Character Analysis of Ginny

Ginny is easily a common favorite character of fans from the books. She is a strong character, and has many qualities that make her likeable. She is a leader- she is an essential member of Dumbledore’s Army and never takes a backseat in decisions; especially when the decisions are made by her family or close friends. She is very protective of her family and friends, and is always willing to fight- as we see in Deathly Hallows during the Battle of Hogwarts. Ginny is also daring- she takes risks, whether it be fighting or writing to something, like the diary, that she can’t trust. She is the perfect example of a Gryffindor. She is brave, courageous, and daring.

Ginny is a very realistic character. At the end of Half Blood Prince, Harry tells her that their relationship can’t possibly go on because it would put her in danger. Instead of crying and making a scene, she agrees because she understands the true dangers. She doesn’t do it for her safety though; she does it because she understands that it is necessary for Harry to be able to complete his tasks. A huge factor that plays into these situations is that she is very emotionally stable. She is very stable, like Harry sas she is not one who cries a lot or lets her emotions override her mind. She is able to have very intense emotions, but stay in control. In a way Hermione is a foil to her emotionally. Both characters feel strong emotion, but Hermione allows herself to become absorbed in them and lose track of what is important. Ginny is able to coexist with her emotions better. When Harry decides to break up with her in the sixth book she understands that their separation is not due to themselves, but rather the greater importance of what Harry has to do. There are not many people who would be able to see this, it takes great strength to understand something like this and accept it. I believe she also allows their separation because she knows that it will make Harry feel better.

Ginny is a perfect match for Harry. They have similar personalities and sense of humor. Their interests are also very similar- they both love Quidditch and are very good at it, and they are both very good at spells and stuff that they do in Dumbledore’s Army. They are strong, likeable characters that are leaders and get along nicely. They both have a slight temper issue, but it’s not overdone. They have rare personalities that are able to simultaneously compliment and mirror each other.

Ginny is one of the characters that experiences the most development from book one to book seven. In Sorcerer’s Stone, she is very taken with Harry and is very shy. This carries on to Chamber of Secrets, when she first goes to Hogwarts. Each time we see her, she seems to be alone, and doesn’t associate herself with many people other than her brothers. By the end of the series, Ginny is a major character and leader. She goes through a few boyfriends, and it is apparent that she has overcome her shyness and is not obsessing over Harry.

She is no longer that shy eleven year old girl with a crush, but rather a girl who would risk h er life and die for her friends and family. Another interesting thing about the character of Ginny is that in the first few books, we barely get a mention of her; she is practically a static character. She starts to become a central character around Goblet of Fire. I believe that this is because we don’t start to notice her until Harry does. I also wonder if hidden in the Ginny we see in the first few books, is the Ginny we see in the end. Because she is always so shy around Harry are we only seeing the shy Ginny and not the strong Ginny. I believe that she was there all along and we only saw that rare shy side of her when she was around Harry. Very tricky, JKR. I think this was very intentional. JKR in a way led us to disregard Ginny and Harry as a only the dream of a young girl. She persuaded us into thinking that it wasn’t even a possibility. But then JKR did the thing that she does best, revealed something that was their all along, but hidden in plain sight.

One of my (Paige) favorite Ginny moments is when she calls Harry out for not being the only one to be possessed by Voldemort:

Harry: "I didn't want anyone to talk to me."
Ginny: "Well, that was a bit stupid of you, seeing as how you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."
Harry: "I forgot."

Ginny: "Lucky you."

It is one of my favorite scenes because it draws another connection into their relationship and it is something that they share in common. It is one of the only things that Harry can’t really confide in Ron and Hermione with because he feels uncomfortable with. It also brings Harry back into the real world and stops his moping. Ginny is there for support and help. I love it.

One of my (Calie) favorite moments is when Ginny tells off Ron during a Quidditch practice:

"You prat Ron, look at the state of her!"
"Ginny, don't call Ron a prat,
you're not the captain of this team—"
"Well, you seemed too busy to call him
a prat and I thought someone should."
- Ginny Weasley and Harry [chp.14,
HBP]

This shows that very strong side of Ginny. She is willing to stand up to her brother and takes charge. But she is also able to easily fit into the mode of a leader; here she very obviously takes charge. She also has a really nice sense of humor, very natural, most likely derived from growing up with the twins for older brothers. For some reason this scene always stands out to me as a perfect Ginny scene.

Mischief Managed.

Paige Cyrus and Calie Holden