What Is The Power Struggle In The Harry Potter Series

When you have a group of three people or larger, most of the time, someone is in charge, or has the most power. In the Harry Potter series, the three main characters, or the “golden trio” as their often referred, are in a constant power struggle. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and

Ron Weasley met their first year of Hogwarts, their school, at 11 years old. They grew up together, and felt their friendship grow under the structure of school. In the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the trio no longer is a part of the structured school environment.

The trio is on their own, which allows for their power struggle to be more closely observed. It also grows more apparent in isolation, like they are for a large part of this film. The

Ron ends up leaving for a short time in this film, after a feud with Harry. Another element of the triad is the possibility for secrets (Conley 154). This is something that often happens in the Harry Potter series. Often, Ron accuses Harry of keeping secrets from the group.

One scene from this film is an example of this. In this scene, Ron accuses Harry of not telling the group everything that Dumbledore, their headmaster, told him. Harry tries to tell Ron that he told them everything. The scene is very dark, with choppy camera switches between the two, and the occasional flash to Hermione. This symbolizes negativity and fear splitting up their group, albeit temporary. A third aspect of the triad is the possibility for politics (Conley 145). In a group of three, there are “multiple points of view and preferences that need to be balanced” (Conley 145).

There are 3 possible roles that a third party can assume in a disagreement between two members of the group. The mediator, tertius gaudens, or divide et impera (Conley 145). Hermione acts as the mediator. When Harry and Ron fight, which is often, she almost never picks a side. In this film, however, she picks Harry’s side. But, for her, it is not about choosing between her

Harry’s power is questioned several other times throughout the film. He consistently turns to Hermione for comfort, and for protection. Hermione is definitely the most powerful in the group, even though she is a female. She is by far the most knowledgeable, and always knows what to do. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all knew that they had to leave to hunt for the horocruxes, but the only one who prepared in any way was Hermione. She packed everything that she could think of, in a small bag that was enchanted to make it bigger on the inside. When it came to the time where they had to leave, Harry and Ron were shocked to find out that Hermione had prepared so much. This shows how understated

Hermione’s power truly is. The men are always shocked when Hermione knows something or comes up with some kind of plan. Harry and Ron always turn to Hermione when they need something. Her character serves as a mother figure for Harry and Ron, when their own mothers are not around. This is due to her being a woman.

Hermione is not actively oppressed by any means, but her power is not expected of her.

In the ideas of Freud, women’s only unconscious thought is about their lack of a penis