Seriously, I've worked with teens professionally as a counselor and teacher for 20 years, and though I love the books, something always nagged at me as far as the way Harry handled being teased,oppressed, abused, and generally mistreated.

Then it dawned on me....Rowling has given Harry the psyche of a female, and the role of an emotionally repressed victim, which he plays perfectly. I've had occasion to be trained and as well to read a number of books dealing with the inherent differences between boys and girls, and much of what I find applies to girls applies to Harry.

At the Dursley's he clearly plays the role of a subservient victim, with his only acts of fighting back occurring really by accident, as a result of pent-up or repressed anger. Harry's emotions would have turned outward, not inward as a result of the treatment he received from the Dursleys.

One of the most clear examples is the absurd temper tantrum in Dumbledore's office, where Harry acts like an angry housewife, rather than an adolescent boy. A boy harry's age WOULD have attacked dumbledore, or thrown furniture, not just broken things.

Harry is too goood at keeping secrets. The trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione act more like a typical clique of females; it is WELL known that females operate in cliquich pairs and trios, while males gravitate toward larger groups; you can observe this on any playground, I guarantee it. You will see large groups of boys organizing big games, and the girlswill be scattered in clumps of twos and threes, all talking about who they hate and don;t want to be part of their inner circle this week.

following on this is how he keeps secrets too much, especially from Dumbledore, and limits his secrets to his clique.

one of the most troubling scenes is the one in which as Harry writes as puinishment for Umbridge, cuts appear on his hand and he simply plods on. Self mutilation (cutting for its own sake, vs. tatoos or piercings) is ten times more common in females, and they do it as a way of expressing their inner turmoil and as a way of clinging to reality in the midst of severe circumstances. The whole scene with Harry's cutting-writing is simply a classic personification of self-mutilation typically carried out as a function of a battered female psyche. It is highly doubtful any teenaged boy would have put up with such an abusive tactic.

I could addd much, much more, but I'll leave it at that.

Bottom line: Harry acts like a girl.

So, maybe Harry is really a girl, and that is the big secret for the end of the series!

You have many good points there, but I really doubt that Harry is a girl, that's just to rediculous, no offence. Maybe Harry has a more 'femable' side than other boys, but he's not really acting like a girl, is he? We musn't forget Harry's situation, he knows about The Order of The Pheoinx and many thing's he shoud know, so he has to learn how to hold certain things for himself, and he's good at it because he have too, not because he's girl.

Dumbledore kept many things from Harry too, he wouldn't or couldn't speak to Harry because of Voldemort spying through Harry, this made Harry furious, the fact that Voldemort had returned and Dumbeldore wouldn't speak or even look at Harry, so Harry kept certain things for himself.
But it's a little special thing with Harry, he's not a normal guy, he's the only one who can defeat Voldemort, he's the boy who lived and from the very moment the Dursleys found Harry on their door step, they treated him unfairly and mean. Not many kids grow up like that. I'd say Harry has a very strong will he's a very string psychological person.

I don't know about this, eeyore. It sounds to me like you've founded your idea entirely on traditional gender stereotypes, and I'm not sure that I'm taking terribly kindly to your rationale.

I completely 110% agree with anthony on this one.

But if I could make one quick observation before I get started, the harry potter books are written by Jo a woman, Jo is writing from a teenage boy's prespective but I'm sure shes channelled some of her own personal experiences into her lead character harry, thus this may be why harry's actions could be appeared as feminine, in some cases. I accept the If we take an average male and an average female there 'psychies' are probably going to differ substansially in a lot of cases, but I don't thik this could be used on the basis of an absolute all inclusive definition of a male psyche or female psyche.
There are most definitly exceptions to the rule, I myself would probably have a large number of feminine traits by the judgement of western society but I don't in any way shape of form feel that this means I see my self as more of a girl or a women than men who adopt the traditional )and if i may add severly emotionally repressed traditional 'masculine' male psyche.

To bring it back to Harry Potter, Harry has in realitly only known his life with the Dursely's. Pre Hogwarts Harry, for his whole life has been treated like dirt by this 'family' by all acounts. Therefore hes going to see this as the norm and so, hes probaly not going to believe hes got any real value, and so will probably see him self as 'dirt' for want of a better word.

After Hogwarts this begins to change, Harrry by seeing another world, one which he very much as a place in, is able to see his treatment by the Dursely's for what it is; abuse and so begins to in the words of marx (sorry I'm not a psychologist, so I'll try and adapt my own study material, sociology to suit this topic) a class in it's self to a class for it's self. In other words Harry no longer accepts his disadvantaged position in his family (society) as the norm as the ideological lens has been removed and he has the power to change this through his behaviour and actions.

Now to bring it back on topic harry wirth this new found freedom is able to chooses howhe is able to act, and theres nothing to suggest that harry sees him self as a boy or man as the most important catagory he fits into, I would gess the most important aspect of Harrys self identifacation after Hogwarts is that he's a part of the magical world, something the Dursleys are definately not. This is the starting point for harrys 'assult' on the Dursley's. Magic by it's defination is hands off, Harry has never seen his physical strength as of any importance in his campain of disobedience against the dursley's, and so in my humble opinion we have one possible explination for harrys 'non masculine' behaviour.

From a personal experiance, through out my teenage years I've never felt the desire tp physically lash out at anyone, I don't think that this means I was no less normal, but that I had a different way of dealing with things.

We are socialised into our roles as males and females in society, through the way we are treated, tdhe toys we play with with relation to our sex but theres nothing absolute or 'right' about this, its just yet another binary system of incessant classification to suit the society we live in. The idea that boys should wear blue and girls wear pink is a victorian idea (it didn't exist before this), things change over time and space and so thats why I believe there can never be only one way to be a man or a women, if there was society would remain stagnant and we'd probably have either died a long time ago, so to conclude Harrys fine the way he is IMHO.

[COLOR=red]how could you say that to him!
may be harry act a little like a female but he is not a girl,NOT A GIRL!
that's the most ridiculous thing that i have heard.
Harry is NOT too much like a girl!!!


MOD EDIT : Please refrain from typing in all caps. In cyberspace, this is considered shouting. Try using the bold/italics instead. Your post has been edited.

It could just be the simple fact that Harry like many other boys, just has a larger bit of femininity in him. I'm of coures not saying that he is gay, but many boys are a little more feminine.

No way never!

well i personally dont see him as too much of a girl, but there is a strange amount of femine quality in him. that could be because the fact that jkr is female. but that shouldnt influance anything though. because ron doesnt act like a girl. well that i noticed anyway. but yeah he seems a lil bit of a girl. not like oh no hes a nancy boy amount of girly, but enough to make him seem off. well thats just my opinion.

This is ridiculous, it's almost laughable. You’re making all of these assumptions based on psycho mumbo jumbo, which in my opinion has no merit what so ever. It would be laughable if it weren’t so insulting, not only are you insulting every girl, young lady, and woman in the world, you’re insulting men and teenaged boys as well. And I happen to be a teenaged boy so I think I’d have a better idea of what one would do than you would. No matter how many years you’ve spent studying and being around them.

Now I’ll tell you why it’s insulting. You are flat out saying this: Teenaged boys can’t keep secrets, teenaged boys and men in general can’t control their tempers, and that they will attack someone they care about instead of just breaking things that are meaningless. I know from being one and being around other guys my age, that when a teenaged boy is angry he goes through a couple stages before he will attack anyone. First he gets angry. Second he will clench his teeth and roll his eyes. Third he will squeeze his fists and tense muscles while still clenching his teeth. Fourth he will start to lose his temper and hit things such as walls and furniture. Fifth he will start to break things around him by either throwing them a simply hitting them, he will also start to hit walls with greater force putting holes in them with no regard for the safety of his own body. A guy does these things to release the anger to keep himself from attacking and hurting people. And only after all these things have happened and the thing that is making him angry has not ceased is the possibility for him attacking someone. And at that point it all depends on the person, some will attack, some will just continue to break things. Yes, there are those that will just go straight into attack mode, but it’s rarer than people think. And there are also those that can keep a lid on their temper to the point where they won’t even break things.

Now I don’t know girls as well but I do know them pretty well. I have four sisters and when they were younger would hit each other and attack each other more often than me and my brothers would. But the way its insulting is that you’re saying that all females are poor victims that can only express themselves is to hurt themselves or to break things. And I have never seen any of my sisters break anything when they’ve been mad. My brother and I on the other hand have broken a lot of things. But all the females I know are more prone to yelling rather than outburst of anger. You are also generalizing their response to things. I have never seen a girl react to something the same way another did. My Mom, and all four of my sisters will react completely different ways to the same problem. For example: My Mom when facing something that angers her tends to yell, my oldest sister tends to not get that angry and almost always has a cool head. Women are not nearly as predictable in their reactions as men are. Therefore you can’t say that a girl would definitely do this or definitely not do this other thing.

Also there’s going to be girls with tempers and reactions that are normally characterized as what a boy would do, and vice versa.

Now I would have reacted pretty much the same way as Harry did in that situation. I wouldn’t have attacked Dumbledore. And I rarely even get to the point where I would break things even when I am really mad.

It all depends on the characteristics of the person; you can’t accurately predict how everyone is going to react because you’ve got the numbers on 1% of them.

What really annoys me is that you didn’t even stick around to defend your view.

Introvert && not_average || strange || different && secrets.keep && calm.keep && MBTI.introvert && punished.corporal && clique.trio !== girl;

Being an introvert and strange does not make Harry more like a girl. He's simply different in a lot of ways.

Keeps secrets? Keeping calm? Introverted? Being corporally punished? Trio?

I think you're making too many generalizations here on some (weak) psychology.

No! How can Harry be considered a girl?

I can see where you think of this, but maybe he's going through a mini-depression, without knowing it of course. Because of all the deaths he has been expiriencing.

This is insulting, absured, and rubbish! Clearly you know nothing about the real way boys and girls act. Also, you based all of your reasones on stereo type.

Harry is soooo not like a girl!! Boys can be sensitive too ya know! Harry is a very manly man. Did you ever think that Harry didn't throw stuff at Dumbledore or attack him because he respected him too much?

Point One Harry's charactor was created by a woman herself. So you can see if he has a girlish touch.

Point Two

Alright guys and gals, I think that will do

Look, if you all can't have a reasonable, intelligent and rational conversation in here without it getting personal and you all getting offended, then I don't think there's much point in this thread being left open because it's just going to create headaches for the mods

Eeyore's post was relevant, intelligently written and deserves a little more consideration than mere ranting about how offended you all are.

And come on - let's be honest here. Girls do travel in groups - they always have done and it's pointless getting all uppety and touchy about it, it's a fact of life. I'm not saying boys don't go around in groups too, of course they do. But girls definitely tend to go around in twos and threes - or at least, smaller groups than boys - and anyone was says differently is delusional, quite frankly. All you have to do is read a social psychology book to know these things - or be a girl, of course...(which I very definitely am the last time I checked ) or have gone to school...or walk around town on a weekend...basically, interact with the human race

Eeyore also has a valid point about the cutting - it's again perfectly true that girls are more likely to self-mutilate than boys. It's only because there is a basic, genetic and psychological difference between women and men that they react differently to situations. Obviously, that doesn't mean that they don't self-mutilate, of course they do - it just means that they are *less* likely to, statistically. Personally, I think a boy is more likely to react aggressively and tell Umbridge to get lost while a girl would grin and bear it and then tell all her friends later what a horrible old...toad...Umbridge was, so in this respect, I don't think Eeyore is quite right. I just think Harry was showing grit and determination that she wasn't going to get the better of him, but everyone can see whatever interpretation they like in the books and on this site, everyone's opinions will be respected and treated with the consideration they deserve - unless they're abusive, of course, in which case it's the mods jobs to deal with that.

And we can do without the angry smilies too

I think the problem here is, because everyone is taking it so personally, they are posting from their own perspective where these "stereotypes" probably don't apply, but you have to view the wider picture. The world is populated with billions of people and there are very definite trends in social groups that Eeyore was trying to discuss, but until you all stop looking within your own schools or workplaces and look beyond to how people in general react, then this discussion is never going to go anywhere.

As for the rest of the post...well, it's all a matter of interpretation and judgement, but unless a bit more maturity is shown in here, y'all won't get a chance to discuss it.

Wow I never thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense. I wouldnt exactly say he acts like a complete girl, but he is definitely much more feminine then most guys, especially when it comes to expressing feelings. Can you say drama? Dang I hate girls.

I think it all comes down to this --- Harry is a person, like anyone else. He's not necessarily overly "girlish" or overly "boyish," he's just who he is. Both his general personality and his environment have shaped him. He's both learned to act in certain ways and the events of his life have molded how he behaves as well. Obviously, Harry likes girls, a lot. But he can maintain a strong friendship with a girl, without having romantic feelings for her and he can be a good friend to Ron as well. He can talk about feelings sometimes, but a lot of times, he keeps them to himself, or he's not always on the mark.

Wow, eeyore, it seems as if you have stuffed some of the most absurd and untrue stereotypes into one small post. It is just oozing of false accusations and unfair assumptions.

To start off, I will state that I am a teenage male, just like Harry. I am not feminine at all....I am your average, "normal" teenage boy.

Now, the comparison. Much of what you have said applies to me as well. Let's start with your comment on his reaction in Dumbledore's office:

i think she didn't mean it to be that way, i mean, she is a woman

MOD NOTE: While a defense of your perspective would be extremely welcome in this thread, I'd appreciate it if you could make sure your posts are more than one line long. Thanks!

Omg, kids, don't you think you are overreacting? Eeyore's topic starting comment was his oppinion, written in an intelligent and good manner, although it was a rather strange point of view, maybe even a ridiculous one. But the thing that was even more ridiculous was your reaction... come on, I'm sure he did not mean it. Besides, I think most of you are old enough to get over such 'insults'... I mean, okay, I'm a girl too, and I do not consider myself as one of that girls chatting about top secret things in pairs or trios, but I know that this is really true for lots of girls... if you've ever studied the basics of psychology, you know that these statements eeyore presents us are typically the general observations. But even that does not mean that every single girl and boy is acting like that, there are plenty of exceptions, luckily.
Why do you take that this personally then? If it does not hold true for you, get over it, and that's it
Sorry, I honestly don't want to offend any of you, it is even good to see that lots of girls have more self-esteem than accepting those nasty stereotypes. It would just look more civilized if you could accept other's oppinion as well, and react rationally.

So much for the off-topic part. To say something topic relevant, I agree with some of you: the possible feminine part of Harry is only natural, since his character was created by a woman

Yes, you are quite right, Snowdrop, the original theory by eeyore was very well written. I do not disagree. I respect his point of view and understand his conclusions.

On the other hand, there were ways to go about supporting his theory with detail WITHOUT using stereotipical generalizations that have the potential to offend or upset somebody. If eeyore had written it out in such a way, I am sure that I, as well as many other people who criticized him, would kindly agree with him. Agreed?

So, once again, it is all in your delivery. If you make it "reader-friendly," more people will agree with you. If that is what you want. Would the world be any fun if everybody agreed with everyone? Certainly not! People have the right to choose as well as the right to speak, and we are just exercising these rights by giving our 100% completely honest opinions.

Once again, I am extremely sorry to carry this topic slightly off-topic!




_daviD

woah this is probably one of the most out there topics ive seen! however, although eeyore brought up many interesting points there, i believe there is plenty of evidence that harry is a guy. I dont nessecarily see that he acts thinks or has the mentality of a girl/woman. He does have some rather emotional moments, almost overly emotional for a guy, however, considering what hes been through, i say he could be excused for those things.

good theory!

thats really interesting and i am really impressed by your keen observation. But i must say that its really funny as there is no point in a girl playing the role of Harry Potter and than keeping it a secret as well.Riddiculous I do agree he is a little girlish but he cant be a girl.Why do not you see the other aspect he had a crush on cho and now he is going out with ginny .
Mod Edit: Hi, typing in all caps is considered shouting on the internet. Also, I took the liberty to remove your final statement.

Erm, I really don't want to spend more time laughing about this topic, but imho some of you took this

This isn't about stereotypes. Eeyore, I understand completely where you come from. I don't think Harry will be girl, but let's remember that JK Rowling is a woman! Of course she will right from a slightly female perspective.

I am female and I have too brothers, and I definitely think that I am more like Harry than my brothers are. Not personality-wise, just generally.

But most of all I feel that, since there exists a whole field of study that deals specifically with how men and women act differently - gender studies - and of which most people (and I of course) have no professional experience in, I'll take what Eeyore says seriously. Especially after 20 years experience.

I'm not saying I blindly believe eveything that someone says who claims to know a subject - I'm saying that it deserves my attention. Of course I'll decide for myself what I think about it, but only after considering it logically.

And after having done that, I say that Harry could be acting more like a girl than a boy. It fits into my personal experience with the two sexes, and how I react to Harry's behaviour.

To tell the truth, this concept wasn't a surprise to me. Because I'm female I've often wondered if and how Jo manages to understand the psyche of a teenage boy, since I wouldn't be able to judge.

Well i don't think so that he looked like a girl,He is a boy and he also kooks like a boy in the film.

Whew!What a war zone!well, now that things have calmed down a bit I shall try to throw my hat in....
Okay , before we start, let's get a few things about myself clear(in case anyone wonders)
1. I am a male.
2. I am 21.
3. I am also a chauvinist.Yep.
Now thats clear, lemme begin!
I have neither knowledge nor experience to agree/disagree with Eeyore. I always felt Harry had some typical feminine qualities-which I envy. Like what? Well, I noted that he always has a good "feel" of another person's emotions(feminine intuition,sound familiar?) . The instances are many-with his friends, with Dumbledore, and others. I know there may be boys who'll say, "but I have got a good idea of my friend's emotions", but, in the majority, how many will know how the others are "feeling"?Harry acts like a boy when he has no clue about Cho's feelings, cause we men are like that(or at least some of us are). He is athletic(a typical, traditional male role). Now, some of us may feel that he's not masculine enough, but the instances given, in my opinion, are ummm incorrect. It's Harry Potter's world we have to consider. In Phoenix, he's just seen his godfather pass away. He was ten years all alone with the Dursleys, wonder what that would do to any boy?(or girl?).And so on, and so forth. His reactions aren't going to be normal. But if there are some people(boys) that feel that he's not masculine enough, while the may have valid points, I feel there may also be another reason,maybe only for some. And that's the rolemodel problem. Harry is a boy, going to be a man. He could be arguably called a rolemodel for boys,right?Unconciously,perhaps? Now, what kind of rolemodel do boys want? girls want a combination of masculine and feminine, with maybe a heavier masculine? But a male role model, would any boy want a role model with predominantly feminine qualities?I don't think so(and I'm with them). They would want a strong man, utterly confident, zero sentimentality,etcetc. Can you blame them?If Harry doesn't have that, well..too bad. We're just gonna have to live with it, and be our own role models!

Harry acts like a girl. Yes but only that is the role that has been forced upon by living with the Dursleys.Keep in mind that it is the Dursleys who destroy Harry's self-esteem and push him towards a certain way of acting. They call him wicked, call his origins wicked, act as if he doesn't deserve kind teatment, and so forth. The Dursleys are basically the patriarchal society of Europe. They why Harry acts the way he does. Its your experiences that determine how you act not your sex. Since his childhood Harry has had to endure everything in silence and you know children don't change easy. His ego is broken and he has always felt unimportant.
So you're probably right, he is something like a female character but its because of his upbringing. We view Harry as a female character but he shares a lot of traits we give to females. And we only assign those becuase that's how we observe females act. And they act that way because that's how you act under a certain up briging.
Sorry this wasn't thought out better but I'm in a rush.

I don't mean to intrude on this conversation here, because this reply will probably be a short one, and I only read the last two pages, but has anyone considered that Harry might act girly because a woman writes the books? I know it is possible for a woman to hit male characters on the head, but with the point of view JKR writes in, she may make Harry a little more feminine than he really is. Honestly, I think a guy like Harry is pretty awesome. I would love guys who were more in touch and actually paid attention to their surroundings. Ron on the other hand, is very much a guy and doesn't pay attention to a whole lot. But...we are inside Harry's head, and he may just seem girly because we can see his thoughts and his feelings. Sure he cries, but he has good reason to, doesn't he?

That's a very good point Droobles. Writers can only write well when dealing with things they know and understand. Most of a novels characters are similiar to the author in seem way. Like the Great Gatsby. The lead is a lot like Fitzgerald. They both have issues with their own sexuality, contempt for the upper class, and losing faith in mankind. This wouldn't be the first case of a writer expressing his or her self through a fictional character.

I completely disagree with you here, Harry does not act like a girl. He´s actions are a product of years of mistreatment with the Dursleys and the loss of his parents.



Harry has lived all his life with the Dursleys, he knows what game they are playing at. You can clearly see that Harry gets punished for little incidents which he had no fault of, imagine what they would have done to him for fighting back. Harry is smart enough to know the rules of the game so he keeps quiet. Besides Harry did fight back in book 2 when he tormented his uncles and cousin by pretending to do magic.



This is not necessarily true. He would have attacked him if Dumbledore had been at least 120 years younger. And you can see in the book how it took every bit of self control he owned not to hit Dumbledore. Harry does punch Malfoy in the face for a lot less than what Dumbledore did, it is just the fact that Dumbledore is old and he is a Professor. He also punches Sirius in the face in PoA, not holding back anything.



Shouldn’t he be good at keeping secrets when he has done exactly that all his life? He had nobody to share anything with; he always had to keep his feelings and thoughts to himself. I do agree on the trio seeming a clique but of you look further you would realize it is not. Cliques tend to happen when girls associate themselves with other girls how are alike them, and Harry Hermione and Ron are nothing alike. They share nothing in common except having magical talents and being in Gryffyndor, therefore having Gryffyndor qualities. The only thing I can see Harry is similar to another member of the trio is the fact that he and Ron are both lazy and like to copy Hermione’s work. And if we look even closer the thing that relates these three to being a trio is Hermione, and Hermione is not our typical girl. Harry “gravitates” in a small group because Hermione and Ron understand him and don’t look at him as the famous Harry Potter, the Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived, they see him as Harry, as their friend. And the trio never talks about who they hate except Malfoy and Snape and they do not care who joins they´re inner circle.



This was definitely not self-mutilation, Umbridge made Harry cut himself. This was not a choice he made, the fact that Harry never said anything to anyone was an attempt not to seem weak; he did not want to cut himself. Umbridge forced him to do it. And it is clear to see as he was surprised by the pain and Umbridge gave him the quill, it wasn’t his own.

Harry may have some female traits but I believe this is due to the loss of his parents at an early age, living with his uncles and cousin who hated him and barely took notice of him, and the fact that he feels misunderstood because of the whole Voldemort issue. He has proved his umm manhood shall we call it many times and has many male characteristics. First of all he is clueless of Cho´s feelings, he is athletic, he couldn’t care less about his clothes (even when he has to wear Dudley’s old ones), and many others. It is just the fact that Harry has had to deal with so much at a young age. Lots of his loved ones have died, leaving him to live with the Dursleys who mistreated him and the stress of clases, exams and Snape as well as Malfoy.

No way is Harry a girl. Why would Lily and James name their daughter Harry? I realllllly don't think he is.

In real life, we all, whether male or female exhibit characteristics of the opposite sex. I am very feminine is so many ways (I like to cook, sew, scrapbook, dress-up, wear makeup, go shopping, etc.) but i also am very bold and say what i think. I am a great leader and like to take charge.

I can see how Harry shows qualities found both in males and females, but by no means is he a girl! With everything that has happened to poor Harry I think he is doing the best that he can.

As far as Harry keeping secrets, this is a great quality in anyone! Let me tell you a secret males that are not married.....many women want a sensitive man to marry. I dated so many "Manly" men that treated me poorly. My husband is sensitive and very kind. We have a great marriage and communicate very well. My friends that are married to the super Manly type man, are very unhappy. They can't talk to their husbands and their husbands won't listen to them. They never help out around the house. Just think what a great husband Harry would be?
Maybe this is why I like Harry so much!

Interesting stats from the original poster, but I don't think that they apply the same way to Harry and his Magical World.

I have no reason to believe that harry was ever a girl or acts like one. his personlity, the way he acts, and his traits show that he is and acts very much like a boy. sure no one is perfect and we all experience sides from the opposite sex but to me i would never even think as harry being like a girl. what he has done has showed so much in his character that i would not think anyone could wonder if harry may or may not be a girl. anyway my opinion lies with the rest of you who believe that harry is not a girl.

That's a whole heap of generalizations. Every person has a different personality, you can't just say all boys have to act this way and all girls have to act that way. Especially this statement about boys always staying in larger groups and girls in groups of two and three, I believe this is merely cliche. I know many boys and girls who do it just the other way.

ever think that jkr is a woman and therefor she may make harry a little more like a girl. and for the friends thing- just about everyone in the book is in a group of about three or so - i dont think that there is anyway that harry is a girl

Harry seems to have a good balance between both female and male emotions. He can act a bit hormonal (sp?) sometimes.Like when he starts to yell at people for no good reason , then breaks down in tears. Yea, that is a little girly like.
But then he can be the one that fights a good fight and stands his ground like a man.

i don't think he is more like a girl then a guy he is brave, not to strong but he could do some stuff. and in like Harry potter and the half-blood prince when Draco stomped on harry's face he didn't cry be just laid there. if some one stomped on a girls face i am pretty sure they will cry if some one stomped on my face i would cry so yeah he is more like a guy then a girl

Umm i think that he doesnt.I can see why people may say he does because he can be a bit emotional sometimes in the books.I think thats really it though.I mean he fights Voldemort,he is brave,and a hero who doesnt fear that many things.

I agree with Ghost. Harry does not act like a girl at all. It's true he may have a feminine side to him, but that doesn't mean he's a girl. I have a teenage brother, and many things you mentioned: not being able to keep secrets, attacking people when they're angry...is just absurd. My brother is perfectly capable of keeping secrets, and even when he does get angry, he doesn't get into a fight each time.



I couldn't agree more.

Uhmm no, I dont think so lol. If thats what JK assigned him to do then so be it. Hes a good actor and a good book actor or whatever. I lost myself.

No,I don't really think so.He seems to me very much like an ordinary boy.Maybe he would behave more like you think boys act under different circumstances,you know if he had experienced a normal childhood but still,I never thought he is anything close to a girl.

I think he's prefectly normal (what is "normal" anyway?") and it's never even entered my mind to think he acts too much like a girl. I've never heard that before this thread.
It just doesn't work in my mind to see guys always act or should always act one way and girls another.
He really seems like a normal teenage boy to me as well.

wow .. this is the most stereotypical topic i've ever read. harry is not a girl okay? you are decribing "emo" more than females. harry is emotionally unstable. he has had many losses and responsibilites put on im at a very young age. it has built up for so long, that harry just learned to live with it after a while. and the result is his bad temper. his responsilbilities were pileing up until in the 5th book. it was just the straw that broke the camels back. he has the right to lash out at anyone. after he has been through so much, he can't even cling onto anyone anymore. he only has his friends. and if you noticed, its not just two or three. sure, he likes to tell ron and hermione that very important things but he as expanded socially.

and about the "self mutilization" ...well like how "real men" are, THEY WANT TO KEEP THEIR PRIDE. he doesn't want help, he wants to stick to it and deal like a man. he doesn't want to feel like a coward. its just like my dad never stoping to ask for directions. its all about pride.

and even if you still think he's "girly" i wouldn't care. harry could be homosexual, and wear purple disco shirts for all i care. its the story that counts. and next time, don't make a comment on a charactor more than 3/4 of the world already loves, if you don't want people yelling at you.

I just don't get it, why all boys should be acting like machos...My best friend is even more sensitive and "girly" than Harry, in fact, maybe half of boys I know and they are certainly not girls! Just because they can manage their anger?
And for the small groups. Yes, men usually like big groups, where they can hide themselves, but that doesn't mean they don't need close friends - one or two. So maybe playgrounds aren't good example where to survey this...Also Harry on quidditch pitch is in big group.
Nonsense, he just isn't your prototype of man.

I think he's good as a guy. There's just something.. his laughing. It's kinda weird.. not that I laugh so charmant, but still.