The Worth of Vikor Krum: Examining stereotypes
The Durmstrang boys look severe-how much of this is stereotyping?
I’ve written a lot about Viktor Krum by now-how much of an underrated character he is, his lovelorn life, the portrayal of his accent, and what the possibilities of what could’ve been if he and Hermione actually became the endgame couple. But one thing that has come to my attention that I haven’t addressed is something that, until I was perusing the internet late one night, I realized has been glaring me in the face (after my accent essay, you’d think I’d have realized it by now): how is Viktor Krum and his classmates portrayed in relation to stereotypes about Eastern Europe?
To paraphrase Hermione, I’ve been doing a bit of research, and I’ve found what seem to be the most common stereotypes of Bulgaria and Eastern Europe:
1) Bulgaria is a boring, uninteresting place
2) Bulgarians (and Eastern Europeans in general) are stern, Cold War-minded people, like Ivan Drago from Rocky IV (he’s not from Bulgaria, but he’s the idea of the quintessential Eastern European ubermensch)
3) Bulgaria is still in the throes of Communism
So how do these stereotypes relate to J.K. Rowling’s portrayal of Viktor, his classmates, the Durmstrang Institute, and, by extension, the country of Bulgaria and Eastern Europe as a whole? Let’s go through each stereotype and examine them:
Bulgaria/Eastern Europe is a boring, uninteresting place/Eastern Europeans are stern, Cold War-minded people- The Durmstrang uniform slightly represents this idea that Eastern Europe is a rough, barren place; their fur-lined robes make people think of dense forests and tough terrain (which doesn’t have to be boring) and their blood-red robes further drive home the impression that only villains are made in Eastern Europe. The movie makes the red robes the school’s uniform dress robes, but the movie version’s of the everyday uniforms-grey-brown with vintage lab coat-like closures ala your neighborhood mad doctor- coupled with their shaved heads gives them a striking and severe look. Even the word “Durmstrang” was made to represent severe connotations;
“Durmstrang” is derived from the German artistic movement Sturm und Drang, which is most commonly translated as “Storm and Stress”, but can also be translated as “storm and impulse,” “storm and longing,” “storm and urge,” or “storm and drive” [1]. The words used for the movement were supposed to represent the freedom of expression exhibited, but, in the case of the Durmstrang Institute, the words were used to (inadvertently, I’m sure) reinforce the stereotypes of a tough, mean, and cold Eastern Europe; that all countries on that side of the continent are harsh and assassin-like.
Bulgaria is still in the throes of Communism-this stereotype also goes hand in hand with the stereotype that Eastern Europeans have sharp, assassin-type mindsets. This stereotype originated from the Communistic history of Eastern European countries. Even though these countries have since overthrown the Communistic mindset, the idea of a cold Eastern European still prevails in the media. Case in point, think back to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Cate Blanchett’s character was from Russia, and represented the stereotype of a Cold War Russian woman down to the letter, even to the sharp cropped black hair. Sure, the movie was set in the middle of the 20th century, but a stereotype is a stereotype.
The fact that the Durmstrang in the book Goblet of Fire didn’t accept muggle-borns also reiterates the stereotype that Eastern Europeans aren’t accepting of others or their ideas. The fact that the headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, is a Death Eater also reinforces the idea of Eastern Europe’s embrace of “evil” Communism. Sure, in J.K.R.’s world, there could be a bunch of other schools who discriminate against muggle-borns, but why does this school have to be in Eastern Europe, where the stereotype of a barren, dangerous people is almost taken as truth in many circles?
If Eastern Europe was represented in a more diverse fashion, I think it would have been better, both for the writer and the reader. The stereotypes would have been ignored, and the reader could-perhaps-gain a new perception of that part of the world. Eastern Europe is actually a very cultural, diverse, unique place.
I hope this essay has been thought-provoking at the very least; I don’t want to sound like I’m holier-than-thou-just like everybody else, I’m working on ridding myself of stereotypes and preconceived notions about people, and by examining said stereotypes, I feel I’m one step closer to becoming a better person. Hopefully, this essay can help you in the same way. If you’d like to know more about Eastern European stereotypes (particularly Bulgaria) and how to overcome them, here are some links that might interest you:
Working against Racism-Bulgaria
Wikipedia-Communism -The ideals of Communism actually aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. It’s people that make Communism a corrupt form of government. Remember that Communism, Socialism, and Nazism are three completely different things.
Sofia News Agency-British-Indian Writer Rana Dasgupta: Stereotypes of Bulgaria in UK are Ridiculous
