Cho Chang: Character Analysis

[leenielou]

Ah, Cho. The 'human hosepipe'. The lovely Ravenclaw who bewitched Harry's teenage heart only for her romance with him to crash and burn. I freely admit I never really liked the character of Cho, as I think many people also can. But what about the girl herself? Does she deserve to not be liked? Are there really any salient reasons apart from the demise of her and Harry's ill-fated coupling?


1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.

Originally Posted by OOTP Chap.21

"Well, obviously she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings towards Harry are, anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be throw off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly."

Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?

Please remember that this is a discussion thread. All criticism should be constructive. You can say "Cho was a very emotional character and annoyed me at times" but not "Cho's an emotional basketcase who was a nasty skank to Harry!!!111!!". Posts that are considered bashing may be deleted by staff.

[DarwinMayflower]

Originally Posted by leenielou

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

I've always like Cho Chang and felt that she was basically one of the most hurt people in the entire series. Ginny and Harry had their own problems as well with Neville, But if there was anyone to be distressed of the events happening in HP (after the previously mentioned 3), it would have been Cho Chang. If anything she was the first victim of Voldemort's return and I hope that she will be able to get past that all to help Harry in some shape or fashion.

The way how I see Cho got attracted to Harry was that she basically has an affinity for the popular guys. This doesn't mean she is shallow, but it's just that I imagine she just fell into the "in crowd" which she's present comfortable in her social status. The crowd chose her, not the other way around. Aside from obvious similarities to Cedric, and to herself namely being a seeker, having an affinity for quidditch, being quite popular within their own houses and even outside their own houses; I think one of the main reasons why she was attracted to Harry in the first place was he was an outlet for her.

For all her sense of remorse, and mourning, Harry was the one who has to fight Voldemort and in some respect Cho thinks she will have to be with him or has some sort of relative feelings towards Voldemort. It might have been all so confusing for her really, I can't blame her. To try and live a normal life but having to live in a muggle world in away from the wizarding world in which Cedric was murdered. And then to return to Hogwarts and trying to cope and yet she probably can't since it's just too much. She hasn't gotten accustomed to re-entering the wizarding world.

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

The problem is that we don't get to see much of Cho. And even if we do, any observation is fairly objective. It's just fact, not opinion that paints Cho the way she is. Even when she has a new boyfriend at the end of OoTP, there wasn't any jealousy or indication that she's some sort of two-timing tramp. All we know is she is popular. How and why was never really explored aside from the fact that she was the seeker. Even with our knowledge of Seekers, it goes to show that not all of them are pompous as James Potter. Cedric and Cho seem pretty laid back. Even Krum is a gentlemen at times despite being the best seeker in the world.

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.

Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?

I think it sums it up quite nicely to tell the truth. IMHO JKR doesn't toss in observations like that just because it's someone's opinion to be wrong. She is trying to speak to us, showing how hard it could be or might be to be in that type of situation. Not only from a female perspective, but from any perspective.

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?

I think it's just natural. In the old addage, bros before girlfriends (I know that most of you know the actual word I replaced ). Or perhaps in this case, sistas before mistas. But it goes to show that loyalty amongst friends sometimes creates conflict. Even though Marietta did something wrong, I think Cho still has a right to support her as a friend. The sad thing is that perhaps Cho probably thinks that Harry is with her because they are in a relationship. In reality that should be true, a relationship is about compromise and sticking with your partner even in some cases where you'd think otherwise. Her friends become your friends and vice versa.

That isn't always the case, but already we've seen that Cho was thinking Harry was fancying Hermione on the side so already I think the seeds of doubt was already planted in the relationship without any of them trying to rectify the situation. It was Harry's first relationship afterall and sadly he was without a lifejacket in the sea of romance. Cho's needs was basically unknown and Harry did not have the dating sense to remedy the situation.

In the end I think JKR shows how friendship isn't something that everyone could get along. True friendships could result in conflict. Not all the good guys will get along and not all the bad guys will be backstabbing rats. In the end Cho's friendship with Marietta was probably just as close as Harry is with Ron and Hermione. They'd lie for each other, cover each other's back and even die for each other.

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?

I think it's justified in the sense that Harry did not attempt to rectify the situation. He just let his feelings escalate as to why is this girl getting all up into my face with her problems? One thing that Harry seems to lack in some certain situations is empathy or trusting other people's emotions. There were many cases in which he could never empathize with certain people. It's not that he doens't care, he just has lapses in judgement in what he expects a certain personality from someone when something else comes up. Case in point, Hermione edging on the side of caution over the Firebolt or the time he almost forgot Ginny too got possessed and even violated by Voldemort.

However it is quite unfair though to Harry. Cho should have known that it was his first relationship or at least have seen the signs. But then again I imagine she's also quite inexperienced with dating in general, for all we know she's about as unexperienced in the dating world as Harry is. But it goes to show it's hard to say who was at fault and that's what I think JKR is trying to paint with any romantic relationship. If many aspects of the HP series was about reflecting the difficulties of reality, choices and truth, then it goes to show that JKR managed to make a very good relationship that shows nothing is as cut and dry as love.

Many people defend Cho for being how she is because she just lost Cedric. Many others might attack her for being too much of a crybaby or just a basketcase. But it goes to show that JKR managed to make a character that isn't a stereotype but presented a person that shows both the expected qualities from any bad relationship but with a justifiable reason as to why she's like that. Ultimately it comes down to a lot of Yes and No answers about Cho. By that same account, blame and no blame could be attributed to Harry as well. He was inexperienced and didn't know how to act on a date. And being in a relationship, he didn't realize what had to be done to maintain it.

But I would like to toss out a new question to tell the truth. I've always like Cho, not a fanatic, but the fact that in OoTP she nearly was on the brink of tears telling Harry that she won't stand by while Cedric's death goes unavenged. That she wants to join the war and help Harry fight. My question is:

6)Considering that Cho had an unofficial vow or promise to avenge Cedric's death, do you think that she has the personality to go through it? Should she be given a chance to help out Harry despite how JKR regulated her into the far background in HBP and even said that Cho would not be so important in future installments?

Me personally I hope that she does get out and about to help Harry. It's not that because I like her all that much. But I'd like to think that JKR would follow through with all her promises made in writing. That Cho will have some part to play just so long she plays a part to aid in the war against Voldemort. In HBP she hardly makes an appearance, but then again hardly any of the Order fought in the Hogwarts battle. But who knows, here's hoping that this small detail hasn't skipped JKR's mind.

[EverLore]

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

Much like DarwinMayflower said, I always got the feeling that she had an "affinity for popular guys". (And of course, who doesn't love Harry or Cedric? )

I think the more attention Harry gave her the more she liked him (not that she's shallow...) I just mean that the more she noticed that he notcied her - she probably became more attracted to him.

My impression of her and Cedric's relationship was that it was rather superficial at first in GoF...here she was a sixth year, and the most gorgeous seventh year, and CHAMPION no less is asking her to the Yule Ball. (Who here wouldn't say yes?)

I think she felt sorry for Harry because she didn't want to hurt him more than she'd rather have gone to the ball with him. And like I said earlier, "she noticed that he notcied her"...so she didn't want to hurt him really.

But of course, I think her relationship with Cedric became much more than it really was after his death - simply because that completely changes things, death does different things to different people, and it obviously threw Cho for a loop and she may have WANTED it to be more than it was because he was gone now and there was nothing she could do.

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

From what we have seen of her...we can obviously deduce that she is one of the more popular girls. Always surrounded with people...etc. etc.

So yeah, I think she may have started off as the typical popular teenage girl, but of course as we go deeper, is any ever typical??


That's all for right now...maybe I'll come back later and add more, but I think it's already getting rather length-y (and it's cold and my fingers are starting to freeze)

[SofiaR]

Originally Posted by leenielou

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

One of the reasons Cho was probably so miserable and confused in OotP was precisely because she was trying to make that sort of comparison between her feelings for one and the other. And I think it's not possible to compare her feelings for Harry and Cedric, mostly because they were affected by abnormal events.

We never get to know much about Cho and I don't think it's enough to understand what she likes in boys and why she likes Cedric or Harry or starts dating Michael Corner. We also know nothing about her relationship with Cedric, only that she was deeply afected by his death, which doesn't say much.

As for Harry, she was always nice to him ever since she met him. Their first match was even interesting in the sense that there seemed like some flirtation was going on. And I do think she was genuinely sorry she had to turn him down to the Yule Ball. In OotP she wanted closure. Voldemort had murdered her boyfriend, yet, the ministry denied his return. The only person who had answers and had witnessed everything was Harry. Someone who she already liked and with whom she could talk to about what had happened. When she starts crying, before the kiss in the RoR, she apologizes for bringing up Cedric's death, telling him he probably wanted to forget it all. So she understands he's going through a hard time as well. I'm sure she thought that a relationship with him would enable her to discuss Cedric and therefore finally put a peaceful ending to that part of her life and move on. She probably thought that Harry would understand her, since he was going through the same, and they could sort of help each other. The problem is that the way they wanted to deal with what happened was very different. She didn't connect with him they way she hoped.

I thought their relationship was very realistic.

Originally Posted by leenielou

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

I don't think a typical popular teenage girl would believe and support Harry the way she did in a time when almost everyone thought he was a lunatic. She would probably turn her back on him as well. I think that she was a good portrait of a teenage girl who is forced to face a situation to which she was never prepared.

Originally Posted by leenielou

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.



Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?

I don't think it's just the female view: it's the perspective of someone who gave some thought to what she was going through. I thought Hermione was spot on.

Originally Posted by leenielou

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?

I'm not sure it's a matter of being right or wrong. She made a choice and I can't blame her, considering Marietta was the only person she seemed to confide in. It was her best friend, the person who had been helping her the whole year. That's what loyalty and friendship is: supporting your friends in the bad times. So I can see why she forgave her. Besides, dealing with Umbridge was not easy.

I think she felt responsible that it was her friend that betrayed the DA and didn't want it to be yet another obstacle in her relationship with Harry. If he forgave Marietta, he'd forgive her as well. She wanted to keep both, not make a choice.

Originally Posted by leenielou

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?.

It is a trait of a teenage girl, but I'm sure that to everyone in the outside, the "trio" must be this mysterious group of friends: nobody knows what they talk about, what they are up to... but every year they're involved in some sort of trouble. It creates a sense of separation to the rest of the students. Hermione is the only girl part of that group. So I understand why another girl would feel jealous and threatened by Hermione (whether they fancied Harry or Ron). Furthermore, everyone read Rita Skeeter's article the year before. Gossip like that stays in people's minds.

Harry made it all worse, though, by saying he'd be meeting Hermione in his date with Cho (which was, ironically, prompted by his uncomfortableness at feeling obliged to do anything like kiss her or even hold her hand). And he never told her flat out that Hermione was nothing but a friend, like he did with Krum the year before.

6)Considering that Cho had an unofficial vow or promise to avenge Cedric's death, do you think that she has the personality to go through it? Should she be given a chance to help out Harry despite how JKR regulated her into the far background in HBP and even said that Cho would not be so important in future installments?

It would be a nice touch, to have some reference of Cho having a role in the war, but I'm not holding my breath. In a way, she did end up doing something against Voldemort and the Ministry. She was part of a secret defense group at school, she rebelled that way.

Without having a better insight into her character it's hard to make these guesses, but I interpreted her will to fight not as a wish of revenge, but as a feeling of being unable to be still when everyone was denying what had happened the year before and was doing nothing in reaction except persecute Harry and Dumbledore. As soon as the truth came out, she probably relaxed.

[gertiekeddle]

I don't really like her, too, but that's actually some kind of not fair. I don't think she made something wrong - she was just young and made some tough experiences.

When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

I believe she liked him more in GoF, but as he didn't do anything, but Cedric did, she began to fall in love with Cedric.

Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

Simple answer: yes. I think JK wanted her to be that way.

Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA?

She was wrong about Marietta, but didn't see that (probably still don't do). Obviously she joined the DA more to be with Harry than really to learn to fight against the Dark Lord like she said to Harry. So she just keep being loyal to a friend, what should be ok especially in her age - although there are special circumstances. Magical world was close to a new war and it seems Cho trusted Harry in this, but still didn't support the defense with all her powers. Nontheless she supported, what is actually more then a lot of people did.

Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl?

Ithink it fits the character she should be. It's not justyfied (of course), but it's plausible that she did. The trio is very strong in it's believes, in it's friendships and in it's fight against all Dark Powers. Cho is the normal teenage girl, who (at least) joined the right site and got that there's something to fighting for.

[SSJ_Jup81]

1) In my opinion, I always felt that she always had some type of liking towards Harry since, to me, she seemed sincerely sorry when she had to turn him down for the ball in GoF, but, since Cedric got to her first, she was able to spend a lot of time with him. She got to know him, and grew very close to him.

2) Not necessarily, in my opinion. The typical "popular" girl in most series, tend to be unbecoming, snobbish, and surrounded by others while they all put others down they feel are beneath them. Just thing Quinn from Daria and her group of friends. Just like with Ginny, I felt that Cho was a "good" type of popular, as she didn't strike me as the type who would go around and put others down or belittle to keep her popularity status. Same goes for Ginny. What's telling about this, is how in OotP, she seemed quite the loner, only Marietta keeping her company.

3) I really feel that Hermione was spot on with her assumption, she just forgot to add in that Cho obviously never properly grieved, for her to carry on the way that she had, and that she definitely needed closure. When reading this originally, Hermione's interpretation of Cho was pretty much the same one I had.

4) Yes and no, actually, on the Marietta thing. As I pointed out earlier in this post, seems that Marietta was the only one to stand by Cho all throughout OotP. Cho's usual group of nameless friends were pretty much nonexistent, and it still seemed to be this way going into HBP. Cho probably felt that she should help to support her friend, as she had her. She was being a loyal friend, I guess. On the other hand, she shouldn't have tried to justify it, and, if she truly "knew" Harry, wouldn't have bothered even trying. I think if Cho had said, "Yes, what she did was wrong, but I can't turn my back on a friend" or something, Harry might have been a bit more calm and understanding. Choosing between people is always a difficult thing to do.

5) In this case, yes, I did find it justified and understandable as to why she would, but, it must be pointed out that it wasn't just Hermione, Cho did say "other girls". It was a Valentine's Date, it was very tactless of him to just bring up meeting another girl, and then inviting her along, to make her feel like the third-wheel and Harry didn't really try to make matters right either to ease the girl's suspicions, but, it's not all his fault since he really was inexperienced at this, so I'll cut him a bit of slack. I also felt that JKR did this to show that a guy and a girl can be close friends, but not necessarily romantically involved or attracted to one another, just like she showed with Viktor.

I never really had anything against Cho's character, and can't figure out for the life of me why so many of the readers do. Even before the stuff with Cedric, she seemed like a nice, decent person. She obviously never properly grieved over Cedric, and probably thought she was over him, when it's obvious to us that she wasn't, with the way she would randomly mention him. To me, this seemed a bit too sub-conscious. You know, like how one could go on about a person without realizing it, until someone else informs him/her of it.

[gertiekeddle]

Originally Posted by SSJ_Jup81

1)It was a Valentine's Date, it was very tactless of him to just bring up meeting another girl, and then inviting her along, to make her feel like the third-wheel and Harry didn't really try to make matters right either to ease the girl's suspicions, but, it's not all his fault since he really was inexperienced at this, so I'll cut him a bit of slack.

Both were actually quite inexperienced that time. Maybe Cho wouldn't have react that way, if she knew more about boys and girls friendships that time.

I like your add about Cho's grieving tough. It was probably excact the way you described it.

[HardtoImagine]

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

I agree w/ those who said that Cho more reciprocated Harry's interest. I'm not sure she would have shown too much interest in dating him if it hadn't been obvious that he liked her first. Which is why she was sad that she couldn't go to the ball with him because she knew that he had a crush on her. She genuinley cared for Cedric and was pretty torn up over his death. She thought she and Harry could commiserate over this, but the relationship didn't have too much else to stand on since they both had different expectations.

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.

To me it seemed that JKR was interjecting some insight into how to interpret Cho's reactions and viewpoint. I think it was very helpful.


5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?

I think her jealousy was explained well and to be expected. She was well written and believable in her relationship with Harry.

[SofiaR]

Originally Posted by gertiekeddle

Obviously she joined the DA more to be with Harry than really to learn to fight against the Dark Lord like she said to Harry. So she just keep being loyal to a friend, what should be ok especially in her age - although there are special circumstances.

I'm curious, why do you say it was "obvious" that she joined the DA to be with Harry rather than to do something about Umbridge and, ultimately, Voldemort? Don't you think all those factors are connected? Personally, I thought what was obvious was that JKR wanted to show us how much Cho was affected by Cedric's death and how that translated into various things, including wanting to be closer to Harry, wanting to do something about Voldemort... I don't have OotP here with me now, but there are some quotes, mainly Harry's observations of her expressions when she's talking about this, that are very telling that she is in my opinion being absolutely truthful.

And I don't think being loyal to a friend has anything to do with age. Loyalty and/or friendship are values that people any age can have.

Originally Posted by gertiekeddle

Ithink it fits the character she should be. It's not justyfied (of course), but it's plausible that she did.

Maybe Cho wouldn't have react that way, if she knew more about boys and girls friendships that time.

Cho not only had more experience than Harry, but she was older. And at that age, girls mature faster (physically and emotionally) than boys. Still, this does not mean they are able to read with precision other people relationships, especially people that they don't know all that well. The truth is that Harry and Hermione are very close. Countless fans even thought that as far as romance goes, it would be Harry/Hermione. I think it's understandable why Cho would feel a little threatened. And if I was in a date with a guy, on Valentine's, and he told me he was going to meet some female friend who I know he is very close with... Not very tactful there, our Harry

[HP4evr1807]

I don't dislike Cho Chang as a character, although she hasn't been developed as much as say, Hermione Granger. I believe she is important, because she is Harry's first crush, and Harry realizes the feelings he has of the opposite sex while meeting her. Although it wasn't a love sort of crush, he certainly did have feelings for her, and it was a crush from a far--Cho, to Harry, was pretty, athletic, and seemed to have a good personality. I believe that Cho did like Harry in GoF, but she was more enamored with Cedric, as he was the popular guy in school, and also a nice, cute guy as well.

However, in OOtP, after Cedric's death, I do think that Cho did like Harry, but there was also a part of her that liked Harry because he was a link to Cedric, as he saw Cedric die right in front of him. Harry was taken aback by this, and realized that the newly depressed Cho was not the Cho he had fallen for, and the relationship was doomed. It was really none of their faults, it was just the circumstance they were in.

[62442al_Man]

My Character Analysis of Cho Chang:

1. Opening Statement: Not my favorite character, but I don't despise her like other people might. I was always curious about her all the way up until Prisoner of Azkaban, then she was introduced into the books as a semi-important character, or one that was sure to develop later on, in Goblet of Fire. But I do understand why Jo wrote her the way she did in Order of the Phoenix. She was a confused and depressed girl and Jo did wonerfully with her character in that sense.
2. Favorite Quotes: "What are nargles?" -- Sheesh, you would've thought her, a Ravenclaw would've known what nargles were . No, serioulsy, I have no favorite quotes.
3. Favorite Moments: The owelery with Filch, It showed us that, though she may be a very emotional person, she is still very brave and courageous...

Questions coming soon...

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

I think she had somewhat of a crush on him ever since the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match when he beat her. You know, the one they reminisced over in Goblet of Fire. But it was just a curiousity then, she finally realised that she had liked him and with Cedric gone, and Harry the only link left to him or rather the last link to him, she felt a sort of odd relationship and connection to Harry; if that makes sense...

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

Typical? Not at all. Like I said before, the scene with her in the Owlery shows that she just isn't a typical popular girl but she can actually stick up for other people. Yes, she can get blind-sighted (i.e. Marietta) but she is a good person, despite how popular she is or was.

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?

She just doesn't really understand, though she may think Marietta did wrong, she doesn't really understand that Marietta ratted out everyone. I mean, to me atleast, it shows us that a mistake such as that, if it was a mistake, isn't going to break a good relationship up with a good friend. Then again, I suppose she sort of took that positve trait and threw it in the garbage with the way she treated Harry, but i guess that was a mutual thing.

And that last question shows us that Cho might be used to getting her way...

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?

Yes it does, very good question. Cho is a teenage girl, but she is also a lot more. But yes, she has teenage girl emotions and such and she does get jealous, like most girls would if their 'man' was going out with another 'girl'. She, again, shows signs of being blind-sighted. cho is a very good character, not my personal favorites, but very-well created.

[RemusLupinFan]

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?
I think the probably started a little bit in GoF, but they mostly started in OotP. After Cedric died, I think Harry was Cho’s “rebound guy”, so to speak. Harry was likely someone she had feelings for on some level which weren’t previously allowed to grow and develop, but now that she can’t be with Cedric she turns to Harry, who is already someone she connects with. I think it’s hard to say whether or not her feelings for Harry compared to those she had for Cedric; I don’t even think she knows. However if I had to guess I’d say her feelings for Cedric might have been a bit stronger, since she spent more time with him (I think) than with Harry and since she kept mentioning Cedric while on the date at Madame Puddifoot’s.

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her actions throughout the series?
It depends on the definition of “popular teenage girl”. If we take with a negative connotation to mean snooty and cliquey, I’d say no. She is popular, but I don’t believe she’s purposefully gone out and tried to make herself popular. I’d say she’s just well-liked and has a lot of friends, so is popular in that way.

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this. Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?
Yup, I think that sums it up very accurately and fits with the viewpoints of males and females. But I agree with SofiaR that this wasn’t necessarily a female point of view, it was rather the thinking of someone who is able to empathize and understand what others are going through in difficult and emotional situations.

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?
Since Marietta was Cho’s close friend, she was right to stick by her in that regard. But what Marietta did was definitely wrong, and I’m not sure how right it is to stick by someone who’s a rat, but what Cho did is certainly understandable. Her approaching Harry about it says that she still cares for him and wants him to forgive her so they can remain on friendly terms. And she likely realizes that what Marietta did was wrong and wants to offer her apologies for it.

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?
Yes, I can see how Cho would be jealous of Harry since he hangs around with a girl (Hermione) every day. I agree with SofiaR that the trio is kind of separate from the rest of the student body, as there is often a lot of trouble and danger that follows them. So it makes sense that she’d feel jealousy toward Harry for being a part of that kind of a group.

6)Considering that Cho had an unofficial vow or promise to avenge Cedric's death, do you think that she has the personality to go through it? Should she be given a chance to help out Harry despite how JKR regulated her into the far background in HBP and even said that Cho would not be so important in future installments?
Good question DarwinMayflower. I do think that Cho has the personality to avenge Cedric’s death. She did love him after all, and she was willing to join the DA to learn DADA that could be used in the future against the forces of evil. I believe she should be given a chance to help out the good side, even if she only helps in a small way. Helping a little is much better than not helping at all, even if we don’t really get to read about her all that much. But whether we’ll actually get to read about it is another question.

[YellowRose]

Well I think Cho is the character with the least amount of 'character' in the whole series, but she means well. It seems JK went out of her way to show how emotionally fragile Cho is...to show that even if at first Harry was turned by her beauty..he needed, and wanted more.
In none of her actions is she ever mean or evil..just a bit misguided (in her defence of Marietta for example). JK made a big contrast between Cho's weeping and Ginny's sharp wit and it's obvious that, at the end of the day and with a little more maturity Harry realises which one he is drawn to the most.
It's not really fair, but this happens in stories, that there really is no room to develop Cho more..she can't really suddenly become Harry's female friend as he already has Hermione and to a lesser degree, Luna and Tonks.
I just hope that we get to read at least a couple of lines of what happens to her after book 7 finishes

[DarwinMayflower]

Originally Posted by YellowRose

It's not really fair, but this happens in stories, that there really is no room to develop Cho more..she can't really suddenly become Harry's female friend as he already has Hermione and to a lesser degree, Luna and Tonks.
I just hope that we get to read at least a couple of lines of what happens to her after book 7 finishes

Yeah it does seem a bit unfair. It's not that I especially like Cho, but JKR always seems to make a way for even the most minimal of character be more significant later. Much like how Ginny was with Dean Thomas, a relatively nobody up until then. What's worst is that I think that Seamus's "hairy" patronus might get more book time than Cho who seems pretty adament to join the DA just to get back at Voldemort or his followers.

I dunno, I just don't like how some characters are sweeped away under the rug, especially when they say something as serious as Cho regarding helping Harry but the idea never gets to fruitation. It seems a pity that something as less emotionally signficant such as the outcome of Seamus's patronus form would no doubt play a role rather than Cho who is most likely regulated to the background. Here's hoping though. I don't know why, but after she said what she said in question #6, I'd grown attach to that particular statement. I just like to see her come through on her word that's all.

[Spritey]

Originally Posted by leenielou

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

Poor Cho, I feel bad for her reading that situation over again. It must've been complicated enough without Cedric dying. I mainly agree with RemusLupinFan; I think she had a little crush on Harry before OotP, but after Cedric's death she ended up moving closer to him - because of the circumstances, probably - and allowing her feelings to show. I don't think she was really ready to be dating anyone in OotP; she didn't seem to know what she wanted, and she was still grieving pretty obviously. Harry wasn't mature enough to deal with someone in so much of a mess, not when he was struggling himself.

On the subject of Cedric, I think her feelings for him were made a lot of stronger by his death. She didn't have a chance to see how the relationship would develop.

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

Are we talking the negative stereotype? Because - nah. That's Pansy. Cho reminds me of Ginny, actually - popular because she's a generally nice person to hang around with. Her reaction to Pansy's comments about Harry particularly made me think she's not "that kind" of popular kid. I think Cho's more representative of the majority than anything, though. Most of my friends in high school are popular because they're nice people.

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.

Originally Posted by OOTP Chap.21
"Well, obviously she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings towards Harry are, anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be throw off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly."

Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?

I think she's dead on there. I think this was quite a shining moment for Hermione. I remember being really pleased that Hermione was looking a bit more closely and taking the time to understand what a mess Cho was really in at that point.

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?

I don't think she wanted to cut out one of her closest friends. Too many other things to worry about already.

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?

Well, I think it's justified in some ways, but it would have been better for both of them if she'd let Harry explain. It's justified in that Hermione and Harry are extremely close friends (and who can blame them? The trio've been through so much together) and from the outside... it's still quite unusual for a girl and a boy to be "just friends", especially from Cho's point of view, I should think. She was quite insecure anyway. And not forgetting that the year before, Hermione had been all over the papers painted as a scarlet woman, toying with both Krum and Harry


And on my general view of Cho... I quite like her. I feel really bad for her, actually. She treated Harry badly (I think all the things going on for her had the side effect of making her self-centered, possibly meaning she ended up forgetting that Harry was probably distressed by things, too), but like I said, I think Harry wasn't quite level-headed enough in OotP to deal with someone like Cho. It was bad for both of them.

[KarateGirl]

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?
I think Cho started to like Harry when Harry was in his forth year, when he probably started to grow up a bit more, yet I think at the same time she was interested in Cedric too, but this is normal for a girl and I expect she liked them both the same. At this stage Cedric hadn't died, so she would have felt no guilt at liking either of them, it was just harmless.

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?
Hmmm, yes. From what I know of popular girls she does, meaning popular girls who are popular not for being superior or being the toughest, but she seems like a gril who's popular becuase she is a smart girl (she's in Ravenclaw after all) and seems to make friends easily. I think because Cho said no to Harry that a lot of people (at least in somerather odd fanfictions on the net) have made her out to be some evil mean girl who loves to break boys hearts. I don't think this, I admit i didn't like Cho after she dumped Harry becuase we see it through Harry's eyes and how awful he felt. But then came the realisation of how confused Cho was, which leads me to....

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OOTP Chap.21
"Well, obviously she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings towards Harry are, anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be throw off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly."

Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?
Yes and yes, Hermione's a smart girl and I know whereshe's comnig from with this explanation, I think she's right. I really do feel sorry for Cho and think she deserves sympathy becuase she really wasin a tricky situtation with conflicting emotions. Maybe Harry didn't realise this simply becuase he wasn't thinking further than how Cho felt about him.

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?
I think Cho was right to support Marietta, because Marietta I think (stress the use of the word 'think' here) that Marietta was regretting and upset about what she had done, and not just becuase of the SNEAK wrote across her face. Cho shows that she is loyal to her friend through thick and thin, even when her firned makes stupid choices, and that's what friends are for. Cho approaching Harry shows that she is loyal to her friend, but also respects Harry's opinion, and that she doesn't want Harry to think less of Marietta becuase of one mistake.

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?
Yes, I think she's well written, as people have already pointed out, she's not perfect and that's what makes her good. She's just like a normal teenage girl that's going through the normal trials of life (well, as normal as you can get a Hogwarts). I also think it was good to see a more of a charatcer that wans't one of the trio and a Gryffindor, telling us that there was a lot going on at Hogwarts and other people were under pressure. Overall. Cho is a charcter I like becuase she seems real.

[SSJ_Jup81]

Originally Posted by DarwinMayflower

I dunno, I just don't like how some characters are sweeped away under the rug, especially when they say something as serious as Cho regarding helping Harry but the idea never gets to fruitation. It seems a pity that something as less emotionally signficant such as the outcome of Seamus's patronus form would no doubt play a role rather than Cho who is most likely regulated to the background. Here's hoping though. I don't know why, but after she said what she said in question #6, I'd grown attach to that particular statement. I just like to see her come through on her word that's all.

That's how I feel where Colin Creevey is concerned. He's one of the biggest followers Harry practically has, and yet, aside from CoS, JKR hasn't written much about him. I was really disheartened over the fact that neither him nor his brother was even remotely mentioned in HBP.

[ModernInkling]

"1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?"

I think Cho started liking Harry as a friend in GoF, and as he became more famous/heroic looking - and as she noticed that he had a crush on her - she started to be more interested in actually going out with him.
In my opinion, Cho probably enjoyed Cedric's company a lot more than Harry's, probably liked Cedric a lot more in general (Let's face it, Harry was probably not a lot of fun to hang out with in OoP ). I doubt Cho was ever terribly serious about Harry; she was just very lonely and upset without Cedric, and as she repeatedly told Harry, she really, really wanted to talk about Cedric.

"2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?"

Hmmm.... No, I don't think she is; as other people have pointed out, she has stood up for other people at times (Owlery scene), much like Ginny. I agree with Spritey, Pansy is that negative stereotype for these books


"3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.
Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?"

I think Hermione's description of Cho's feelings was quite accurate, but I don't know if it's so much the "female perspective", more just that Hermione happens to be the one of the trio who is good at figuring out emotions


"4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?"

Personally, I don't envy Cho's situation at that point - she has a choice of either abandoning her friend when Marrietta most needs support, or doing something that will almost certainly destroy her relationship with Harry. She stuck with Marrietta, so I guess that shows that she wasn't very committed to Harry.

"5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?"

Cho was definitely justified in her jealousy of Harry - I mean, come on, Harry, you don't just announce to a girl in the middle of a date, "Hey, I'm meeting this other girl (who everyone thinks I was going out with last year) today too, hope you don't mind. You could come along, if you want."
The fact that Cho was jealous at first, but later forgave Harry, makes her a better character, in my opinion.

[Montse]

I used to like cho,she was a nice character in the beggining,i even was dissapointed when she hooked up with cedric.She blew it when she went emotionally down after cedrics death,I mean it wasnt easy for her to handle but still,she gave hary hope in very desperate times,She is a representation of many,not all teenage girls,and I think even women who dont grow up.

The jelousy is even seen in some adult married women who dont allow their husband to have girl...friends...not girlfriends,but I think her character is credible and was spoiled in order to prepare the way to a cooler character whom we all love and believe is better for Harry,Giny who is the complete opposite of Ginny having grown up with brothers she understand much better the way boys are,so Its like the balance in the story which allows the plot to unveil propperly.

[theotherwoman]

Originally Posted by Montse

The jelousy is even seen in some adult married women who dont allow their husband to have girl...friends...not girlfriends,but I think her character is credible and was spoiled in order to prepare the way to a cooler character whom we all love and believe is better for Harry,Giny who is the complete opposite of Ginny having grown up with brothers she understand much better the way boys are,so Its like the balance in the story which allows the plot to unveil propperly.

Yeah, I think you've got the right idea. Cho was a means to an end, not the end itself.

Now for my soapbox talks...

1) When do you think that Cho's feelings for Harry began, and why was this? What were the extent of these feelings, and can they in any way compare to those that she had for Cedric Diggory?

GoF was the beginning, I think. What ModernInkling was saying about her noticing Harry as he became more heroic is probably pretty accurate. I don't think she was aware of being percieved as a social climber (dating Cedric when everyone was rooting for him in the Tournament and then going for Harry after, when he's won the Tournament, seen Cedric die and acquired a certain glamour about himself). It's a lot easier to like someone when you''ve either got the consent of the masses around you (the *good* boy) or everyone is against you (the *bad* boy).

I also agree with ModernInkling that she liked Cedric more. Harry may have just seemed like the natural progression once Cedric was gone.

2) Can we say that Cho is a pretty typical representation of a popular teenage girl when looking at her her actions throughout the series?

I'm not sure about typical but stereotypical works for me. I agree with the earlier posters who said that Cho is popular because she's smart and easy to be with, much in the same vein as Ginny. She's not the callous, cruel girl that popular girls tend to be in movies or books, rather she's someone who people just naturally gravitate towards.

3) We see a male viewpoint most of the time when dealing with Cho, but Hermione provides the female perspective behind this.
Do you think that her summing up of Cho's situation is accurate, and if so, does this fit with what we think about how males and females view events?

I like Hermione's assertation as well. Cho was spending a fair amount of her time in her own head, in my opinion, and that can be really hard. She was thinking about so much and that made her emotional and a little rash. I mean, Harry could have been more sympathetic towards her but no one likes to go on a date with someone, just to have them discuss their last relationship. That puts a huge damper on the situation!

4) Do you think that Cho was right to support Marietta after her friend ratted out the DA? What does her approaching Harry to ask him to forgive Marietta say about her personality and her feelings towards Harry?

I don't fault Cho for sticking with Marietta, actually. I think that goes with the phrase that I've heard guys say (don't think there is one for girls): Bros before hos. That's to say, you stick with your friends before your relationship. Your friends are the ones who've been with you through thick and thin and is it fair to dump them for something they've done? Cho's probably made her fair share of mistakes that Marietta forgave her for.
And yeah, the fact she wanted Harry to forgive Marietta was because she doesn't want to give up either of them, but was ready to give Harry up first if push came to shove.

5) Is Cho's jealousy of Harry justified, and if so, does this re-inforce the character's credibility as simply a teenage girl? Does this mean that she is a well-written and explained character, or not?

Cho had a right to be upset, although not as upset as she was. She wanted to talk about Cedric on their date and Harry wanted to meet Hermione. In my mind, Cho is actually the one in deficit here, just because she was talking about a past boyfriend. Harry is only talking about a friend. And he invited her to come, further showing that there's nothing going on between him and Hermione. It's one of those things where you can reason in your head that you have no reason to be jealous but it still sucks!
It does reinforce, in my mind, the fact that Cho is still someone who is trying to figure out her emotions and navigate her teenage years, but I don't think the feeling is exclusive to a teen girl. It could be anyone.
I don't think Cho is the best written character,nor do I think she's terribly difficult to write, but the outline of what she's doing and what she believes makes sense. She is very human, in the lamest sense of the word; she's doing what she can but she's still very flawed.