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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Sorting Hat: YA Heroines Edition



Sometimes, life is a little crazy or hectic or stressful. You've got homework, or family problems, or life problems, or book blogger problems (WHO SCHEDULED ALL THE BOOKS FOR SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER? GIVE ME THEIR NAMES. I WILL HUNT THEM DOWN. AND I WILL KICK THEIR SHINS) and you just need some mindless bookish fun, you know? Well, I was lovingly stroking my Harry Potter Special Edition Boxed Set, which was sitting next to my copy of The Hunger Games, when I started wondering what houses Katniss would be sorted into (Peeta is a Hufflepuff if I ever saw one).

Which got me thinking: where would I Sort ALL my favorite literary characters? MINDLESS FUN TIME! I got Ye Olde Sorty out of the Headmaster's office and put him on the job of sorting all the YA heroines on my shelves. Obviously, you could TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH ME (I had a HECK of a time Sorting Bella Swan, let me tell you). But here's where I think they'd maybe go.

Also: Slytherin does not equal evil. J.K. said it herself, yo. Apparently, after Harry Potter SAVED THE WORLD, Slytherin House lost its reputation for pure blood and dark magic.

By Gryffindor, the bravest were 
Prized far beyond the rest; 
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest 
would always be the best; 
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were 
Most worthy of admission; 
And power-hungry Slytherin 
loved those of great ambition.


Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins



Do not kill me. Like I said, Slytherins aren't evil. They're known for resourcefulness and a strong survival instinct. If that's not Katniss, then I don't know what is. She doesn't possess Slytherin's "great ambition", which makes her a strong candidate for Gryffindor (It's amazing how close the overlap was between Gryffindor and Slytherin, which makes a lot of sense. As Dumbledore would say, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.") Katniss, in essence, is probably more Slytherin, but the choices she makes (in the arena in particular) end up more Gryffindor: brave and self-sacrificing.

Bella Swan from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer



Don't kill me again. Bella is brave and self-sacrificing to the point of recklessness and doesn't always think her plans through--signs of a true Gryffindor.

Anna Oliphant from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins



Anna is friendly, works hard on her movie reviews (and acclimating to a strange country), and tries her best to be a loyal friend. I can totally see her fitting in with the Hufflepuffs.

Elisa from The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

 

Elisa's intelligence, brilliant planning, and quick mind are what make her the hero of The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. She is Ravenclaw all the way.

Alina from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo



Alina, as an orphan, came from nothing and has always wanted to become somebody. She's got ambition, power, and leadership skills, and she'll need to be at her most Slytherinest to defeat the Darkling.

Celaena from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas



Celaena, to me, is probably a bit of a hatstall. At first blush, she seemed primed for Slytherin, and probably argued with the hat to get put there (and probably threated to cut it into ribbons). But ultimately, the hat prevailed, and stuck her with those who are brave and true, seeing the potential in her.

Tris from Divergent by Veronica Roth



One could argue that Gryffindor is kind of like the Hogwarts equivalent of Dauntless, and maybe that's right in theory, but the Dauntless that Tris enters is definitely operating under a different concept of "courageous", and they definitely lack the chivalry aspect. Tris is strong-willed, focused on survival, and hates to show weakness. She's an odd mix of selfish and selfless. When the selfishness wins out, she's Slytherin for sure. But she could very easily be Gryffindor, too.

Juliette from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi



 Honestly, I had NO clue where to sort Juliette. In the end, her love for and dependence on books, coupled with her sometimes crippling inability to act, pushed her into Ravenclaw.

Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell



Hufflepuffs' defining feature is their loyalty, and Cath is nothing if not loyal to her favorite fandom, that of the Simon Snow book series. Plus, she's shy and reclusive, kind of like a badger in its den. Christina from Christina Reads YA said on Twitter, though that she might have put Cath in Ravenclaw because she reminds her of a slightly more present Luna, which I TOTALLY see and agree with!

Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore



Katsa came so close to being in Slytherin because of what her Grace ACTUALLY is. But the think about Katsa is she doesn't use her Slytherin skills for Slytherin ends. She uses them to save others, which makes her, in the end, a courageous Gryffindor.

Cinder from Cinder by Marissa Meyer



Cinder is clever (I mean, she's literally part computer. BEAT THAT) and knows all kinds of clever, practical things, like how to repair androids and break out of prison. She's just the levelheaded brainiac I'd want with me to save the word.

Seraphina from Seraphina by Rachel Hartman



This girl is absolutely brilliant. She drops vocab words that would make every kid studying for the SATs cry, she's a musical genius, and she uses draconion logic with the best of the dragons. Ravenclaw all the way.

Did I Sort anybody disastrously wrong? Where would you sort your favorite YA heroines and why? Sound off!

39 comments:

  1. This was such a fun post to read! I might not agree at first glance with all your placements, but I can't argue the logic behind them. Well done!

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    1. This was a lot trickier than I thought it would be! It's pretty up to interpretation, really. I ended up surprising myself with the choices I made :)

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  2. I love everything about this post. And definitely agree with all the heroines I'm familiar with.

    And yes to shin kicking whoever decided all the books needed to come out in September and October

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  3. LOL So serious about all the books released in September/October. My schedule is screwed and I'm behind on EVERYTHING. I will join you and we can kick shins together.
    I haven't read a bunch of these but Alina is TOTALLY a Slytherin. And while I'm quick to yell "WHAT? Bella Swan a Gryffindor? HAHAHAAH... wait.." I think you might just be on to something there.

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    1. Alina was one of the only ones I WASN'T torn on. She seemed totally Slytherin to me!

      Lol, I knew Bella would be a controversial one! Who knows where the Hat would ACTUALLY sort her, but that's the only place *I* felt comfortable putting her!

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  4. Noooooooooooo! Katniss is not a Slytherin!! LOL JK She fought for her sister. But I disagree with all the Slytherins! I see Slytherins as very political. Very power hungry. Of the 2 princess/queens on the list should maybe be Slytherin. Bella Swan as well should be Slytherin because of the power she felt coming into her true self as a vampire. Also the Dauntless are by very definition brave, so Tris should be Gryffindor. Anna should be Ravenclaw because of her study of film. JMHO! :D

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    1. I saw Katniss as a strong mix of Gryffindor and Slytherin. And I don't think Slytherin should be a bad place to be. I mean, most of the bad guys in the books were there, but on Pottermore, not-evil people get sorted there all the time. I struggled with Tris, too, and while she's definitely very brace and often self-sacrificing, I saw her more as a Slytherin, especially since I think the Dauntless misunderstand what bravery is.

      But again, all of these are definitely up to interpretation. This was just my interpretation :)

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  5. THIS IS SO AWESOME. Aww, Peeta. He's such a Hufflepuff, though going on your logic with Bella here, he could have been Gryffindor just as well. Hm...

    The first thing that came to mind when I finished this list is that some of these housemate heroines better don't end up in the same year. Don't hug Juliette, everyone! Don't let Cinder do dishes! (They totally have to do their own dishes in this version.) I don't see Katniss and Tris getting along, at all. Also, Katsa would get so frustrated with Bella's self-sacrificing tendencies.

    This is odd. Out of everyone on this list, I self-identify with Katsa the most, but I'm totally a Ravenclaw. Okay, it's really not that strange, because I miss the badassery part. I haven't read enough of the books listed here to second all your sortings, but this was a super fun idea!

    So, this is awkward, but I see you talking of favourite heroines... Where is Alanna?

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    1. LOL, don't take favorite so literally! I just did some popular heroines (Alanna would totally be Gryffindor, obviously.

      Heyyy, I'm a Ravenclaw too! *high fives*

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  6. I agree with your choices, actually. I don't actually hate Bella Swan (or Twilight, for that matter), and I think she belongs where you've put her. Also agree with what you said about Slytherin and the fact that you sorted Katniss there. I'm not sure what I would be, but I do believe I am more Ravenclaw than anything else. Also, I will be linking to this post in my Saturday links.

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  7. Well, now this must have been a super fun post to put together and it was super fun to read! I might have disagreed on some choices, but not so much after reading your reasons!

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  8. Yeah, this is all kinds of awesome :D Though I don't really know too much about the different houses :\ but I am going to re-read Harry Potter soon. And then I will come back. Most likely :D Love the post though. <3 thank you for sharing Gillian :D

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    1. Definitely reread HP! There's always new things to discover in them :)

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  9. I love this post! While I sort of want to argue with some of them (can Bella please please please just be a muggle?) your logic is sound.

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  10. So at first I was like WHUT and then I was like "Whaaaaaaaaaaaat" at some of these BUT IT MAKES SENSE. (All except Bella. I refuse to think of her as anything other than TSTL.) Agreed on Seraphina and Juliette and Cinder. AND CELAENA YES YES YES.

    Lovely, fun post! So creative, Gillian. :D

    Molli | Once Upon a Prologue

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    1. :D I just laughed so hard at this comment. <3

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  11. I now wish to brainstorm who else would be a Hufflepuff so I can create a house/empire of awesome. Thanks for that. <3333

    Also, this post is the best.

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    1. THE EMPIRE OF HUFFLEPUFF. THE REIGN OF THE BADGER IS NEAR.

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    2. Um, it's already here, bro.

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  12. I love this post! I also gotta give you props for not just dismissing Slytherin and actually taking time to consider the strengths of the houses. (Hufflepuff too.) However, I agree with the commenter above that I'd far prefer Bella to be a muggle. ;)

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    1. Slytherin deserves some love! It's not just the "bad guys" house. Nice, normal people get sorted into it all the time on Pottermore!

      Lol, as much as I love (and laughed over) the idea of Bella being a muggle, it's a bit counter to the concept of the post :p

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  13. You are one of the coolest people I know, and I don't even KNOW you--that's how FANTASTIC this post is! Seriously. I LOVE THIS!

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  14. I'm w/everyone else, a super great post. I love seeing things like this that haven't been done before on blogs.

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  15. You're dead-on with Tris and Seraphina!
    However, I disagree about Katniss. I'd say she's Ravenclaw.....her street smarts, her ability to read and understand people, their motivations and body language....and the random forest knowledge about stuff like deadly berries is Ravenclaw, through and through (wisdom doesn't necessarily mean book-smarts). She learns braveness as secondary to survival (hers, and Prim's), but it's her intelligence that gives her the ability to be brave.
    I don't see her Slytherin at all (she's cunning, but she obeys Haymitch's directives to manipulate people, she doesn't come up with it on her own....and she lacks ambition for anything other than survival....we ALL, when it boils down to it, will do anything to survive). That's what I love about her- she doesn't rush in with muscle, she waits patiently, watching and working it out. Then she does what the smart, survival choice is.

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    1. Ooo, now, see, I don't actually see Katniss as Ravenclaw at all! Your logic is totally sound, and she's definitely smart, but I don't see that as enough to put her in Ravenclaw. Super interesting how everybody sees these characters and these houses so differently!

      I put her in Slytherin because her drive to survive has been her defining characteristic for so long, which I don't think is intrinsic in everybody. She's not necessarily ambitious, but her determination and drive compensate. For me, I see her as totally Slytherin with Gryffindor tendencies. But again--that's me! :)

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  16. This was such a great idea for a post! I completely agree with sorting Tris into Slytherin. She appears to be extremely selfish throughout the first two novels.

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  17. I LOVE THIS POST.

    I totally missed it and now I feel bad. But awesome! Interesting choices for Slytherin, haha. I'm Ravenclaw all the way, and I'm happy to be there with Cinder. And ugh must read Seraphina. And Graceling for that matter. #isahugefail

    I don't really see Elisa being Ravenclaw tbh. I think she's more of a Hufflepuff, if only because she bothered me with her blandness. *cough* no offense to Hufflepuffs. (btw, Ravenclaws, refusal to act? D: I don't see Juliette in any house tbh. I think she's more of a Muggle LOL)

    And and. I love all of this. But Bella? Hmm... I think she's more of a muggle too :P

    MUGGLE SHOULD BE AN OPTION, JUST SAYING. xD

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    1. LOLLLL

      Totally gonna disagree with you on Elisa. She was SO VERY RAVENCLAW to me! :D And I wrote the post, so I get to decide, neener neener neeeenerrrr

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  18. I've seen many tumblr blogs assigning characters from other fandoms either Hogwarts Houses, Game of Thrones houses, or similar things. It's always fun to read those, and your post here is no different!
    I do think Katniss would be a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin. The entire premise of the story is based around the fact that she volunteers to (essentially) sacrifice herself in her sister's place. I also think she's just too honest and her unwillingness to engage in any deceit or politics speaks volumes to her Gryffindor qualities to me, personally. Although I do think that's interesting what you said about her resourcefulness.
    Alina, however, I definitely do see as a Slytherin. And Tris does some questionable things in order to stay on top of the Dauntless initiate pool, so I do see her in Slytherin as well.
    I know that I'd be a Ravenclaw myself in the Harry Potter world, but I am not sure that I prefer YA heroines to also be in that house. Hmm. I'll have to go think on it. This was such a fun post!

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  19. What a fun idea! I haven't read any of the books you mentioned except Hunger Games and Twilight - all the others ARE on my TBR, dying to be read! I have to agree with you about Bella, but I think I'd put Katniss in Gryffindor as well. Like you said, her choices are more in line with Gryffindor and I think she fits that better. I do see what you mean about Slytherin though.

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  20. *coughs* What do you mean, I'm late? SHUT YOUR FACE.

    Anyway, I'm not sure if I think Katniss is a Slytherin or not, but hmmmm. I think I would have gone Gryffindor, but this is one where it would totally depend on what she thought at the sorting hat.

    LOLS. I remember you talking about Bella too. O_o

    Hahaha, Alina is SO a Slytherin. By which I mean she is badass and loves her power. And Mal is a douche.

    Alina is a hatstall? What does that mean?

    TRIS IS SO A SLYTHERIN.

    Awww, I think I would have made Cath a Ravenclaw, but you have a point with Hufflepuff as well.

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    1. A hatstall is a Hogwarts student whose sorting took more than five minutes. True hatstalls are rare, occurring every fifty years or so, but there are sometimes near hatstalls, like Hermione and Neville.
      Source: Harry Potter Wiki

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  21. I went back to this post BECAUSE I FINALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! BWAHAHAHAHA! Also, I'm amused by how many of my favorite heroines are Slytherin.

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