Molly Weasley
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Molly Weasley, née Prewett |
| Occupation: | Mother |
| Relationships: | Arthur Weasley (husband) Bill Weasley (son) Charlie Weasley (son) Percy Weasley (son) Fred and George Weasley (sons) Ron Weasley (son) Ginny Weasley (daughter) Weasley clan (various in-laws and grandkids) |
| Fandom: | Harry Potter |
| Other: | born October 30, c. 1950[1] |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Molly Weasley is a mother of seven, including Ron Weasley (Harry's best friend) and Ginny Weasley (Harry's future wife) in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books. She is an overprotective woman, dedicated to her family. Molly becomes a mother figure for Harry from her first introduction, when she helps Harry get through the barrier to track 9 3/4. She is married to Arthur Weasley.
In fanfiction, she is usually paired with her husband and is only rarely paired with other characters.
A subset of fanfiction stories portray Molly as a negative character, referred to as character bashing. This is sometimes paired with negative portrayals of her daughter Ginny Weasley, where Molly and Ginny plot for Ginny to marry Harry Potter (often using love potions) to have access to, or even control, his (assumed) fortune.
Molly’s line in The Deathly Hallows, “Not my daughter, you bitch!” has been thoroughly memeified, even outside of fannish circles, and features frequently in fanart of the character.
Criticism
- Case in Point: Molly by Red Hen, an essay criticizing Molly's behavior
- often cited in feminist critiques as reinforcing gender roles [2]
Perhaps in response to such criticism, J.K. Rowling stated in a post-Deathly Hallows interview that she had picked Molly to kill Bellatrix because she wanted to "show that because a woman had dedicated herself to her family does not mean that she doesn't have a lot of other talents" and because "Molly was really an amazing exemplar of maternal love".[3]
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfiction
Gen
- Clockwork by Xylodemon -- gen introspection (2005)
- Spark by Jane St Clair -- gen, darker than average (2004)
- still too early to dream by andromeda311 -- gen, post-DH drabble (2008)
Het
- Reflections by Quizzical -- Molly/Arthur, NC-17, set during canon (2007)
- A Life of High Adventure by chaos rose -- Molly's youth and courtship; posits that her background is high-class pureblood (2013)
- I grant I never saw a goddess go by Ada_Lovelaced and HerverusLives as part of Thicc Thighs Save Lives Fest. Arthur/Molly (2021).
Femslash
- Come Home to Me by darthneko -- Molly/McGonagall (2001)
- Homespun by dentedsky -- Molly/Hermione, NC-17, post-Hogwarts (2004)
- Rememberance by fluffyllama -- Molly/Narcissa, for the Dark Witches fest. (2012)
Negative Portrayals
- Darkly Loyal by Keira Marcos -- Harry/Hermione/Draco -- negative portrayal of most of the Weasley family; Molly is a dark character in this story
For more examples of negative portrayals, AO3 has a Molly Weasley Bashing tag.
Meta
- A comment by kyraneko, Archived version on tumblr regarding Molly Weasley's mistakes in canon, as part of a broader conversation about how adults in Harry Potter are neglectful, disappointing, or actively harmful towards the young protagonists.
Fanart
Julie Walters (the actress who portrays Molly in the films) by JuliaFox90.
- Molly by Ada_Lovelace
Archives & Links
- Molly Weasley works on Ao3
- Molly Weasley works on ff.net
- Arthur—x—Molly group on DeviantArt
References
- ^ J.K.Rowling Official Site. 4 October 2003. Archived at the Harry Potter Lexicon: Guide to jkrowling.com - Birthdays. (Accessed 28 March 2011.)
- ^ Linda Lowen. Is Harry Potter Feminist with Strong Female Role Models for Girls? 14 July 2011. (Accessed 25 October 2011.)
- ^ The Leaky Cauldron. J. K. Rowling at Carnegie Hall Reveals Dumbledore is Gay; Neville Marries Hannah Abbott, and Much More. 20 October 2007. (Accessed 29 August 2012.)