Why Harry Picked Ginny, Rather Than Hermione, As A Romantic Partner

[gowdie]

Greetings! I originally posted this essay on a Harry/Ginny community and someone recommended that it would receive an interested audience here as well. It is a study of the mix of sexual attraction and humour in regards to Harry and Ginny

Comments

[gunderpants]

This is a well-written, nicely sourced essay that avoids being inflammatory, and you pretty much explain the canon examples of Harry being attracted to someone physically and romantically.

[gowdie]

Thank you! Especially for the not being inflammatory - because I really did just want to get these thoughts out there without anyone feeling like I was purposely poking them, just to be mean.

[snorkackcatcher]

The fact that it takes both humour and looks to win his interest also explains why it took so long for Harry to notice Ginny sexually. It is not until the fifth book that Ginny starts to become comfortable enough around him to be able to display her true personality - and Harry starts to notice her more. And it is not until the summer before Harry’s sixth year that he actually spends enough time in her presence to finally uncover the wonderful attribute that really gets him going.

Yep, that about sums it up. Very sensibly-argued essay. The Harry/Ginny pairing is something that's grown on me since HBP, and this dynamic is probably why. (Not that I really had anything against it, I just didn't think it was particularly interesting. So for me JKR's approach to introducing the idea actually worked.)

[gowdie]

Weeeee! Yeah, it's all about the pretty and silent v. pretty and funny that makes the difference. Thank you!

[peachespig]

This is really remarkably well thought-out and well-researched, and seems to me to be an accurate and encyclopedic explanation of the emotion behind the Harry/Ginny relationship. Bravo

[gowdie]

Wow, this appeals to my scholarly ego so much it isn't even funny. Thank you very much! And I am thrilled to hear you considered it refreshing, since I was a little worried some might consider it old. You know, "Oh here we go down the shipping debate again."

I think there is a lot to work with coming strictly from the original text - so I worked very hard to stay there. I'm thrilled to hear that was appreciated.

And whoops! I didn't mean to imply she was standing around wanting to be picked - but you're right. An essay about what Hermione wants would be another ten pages. ;-P I tried to leave a tiny hint in the last paragraph by saying Hermione derives her pleasure from debate - and that isn't Harry. It's kind of an "If someone wants to pick this up and run with it - go to it!"

[gowdie]

Wicked! Thrilled to hear it - thank you.

And I'll think about it - but refuse to promise anything at this point. If I do another essay it would either be Ron/Hermione - or an analysis of the structure of the series and the clues it reveals. I was leaning towards the structure - because I've been thinking on that one for a while and actually have a few notes. But after some debate here, the R/H one is tempting also. But in the meantime - this was a whole week's work - and I have a WIP and people might hunt me down if I don't get back to it for a bit.

[gowdie]

Really? Conversion? That's like the biggest compliment available in any debate. Thank you!

I worked really hard not to do anything that could be considered bashing. I don't believe that Harry's personal sexual attraction says anything about Hermione - or about people who saw valuable things in that possible pairing. And I wanted to make sure that if I didn't make that clear - then I at least didn't say anything to poke anybody.

[ook]

Or perhaps Harry is just shallow and only likes "pretty" girls. ;)

[mickawber]

Yeah. That huge crush he has on Fleur is pretty embarrassing, isn't it? And he sure makes an idiot of himself every time Rosmerta comes near. Silly of him, really. And that time at the Yule Ball when he throws himself at Hermione? Humiliating. :-)

Cho and Ginny are both described in glowing terms because Harry is the point-of-view character. Yes, other characters refer to them as pretty. But every one of us is attracted to what we're attracted to. Other girls/women in the series are acknowledged as being beautiful, yet Harry doesn't respond to him at all in the way that he does to Cho or Ginny. What seperates these two from the others? And what differentiates Ginny from Cho? I think gowdie manages to explore that quite well.

[ook]

From what I recall, isn't it Fleur and Rosmerta who are described as "beautiful"?

BTW, Ron is the one who has the crush on Rosmerta and Fleur. Ron definitely has a thing for "older" women who are beauties -- it's Harry who goes for obviously "pretty" girls who are his own age. And this makes me wonder why Ron is considered a suitable romantic pairing for Hermione, when Harry supposedly is not. Ron is so much more obviously into beautiful women (and come to think of it, Ron's sense of humor isn't much like Hermione's either). So why is Harry/Hermione bad, while Ron/Hermione good? It doesn't add up.

I think that JKR just needed a convenient Mary Sue for book six. It's the whole James/Lily thing, I suspect. Ginny is supposed to be the new Lily. However, Harry isn't much like the old James (Sirius said so).

[gowdie]

I tried to cover the pretty part - I said that being pretty wasn't enough. I tried to acknowledge that Harry does consider Ginny pretty - and is quite fond of her appearance. However, he has always known she is pretty - but wasn't interested until he discovers the trait that really gets him sexually interested - her humour. Also - I try to acknowledge that he does consider Hermione pretty - but that even so, she doesn't catch his physical interest - so clearly there is something else that Harry is looking for in a romantic relationship. It's about the combination of the two - he wants someone that fits his definition of physically attractive AND who sparks his sexual attraction by appealing to his main source of pleasure - humour