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Popular Culture Review
egories: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, musical, in
terpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Each of the main characters in the novels
has at least one of these intelligences, and often more than one, but Harry Potter
himself possesses a combination of intelligences seemingly guaranteed to make
him highly successful. It is the combination within a community of such combined
intelligences that Gardner believes highly important:
...that we each have a unique blend of intelligences—leads to the most
important implication of the theory for the next millenium. We can choose
to ignore this uniqueness, strive to minimize it, or revel in it. Without in
any sense wishing to embrace egocentrism or narcissism, I suggest that
the big challenge facing the deployment of human resources is how best
to take advantage of the uniqueness conferred on us as a species exhibit
ing several intelligences. (Gardner 45)
One of the most marked examples of differences in intelligence combinations
is the portrayal of Hermione Granger’s intelligences, much more the traditional
linguistic/logical-mathematical, and Harry’s more comprehensive intelligence.
Hermione is obviously highly intelligent and is particularly focused on learning as
much as possible through endless reading and research. Frequently described as a
“know-it-all” by both friends and enemies, Hermione is a model student, commit
ting to memory whole textbooks during school vacations, and helping to solve
each of the difficult mysteries presented in all four books of the series. Although
most of her teachers are extremely complimentary toward her, and she stands at
the head of her class, no one describes Hermione as gifted—intelligent, yes, clever,
certainly, but never gifted. Hermione herself recognizes this by the end of the first
book:
Hermione’s lip tr