As I've mentioned several times before, my mother and I have a little Mother-Daughter (re)Reading Club. We're currently making our way through the Harry Potter series, and our most recent conversation was regarding Order of the Phoenix. This was a particularly enjoyable discussion for us, because this is the point in the series where we both agree that things really get meaty.
One of the most interesting topics for us was Dolores Umbridge. I posit that this character is the most vile villain in all of Harry Potter- yes, worse than Lord Voldemort. I take this position because out of all the villains in those books, Umbridge is the most realistic. That is to say, she is a real-world villain. I've encountered her flesh-and-blood versions in my lifetime, and I'm sure you have, too. And the raw, helpless fury that such bureaucrats awakens in me... it just makes me sick that there are actual people like that in the world. Not a lot of snake-faced super-wizards, but plenty of people who abuse their positions and make sadistic use of their powers- especially against children.
We also talked about how we both like the way Rowling slowly peels back the layers of Neville. Really she does this with all her characters, but Neville was the one we were most excited to rehash (we're both big fans of Neville, my mother and I). The moment where he tucks the gum-wrapper in his pocket still brings tears to my eyes...
Which just goes to show what a wonderfully evocative writer Rowling is. On the one hand she writes villains that I don't just dislike- I loathe with physical discomfort. But on the other she crafts these wonderful little supporting characters whom I care about as much as I do the main protagonists. Characterization, my friends... very important no matter what you're writing.
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