Rating:
G
House:
HP InkPot
Characters:
Neville Longbottom
Genres:
Essay Meta
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Prizoner of Azkaban Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 08/28/2006
Updated: 08/28/2006
Words: 2,747
Chapters: 1
Hits: 637

Neville's Verbs: A Character Study in PS

SwissMiss

Story Summary:
What can we learn about Neville Longbottom through the verbs associated with his character in Book One?

Neville's Verbs: A Character Study in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"

Posted:
08/28/2006
Hits:
602


Neville's Verbs -

A Character Study in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"

The words used to describe actions taken by Neville Longbottom in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone contribute significantly to his overall characterization through their descriptive function. The image they support is one of an insecure boy, easily scared, who nevertheless has a great potential for decisive action.

Discounting very common and neutral verbs such as be, say, go, and do, there are approximately 58 verbs in PS describing actions in which Neville was the actor1. They group very nicely into the following categories: vocal expression, mental state, forward motion, stationary motion, and hand movements. Each group is startlingly coherent in supporting the various aspects of Neville's character.

Vocal Expression

Neville's vocalizations often indicate insecurity, fear, and excitability. The excitability in particular will become important in propelling Neville into action later in the book.

Neville's insecurity is shown by his stammering or mumbling when talking. When Neville shows up in the Gryffindor common room with his legs locked together by Draco, Hermione urges him to report the incident. Neville demurs: " 'I don't want more trouble,' he mumbled."2 The fact that he mumbles his answer indicates that he is embarrassed by the incident and doesn't want to draw any more attention to himself. He thinks that Hermione and the other Gryffindors present will regard him as cowardly for not standing up to Draco. He is embarrassed by his own inaction more than by the curse which Draco cast. He thinks that he should be braver.

When he finally does confront Draco, during the Quidditch match, he stammers.3 Since we are not told anywhere else that Neville has a speech impediment, we can assume that the stammering here is caused by his emotional state, likely being nervousness at speaking up, uncertainty as to whether what he's saying is right, and fear of what Draco might do to him.

Neville often expresses his fear through vocalizations such as moaning and sobbing. When he hears that he has to go into the Forbidden Forest to serve his detention, he "let[s] out a little moan" and makes "a choking sound" to show his apprehension. 4 When he is afraid for Harry during the ill-fated Quidditch match, he "sob[s] into Hagrid's jacket".5 And at his first flying lesson, there is "a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground."6 Neville's fear generally seems to stem from uncertainty of what will happen in the given situation, rather than from a concrete threat. Interestingly, however, Neville's fear does not paralyze him. Even though he is scared, he marches off with the others into the Forest; despite being afraid of flying, he is the first one off the ground. This leads us to the excitable and impulsive side of Neville's character.

Neville's excitable nature is once given expression through the fact that he "burst out" with an explanation as soon as he and Professor McGonagall found Harry and Hermione out of bed. 7 In this incident, Neville believed that he had done the right thing by getting McGonagall to find Harry, and this strong belief overrode any possible fears of getting a teacher involved or making Harry angry at him, in direct opposition to his behaviour in the earlier cited Leg-Locker episode. His impulsive speech is mirrored by his impulsive actions.

Stationary Motion

One of the most salient aspects of Neville's character is his awkwardness. He famously fails at potion-making and cannot handle a flying broom. The verbs used to describe Neville's movements when standing still reflect this.

When he and the Trio are trying to evade Filch, Neville causes himself and Ron to "topple" into a suit of armour.8 Later, he "topples" into the common room after being hit by the Leg-Locker curse and then stands there "trembling".9 When the Trio find him sleeping in the hallway, he "jerks" awake.10 These verbs show that he is not always in control of his body, and that he is sometimes at the mercy of its reactions.

It is important to treat these verbs separately from those used to describe him when he is moving from one place to another, as there, a quite different picture emerges.

Forward Motion

The verbs describing Neville in motion paint a picture of frenetic, somewhat uncoordinated action. He runs, jogs, scurries, scrambles, clambers, hurries, and does the bunny hop.11 He slips, hobbles, trips, and falls--twice.12 Rarely does he get from one place to another simply by walking. There is usually an element of speed, and sometimes an indication that he involves both hands and his feet in his motions.

Some of the verbs, especially those involving movement on all fours, might make the reader think of an animal; however, although Neville is a Gryffindor, the image conjured is not that of a lion. Lions don't scurry or scramble. Nor do eagles (Ravenclaw) or snakes (Slytherin). Of the four animal mascots of Hogwarts, the movement of the badger seems to fit Neville's verbs most closely. This would point toward an association with the House of Hufflepuff; Neville certainly does seem to portray at least some of the traits commonly associated with Hufflepuffs, including loyalty and truthfulness. This is not to suggest that he would have been better placed in Hufflepuff House, however; Neville's actions throughout the books adequately demonstrate his courage and bravery.

Neville's movements are decisive and quick, in contrast to the impression we get of how his mind works.

State of Mind

Neville must live in a constant state of apprehension, if one is to believe the verbs used to describe his mental state. He variously dreads, suffers, panics, forgets, tries to remember, can't remember, and finally, extraordinarily, steels himself.

Neville "dreads" the reaction which the other students will have when they find out that he was the one who got Harry in trouble, resulting in a 150-point loss for Gryffindor House.13 Gone is his bravado and readiness for action. He is back to his old insecurities about whether what he did was right or not, and fearful of others' opinions, and consequently "suffers" from their perceived opinion of him.14

Neville is so jumpy that when he and Draco serve their detention together in the Forbidden Forest that he "panics" and sends up a false alarm.15 This shows two things about Neville. The first is that he is basically a fearful person. The second is that his first reaction is not to run away or become lame with fear, but to act impulsively and pro-actively, without considering consequences. It turns out that he had a wrong reaction, but given a very similar situation (if it had been Quirrell/Voldemort who had grabbed him instead of Draco), then he would have been right. However, the fact that it was nothing serious only undermines Neville's (and everyone else's) trust in his own judgement.

One source of Neville's insecurity may be his forgetfulness. Of course, whether this trait is the cause or effect of his self-image, is open to debate. He is clearly known for being forgetful at home, as his grandmother sends him a Remembrall in order to alleviate the state. He also "couldn't remember the new password" to the Gryffindor common room,16 a faible that will have major consequences in PoA. Since he sees himself as forgetful, he may worry that he will not know what to do when faced with a threat, or that, in forgetting what the correct course of action is, he may make things worse.

The final verbal expression of Neville's state of mind in the book comes when he "steels himself" to stop Harry, Ron, and Hermione from going out to save the Philosopher's Stone.17 After spending most of the book scared and uncertain of his own actions, he finally gathers all of his growing self-confidence and decides that he is right, he will stand behind his decision, and take whatever consequences might come. After all, he's already been hexed, shunned, and had to serve detention in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night with Draco Malfoy. What worse could happen? This scene, of course, is the culmination of Neville's character development, and results ultimately in Gryffindor winning the House cup for the year, making Neville the hero, eclipsing even the Trio's achievements in the dungeons beneath the castle, at least for the student body. It is elegant, and fitting, that the final expression of Neville's state of mind would be the gritty "steel", preparing him not only for the confrontation with the Trio, but for the battles to come in the later books.

Hand Movements

One special set of verbs collected describes the movements of Neville's hands. Most of the words give the impression that Neville is trying to hold on to something. This fits in with his insecurity and forgetfulness; he tends to lose things, and tries hard to keep hold of things. It also might indicate in an analogical sense that he is trying to get, or keep, something that he doesn't feel that he has a good grasp on: bravery.

When Neville is heading into the Forbidden Forest for his detention, he "clutche[s] the sleeve of Harry's robe".18 And in the climactic confrontation in the Gryffindor common room, Neville appears "clutching Trevor the toad".19 On both occasions, Neville needs courage to face what is coming. The physical act of grabbing on to something helps him to keep a grip on his courage and muster it to help him.

As with the above verbs involving Neville's state of mind, the verbs describing his hand movements also have one special exception that is different from the rest. In this case, it is when Neville "rais[es] his fists"20 to face down the Trio and stop them from going out to rescue the Philosopher's Stone. For the first time, rather than using his hands to try to hold on to courage which he feels slipping away, he is using them as a tool to act out his courage.

Conspicuous Absence

One interesting fact that can be gleaned from the list of verbs is the complete lack of any verbs of facial expression, such as smile, grin, frown, or sneer. Neville apparently does not show his emotions on his face. He shows them through his vocalizations, and through his body language, as explored above. What does this say about him? Perhaps that he purposely tries not to show emotions on his face. It could be that he has been reprimanded at home for looking sad, or that his grandmother has always told him not to cry or let any negative emotions show when they visit Neville's parents in St. Mungo's, so as not to upset them. This is pure speculation, but may give some insight into Neville's character.

Another interesting area of speculation is what this might say about how the reader is meant to interpret Neville's character. One conclusion is that we shouldn't look at his face; or, in other words, there is more to Neville than what he is generally taken for at face value: namely, an awkward, accident-prone boy. The incidents of potion-making mishaps, flying accidents, forgetfulness, and being victimized all tend to give the reader the impression that Neville is a bumbler, not really apt in any area, and not really good for much in terms of overall plot, aside from comic relief. But through the course of the book, Neville emerges as a staunch and steadfast young man with a strong sense of what is right and a willingness to stand up for that belief, even when it might lead him into danger. This might have implications for Neville's ultimate purpose as revealed in Book 7.

Range of Emotion

Neville appears to be a character with a limited emotional range. Aside from the three emotions discussed (insecurity, fear, excitability), Neville never expresses other emotions such as happiness (laugh), pride (crow), anger (spit), disdain (sneer), or impatience (snap). This might imply that he is so busy dealing with the first three, that he never really gets around to expressing anything else. He is too worried to be happy about anything; too scared to get angry; or too wound-up for action himself to notice anyone else's slowness.

From the point of view of the author, and for the purposes of the plot, Neville is a second-string character. He does not need to be endowed with a full range of emotions. He is more important than the trolley lady on the Hogwarts Express, but less important than Ron Weasley. That is not to say that he will not become more important in later books, but within the scope of PS, Neville is simply not a central character. Whether Neville is happy about a good score on a test, or angry at Malfoy for teasing him, makes no difference to the story as a whole. Rowling created an easily identified character in Neville with the most efficient amount of detail.

Neville's character development in PS is actually quite simple. He enters Hogwarts full of insecurity, unsure of his own abilities, but through his involvement with Harry, and encouraged in particular by Ron, gains a backbone, so to speak, and a faith in his own beliefs, including the ability to act on and stand up for them. It is not necessary for Rowling to delve any deeper into Neville's character for the time being, and thus any more complex emotional experiences are simply not reported.

Writing Style

One additional point that can be made relates to Rowling's writing style. Fifty-two of the fifty-eight collected verbs are not repeated, and of the six that are repeated, only one, clutch, is used three times. In writing a long piece of prose (and PS, despite being the shortest book in the series, does weigh in at 223 pages), it is difficult not to repeat the same words. Most authors tend to rely, either consciously or unconsciously, on the same words to express the same emotions or situations, especially with the same characters. How often do fan fic writers repeat 'drawl' with Lucius Malfoy, 'sneer' with Severus Snape, or 'smirk' with Draco Malfoy? Rowling, however, uses a rich variety of verbs, rarely repeating them, in order to convey a sense of Neville's personality. This ability to draw on a rich vocabulary without sounding snobbish or erudite is a real skill which many critics underestimate. There is often praise for Rowling's skill as a storyteller, but less so for her as a writer, a stance which this author feels should be revised.

Conclusion

Through an analysis of the verbs associated with Neville Longbottom in PS, a vivid picture of his personality is painted. He is an awkward, insecure boy who is constantly worried that he won't live up to others', or his own, expectations. Like the Cowardly Lion in Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz, it is courage that he seeks. Through his experiences, especially those involving Ron, Harry, and Hermione, Neville learns to act courageously, and by the end is able to stand up for what he believes is right.

*****

Endnotes

I tried to find all references to Neville in the book, but I do not claim to be perfect. It is entirely possible (and very likely) that I missed a couple.

2 p. 159.

3 p. 163

4 p. 182.

5 p. 140.

6 p. 109.

7 p. 177.

8 p. 117.

9 p. 159.

10 p. 116.

11 pp. 90, 116, 117, 159, 164, 198.

12 pp. 90, 110, 117, 198.

13 p. 178.

14 p. 179.

15 p. 186.

16 p. 116.

17 p. 198.

18 p. 182.

19 p. 197.

20 p. 198.

Page numbers are from J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, London: Bloomsbury, 1997 (37th printing, softcover).

Appendix of Verbs


Vocal Expression

wail

moan (x2)

whimper

explain

gasp

wheeze

splutter

sob (x2)

mumble

choke (x2)

might cry

stammer

burst out

sniff

Forward Motion

fall (x2)

run

jog

push off hard

rise (like a cork shot out of a bottle)

melt

slip

hobble

scramble

scurry

trip

bunny hop

whip

walk

clamber

hurry

Stationary Motion

jerk

topple (x2)

tremble

twitch

turn

hesitate

snap (arms)

spring (legs)

sway

Hand Movement

clutch (x3)

grab

tug

drop

raise his fists

State of Mind

hang (on her every word)

forget

try to remember

couldn't remember

dread

suffer

panic

steel himself

Other

stare

stand

scrape through

try to take on

lose