Hermione’s Diary:
Dear Diary,
It’s the Christmas holidays again and I wish I could say that everything is going well. I of course cannot due to a mysterious broom Harry has received. Personally, I believe that Sirius Black has sent Harry this hexed broom in a hope to kill him. I of course hope that I am wrong, but what if I am not? I therefore truly believe that I must tell one of the Professors. I feel that this is my duty because Ron of course is unable to comprehend anything other than what is presented before him. I know Harry and Ron might hate me for doing so, but I cannot see myself waiting to find out if Harry’s broom is cursed. This is an extremely tough decision for me because whether I like to admit it or not, I do not have many friends. I just hope that Harry and Ron can somehow forgive me. I am planning on deciding tonight on which professor to inform. As of now I am leaning towards telling Professor McGonagall due to our understanding of each other. I also believe that she will be the most understanding given the circumstances. Well, wish me luck…and if everything goes the way I think it will plan on hearing from me a lot more because I will be without friends.
Hermione Granger
Analytical:
The above thoughts by Hermione Granger are definitely plausible. Most of us have probably been at a point in our lives when we have no choice but to do something which will be painful in some way or another. Of course, it would seem that Hermione’s first thought would be that Sirius has sent Harry a cursed broom because who else in their right mind would send such an expensive broom without a note. Hermione is a very special character in that she analyzes and possibly overanalyzes everything. In this case, she believes that the broom must have been sent as a means to hurt Harry. This, in my opinion, is a perfect reaction for Hermione because everyone knows how much Harry loves quidditch and how willing he must be to want to get back on a broom (since his Nimbus 2000 was recently destroyed). I also believe that it is pretty obvious that Hermione does not have a whole lot of friends. We see in the first book in many different occasions (on the train, in the classroom, and in the halls) that Hermione is treated badly by everyone, especially Ron, and is always alone. This might be why it is such a difficult task for Hermione to be contemplating on whether or not she should tell on her friends. She knows in her heart that she must tell a professor because of the danger the Firebolt might possess. Hermione goes on to tell us that she if she is planning on telling a professor then it will most likely be Professor McGonagall. There could be two reasons for this. One reason might be because Hermione feels closer to McGonagall than any of the other professors since they have been meeting to talk about her class schedule quite a bit. Another reason might be that McGonagall is the house leader of Gryffindor and is therefore obviously worried about whether or not her Seeker will have a broom for their match. Hermione’s predicament is a tricky one because she must choose between telling on one of her best friends or to keep quiet and hope that the new Firebolt is a perfectly good broom.
Hi again! I definitely agree that everyone goes through certain times in their lives when you have to "step up" and do something right even if it hurts those around you. I don't think I'd call Hermione over-analytical though, especially since she is the brain of the trio. It is her job to protect the other members of the group through her extremely expansive mind. I also like the way you present Hermione as being very conscious of "action-consequence." She doesn't just blurt out that Harry received a broom; rather, you've presented her as being very careful with her decision and acting upon it even though there is incredible risk. Spot on. While I can see Harry and Ron opening a package that might be making a mysterious ticking noise, I see Hermione calling in the swat team to make sure it is perfectly safe. I think you've been very accurate both in the diary characterization and in your analytical reasoning. On that note, how do you think the diary entry would change if Hermione was actually telling just to be a snitch? While I find that scenario unlikely, it would make for an interesting trip into another side of her character. :)
ReplyDeleteWell the first thing i gotta say here is, Poor Hermoine! I guess she would be pretty conscious of the fact that she not really have any other friends if she alienates herself from Ron and Harry. I agree with you that she would be the one to put the risk of dangerous objects before personal feelings, especially when Harry is in so much danger in this book. This incident reminds of when Neville stepped in front of the trio in the first book and tried to stop them from going out because they would cause more trouble for Gryffindor. In Neville's case he was rewarded when Gryffindor won at the end of the school year, but i was disappointed that Hermoine was not rewarded in some way (except for the fact that she was right all along!). To answer Mr. Peasley's question about Hermoine being a snitch, that would be more plausible if she had not become friends with them, It seems like something Malfoy would do if he was smart enough though.
ReplyDeletethere are some great insights into hermione's character here, from all of you! leon & peasley bring up great questions -- how does hermione's character change because of friendship? we talk a lot about the way that harry is shaped or helped by his friends...do you think the same can be said here? do her anxieties remain due to her earlier concern with rules, structure, & safety, or is there something greater at work here? how is rowling developing hermione, & how does it change the way we view her? is she growing?
ReplyDeleteWell, to answer the first question, I think that Hermione's character is definitely changing due to the friendships that she's made. We first see her constantly complying with all the rules and making sure that everyone around complies with them as well. As she becomes friends with Harry and Ron she starts to become a bit more laid back in the sense that she realizes that some rules are meant to be broken. I still believe that Hermione will always try to abide by the rules first, but if she doesn't see anyway to accomplish a task without breaking the rules, then she break away! I think that this is a great character to have around Harry and Ron because they are so gung-ho about everything! She can kind of be like their little white angel that appears over their shoulder that says, okay...is this your only option...if so what are the consequences, if not, are the consequences greater or less? I know it sounds kind of silly, but I really do think that the little white angel portrays Hermione's character quite well. During the 6th book we will see Hermione's character change even more when her feelings for Ron comes into the picture. We'll see her breaking rules to impress which is so unlike the Hermione we are used to. Is this a bad thing? In my opinion it isn't exactly, it can be considered wrong, but it is natural as well. Hermione is basically turning into a very conflicted character...on one side you have the smart non breaking girl, and on the other side you have the girl who is breaking rules to try and impress others...very different...but again, natural.
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