Harry Potter: The Problem of Representation in the Series
“Parvati and Padma were likely never meant to be more than harmless background characters, but … it would've been nice to see a white author allow them to wield that power in a meaningful, awe-inspiring way.”
In the Harry Potter books, two of the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were twin sisters Padma and Parvati Patil. Padma was sorted into Ravenclaw house, while her sister Parvati was a Gryffindor student. They attended the Yule Ball with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They were members of Dumbledore's Army and fought against Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts.
In an article for Insider, Sruthi Darbhamulla relates how J.K. Rowling's half-hearted attempt at Indian representation in the Harry Potter book series led her to relate more to the white female lead, Hermione Granger. “I related much more to Hermione than to the characters who looked more like me.”
As an Indian woman and a twin, Sruthi expected more from Padma and Parvati Patil in "Harry Potter." But, as she writes, she ended up relating more to Hermione, the white female lead, than the actual Indian characters.
I thought I was finally going to get the Indian representation I longed for, because "Harry Potter" had an element my wildly Anglophone reading diet lacked: Padma and Parvati Patil, Indian, brown-skinned, identical twins, just like my twin sister and me.
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One of the few things we know about Parvati was that she was fascinated with Divination, which is painted as superstitious, mystical mumbo jumbo. To me, this brought to mind Orientalist descriptions of India as the realm of unscientific hocus-pocus (and snake charmers) that still rankle our collective Indian soul.
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The one moment of poetic justice that Rowling offered the twins in the books was at the Yule Ball, where Parvati "looked very pretty indeed, in robes of shocking pink, with her long dark plait braided with gold, and gold bracelets glimmering at her wrists." Padma "was looking just as pretty as Parvati in robes of bright turquoise."
But the movies undid the little that Rowling did.
The twins' Yule Ball costumes spawned articles and rants on Reddit and Tumblr because no self-respecting Indian would wear those garish orange-and-pink lehengas to the biggest event of the year.
Sruthi writes that she was so disappointed in the Patils' portrayal that she looked to Hermione for self-representation.
I have to wonder if Rowling examined the British Asian experience at all when she was writing the books. After all, the Indian community is a vibrant part of the UK, making up 2.5% of the population in 2011.
It would've taken more than a plate of chicken tikka showing up in the Great Hall to paint meaningful representation. But peddling stereotypes and questionable sartorial choices is evidently easier than creating fully sketched characters.
Find the whole article here: https://www.insider.com/harry-potter-wasted-chance-for-indian-representation-patils-2021-10
RELATED: Kenesha Williams on Non-POC Authors Writing POC Characters
About Harry Potter
The epic story of Harry Potter — the boy who lived — is told in this magical series, featuring heart-pounding quests, breathtaking Quidditch games, and some of the most amazing world-building of any fantasy series. A defining magical series whose memorable heroes became icons in the 90s and sparked a global phenomenon, Harry Potter still casts a spell on younger generations to this day.
The Harry Potter series is comprised of seven fantasy novels by British author J. K. Rowling. The stories detail the adventures of young wizard Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. They are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle against a dark wizard named Lord Voldemort, who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people).
Complete Harry Potter Books
Harry Potter And The…
Philosopher's Stone (1997)
Chamber of Secrets (1998)
Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
Goblet of Fire (2000)
Order of the Phoenix (2003)
Half-Blood Prince (2005)
Deathly Hallows (2007)