Hermione Granger, as depicted by the Harry Potter books, is a character that should truly be admired. Not only did Hermione possess the wisdom and intelligence of a wizard with multiple PhD's, but she also exhibited courage as well as a strong character in moments of grave danger. As to the validity of her placement in the Gryffindor house, there is no doubt that Hermione was indeed a Gryffindor at heart. However, one cannot help but to wonder whether her unsurpassable wisdom could have landed her a worthier place in the Ravenclaw house.
Rowena Ravenclaw, who along with the four other founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, declared one of the four houses of the school for students who held certain characteristics. Throughout the series, it is affirmed that students in Ravenclaw hold the characteristics of intelligence, wit, creativity, and resourcefulness. The students in Ravenclaws were always regarded as being the brightest thinkers at Hogwarts, and some even possessed a certain level of arrogance, fed by their confidence in their own intelligence.
Ultimately, the question is: did Hermione really belong in Gryffindor? Or would she have fit better in the Ravenclaw house? No doubt, the Harry Potter series would have been a LOT different if Hermione had been placed in Ravenclaw. Harry and Hermione probably would not have become such good friends, and her relationship with Ron would have probably never of had the chance to blossom. I believe that if Hermione had been placed in Ravenclaw, she would have never changed the snobby attitude she had in the first Harry Potter book, before she had met Harry and Ron. I think that the friendship that the three developed helped to soften Hermione's uptight character. In the last books of the series, one can really see Hermione's character unfold.
The fact that she dropped out of school to help her friends proved that Hermione did indeed deserve her place in Gryffindor. Looking into the process that a student underwent when being sorted into a house by the sorting hat, I noticed that in reality, the hat ultimately gave the student a choice. Harry was told that he would have gone far in Slytherin, but when the sorting hat read Harry's mind and heard that he did not want to be a Slytherin, it understood Harry's choice and placed him in Gryffindor.
Hermione has always been one of my favorite characters. What I have always admired about her the most is her thirst for knowledge. I think that a lot of readers view Hermione as having a natural intelligence, but actually, I think that her constant studying and researching in the library has helped her gain all of that wisdom and information. I believe that without her, Harry would have never been able to defeat Voldemort all of the times that he did, not to mention all of the other spells she helped him apply to other situations. Hermione Granger truly deserved her spot in Gryffindor. She was a student that would have made Godric Gryffindor proud.
Bibliography
O'Demus, Nick. "Ravenclaw." Harry Potter Wiki. 25 Jan. 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2011.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London, Bloomsbury. 1998. Print.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: A.A. Levine, 1998. Print.
3 comments:
Woah! I never considered Hermione to belong anywhere but Gryffindor, but as soon as I read this I realized, she does have a big brain! I think that, going with the idea that the Sorting Hat listens to where you want to be placed, and places you accordingly, that Hermione would have no doubt researched the houses before going to school. I'm sure she knew in her mind exactly which house she wanted to be placed in, and because of her
powerful attitude (and her aptitude for being a tad bit bossy) She would have convinced that the sorting hat put her in Gryffindor, or else. hahahaha. I really enjoyed your post though, I love Harry Potter.
I really love the character Hermione. She rounds out the three friendships between her, Ron, and Harry. I couldn't imagine her in any other house because without her there wouldn't be a story; well maybe but not the same.
Huh! That is one interesting point of view that I would have never thought about probably because I cannot imagine Hermione in any house other than Gryffindor. You are truly correct though Victoria when you say that Hermione has the characteristics of a Ravenclaw. Now that I think about it, the story would have been greatly different because the fact that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the same house added on to their unbreakable friendship. Also throughout the book, most of the students display pride in being placed in respective house so if Hermione had been a Ravenclaw it would have been weird to see her rooting on Harry at quidditch matches or during the Goblet Of Fire. I agree though that the sorting hat ultimately left the decision up to the student so it seems Hermione was destined to help Harry in his quest to defeat Voldemort.
Post a Comment