Blog #2 Ginny Weasley

Throughout the entire Harry Potter series we follow three main adolescents in their growth and development; Harry Potter discovers who his parents were and what his past really was and lives to make the memory proud and boldly avenge his parents’ death, Ron Weasley struggles with living up to his brothers’ reputations, and Hermione Granger develops humbly and gracefully as a first generation witch in her family. While the maturation of these characters is pivotal to the entire plot line, the “minor” character development is greatly essential as well. We see the development of Draco Malfoy and his cronies into larger and more malevolent individuals, of Neville Longbottom into a much more confident and braver spirit, and even of Peeves into a poltergeist that is not just all about childish trickery, but as part of the movement against Umbridge along with most of Hogwarts. This is to say that it is not just the main characters that are the most important in the success of a plot, but it also heavily relies on the persons surrounding them.

One character we witness grow in more than just a physical aspect and that is not part of the spotlight trio is Ginny Weasley, and her development is undeniably one of coming of age. We’re introduced to her in both “The Philosopher’s Stone” and “The Chamber of Secrets” as the timid, youngest, and only female of the Weasley siblings, and the one who has a fan-girl crush on the “famous” Harry Potter. We were led to believe she wouldn’t really amount to much—just another Weasley; however, at the end “The Chamber of Secrets,” we begin to see her importance in the story. She’s still the vulnerable young girl we were initially introduced to, but Harry’s drive to save her reiterates her importance to the plot and in a way, foreshadows the progress of the bravery and events to come.

While she is mostly absent from both “the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “The Goblet of Fire,” Ginny definitely reappears in “The Order of The Phoenix” as a much more confident and not-so-infatuated young woman. She’s begun dating Dean Thomas and starts becoming more liberal, to some extent taking after her brothers Fred and George. She is no longer afraid to talk to Harry, and in fact relates to him about being possessed by Voldemort and sets him straight about his poor attitudes. She continues this maturation of courage and defiance throughout the rest of the series, joining Dumbledore’s Army, convincing others to join the cause, and most notable to many female readers, by becoming more assertive with her feelings towards Harry.

By the end of the series, Ginny is just as strong as we are to believe Lily Potter was in her prime. Rowling skillfully set Harry with a significant other that was just as strong, smart, and brave as he, while being just a little more level-headed—keeping his feet on the ground and so forth. Out of all of the complimentary characters in the Harry Potter story, I believe that Ginny’s coming of age is the most relatable (aside from being possessed by a maliciously devilish wizard) to young girls who will read the series; she’s shy and nervous around a somewhat famous boy but grows into her abilities and bravery and is ultimately a confident, loving, and bold individual.