation of Popular Heroes." American Journal of Sociology 54.2 (1948): 135-41. Print. Klingbiel, Christine. "Hermione Granger: Insufferable Know-It-All or Superhero?" Hermione Granger Saves the World: Essays on the Feminist Heroine of Hogwarts. Ed. Christopher E. Bell. N.p.: McFarland, 2012. 163. Print. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. N.p.: Arthur A. Levine, 2007. Print. - - -. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. N.p.: Scholastic, 2002. Print. - - -. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer 's Stone. N.p.: Scholastic, 1998. Print.