Gender Roles In Harry Potter

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Many people have opinions on gender roles, especially for females. When reading or watching the Harry Potter series, you can pick up on hints of both traditional and modern roles. Many people argue that Rowling created a world where female readers may learn that they are inferior to males (Whitton). While they may have a point in some situations, such as the troll incident in the lavatory in the first book, the female characters also stand their own ground. A great example of this is Molly Weasley. Molly Weasley is the matriarch of the Weasley family. She serves a more traditional role as housewife, but in the final book she is responsible for the death of Bellatrix Lestrange. Lestrange shows women that they can hold power. She held high rank in Voldemort’s army due to her skills in dark magic. Other females such as Nymphadora Tonks, an auror “ or someone who fights dark wizards” (“Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Goes Beyond”); Lily Potter, Harry’s mother; Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s mother; and Dolores Umbridge, an employee at the Ministry of Magic; were capable women. Both Lily and …show more content…
One of these movements is the popularity of Harry Potter related baby names. Many names in the Harry Potter series, including Lily, Draco, Neville, Hermione, and of course Harry, have become more prominent in society since the publishing of the books. Between the time that the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was published and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released in theatres, the amount of people with the name Neville increased by about 5,000 in the United States. The name Lily has been in the top one-hundred names since 2001 and was especially popular in 2011. In 2001, the name Hermione hit its peak at 15,344 people (Boyce). These spikes of popularity show that many children have been named after Harry Potter characters due to the popularity of the brand or due to their parent’s love for the

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