Harry Potter and the Adolescent Reader: Representations of Empowered Female Characters and Their Implications on the Lives of Adolescents
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HARRY POTTER AND THE ADOLESCENT READER: REPRESENTATIONS OF EMPOWERED FEMALE CHARACTERS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON THE LIVES OF ADOLESCENTS Caitlin Michele McTaggart A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION May 2011 Committee: Dr. Tim Murnen Dr. Cindy Hendricks Dr. Raymond Schuck ii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is dedicated to my mother, who took me to the library when I was a child and instilled in me a love of reading. And to my father, who bought me my first Harry Potter book. I would also like to acknowledge all of the support and guidance provided by those members who served on my committee: Dr. Tim Murnen, Dr. Cindy Hendricks, and Dr. Raymond Schuck. Each of you offered help, advice, direction, and encouragement in your own unique way, which I thank you very much for. I want to especially acknowledge my chair, Dr. Tim Murnen. Thank you for inspiring me in class to write about these young adolescent women, and for never giving up faith in me. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 Introduction.... ........................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Problem ................................................................................................ 4 Research Question ..................................................................................................... 7 Rationale........ ........................................................................................................... 7 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................... 8 Limitations..... ........................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER II. REVEW OF LITERATURE ......................................................................... 11 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 11 Theoretical Orientation.............................................................................................. 12 The Fantasy Novel Grounded in Reality ................................................................... 12 The Formation of an Identity..................................................................................... 15 Formation of the Adolescent’s Identity ......................................................... 15 Formation of the Female’s Identity ............................................................... 18 Formation of the Character’s Identity ........................................................... 20 Concepts Surrounding Power and Empowerment..................................................... 22 Female Adolescent Empowerment............................................................................ 24 Reader’s Response Theory ........................................................................................ 26 Motivation ........................................................................................................... 27 Adolescent Motivation to Read ..................................................................... 27 Text-to-Self as a Motivator............................................................................ 29 iv Motivation to Change .................................................................................... 30 Critical Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis....................................................... 31 Feminist Literacy Theory .......................................................................................... 35 Implications for the Female Reader........................................................................... 37 Implication on Education........................................................................................... 41 Summary…… ........................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES ............................................................. 45 Methods…………. .................................................................................................... 45 Research Design ............................................................................................ 45 Subjects.......................................................................................................... 46 Instrumentation.............................................................................................. 47 Data Collection .............................................................................................. 47 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 48 Summary ........................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ........................... 50 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 50 Hermione Granger Character Profile............................................................. 53 Ginny Weasley Character Profile .................................................................. 69 Luna Lovegood Character Profile ................................................................. 75 Discussion of Results................................................................................................. 79 Hermione Granger ......................................................................................... 80 Ginny Weasley............................................................................................... 84 v Luna Lovegood.............................................................................................. 85 Implications for the Adolescent Reader ........................................................ 87 Summary ........................................................................................................... 88 CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................ 89 Summary ........................................................................................................... 89 Conclusions and Recommendations.......................................................................... 91 Implications for Education ............................................................................ 91 Recommendations for Further Research ....................................................... 96 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 97 APPENDIX A. HERMIONE GRANGER EMPOWERMENT MATRIX .......................... 104 APPENDIX B. GINNY WEASLEY EMPOWERMENT MATRIX................................... 113 APPENDIX C. LUNA LOVEGOOD EMPOWERMENT MATRIX .................................. 118 1 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION Imagine a book that sells more than 6.9 million copies in its début on the shelves, averaging more than 250,000 book sales per hour in the United States alone (Ross, 2007). Envision a book grounded in the mysterious world of magic but that mirrors the challenges of everyday life. Picture a series of books worthy enough of being categorized alongside other great works of literature such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Imagine these novels being enjoyed and treasured not only by small children, but by adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Imagine a series that toppled the 400 million mark in overall book sales and translated into 67 different languages worldwide (Ross); a series that motivated children to start reading for enjoyment once again. Imagine a series of books where characters are immersed in a magical fantasy world, full of allure and wonderment. Within these books, the students walk into schools where candles float effortlessly from the ceiling and the dining hall resembles a peaceful portrayal of a sparkling, starlit sky. Characters delve into candy and treats of all sorts like Bertie Botts Every Flavor Jellybeans and sip butterbeer from large, frosty mugs. Within these novels magical potions can ease the pain of the most insurmountable injuries endured by its characters and predictions of the future hold true in a cup full of teeny tealeaves. Imagine a place where cats and frogs are standard household pets and a land where the postal service is delivered by the wings of a trusted, dependable owl. Welcome to the world of wizardry and witchcraft and its impressionable mark on the realities of humankind; welcome to the world of Harry Potter. Just when the world thought reading was an ancient, outdated, even dying form of entertainment, J. K. Rowling triumphantly stepped in with her novels involving a scrawny boy who lived in the tiny, old, cupboard under the stairs. The facts from above are not only magical, 2 they are real; and real children began reading once again. Rowling cooked up a miraculous, magical potion of her own through the use of language and discovered, in this high paced world full of technology and busy schedules, a way to get children to engage in an activity that appeared would once become obsolete—a love of reading. But the J. K. Rowling Harry Potter series accomplished more than just