Authors Note:
So this is a theory I've been working on, after being constantly irritated by hearing people talking about what House they'd be in. Thanks to my sister Ha'niqua for help with the examples and general development as well as being an obsessive and snarky beta. We've had some awesome car trip debates on this issue. A special mention also goes out to the Qantas Wallabies, if I hadn't had to sit up waiting for the game in Durban last Saturday I probably wouldn't have actually written this. Congratulations on winning, too!
Just a few general disclaimers... I didn't create the Pareto Principle, I just developed and adapted it for my own ideas. Joseph M. Juran created it based on original observations by Vilfredo Pareto. I also don't own anything from the Harry Potter universe, including Hogwarts, the Houses and any characters mentioned. They are all from the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling.
This may not be popular with everyone, but I'd appreciate any feedback or thoughts. Happy reading :)
The Pareto Sorting Principle
1. Executive Summary
This essay aims to establish the Pareto Principle within the realm of the sorting of individuals within the canon of Harry Potter. The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80-20 Rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This principle can be applied to explain phenomena within many different areas in life, for example 80% of the profit comes from 20% of the clients and vice versa in a bank and 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers in retail.
The same can be said for the rules of sorting. 80% of an individual's characteristics may lean towards a particular Hogwarts House, but it is the remaining 20% of characteristics which will be the dominant traits that determine the House they should be sorted into. This 20% can be called the Pareto Sorting Principle trait or characteristic. Similarly, the balance of characteristics is not proportionate. In laymen's terms having a majority of characteristics that lean towards a particular House does not necessarily agree with an automatic sorting into that House: one trait can be the deciding factor that influences all other traits and ultimately determines the correct House.
This essay proposes that every person has a dominant trait that will override all other traits. In other words, the 20% or Pareto Sorting Principle trait is the most important factor in sorting. Thus, it is almost impossible for an individual to 'sort' themselves without the ability to objectively identify their fatal flaws or greatest strength and generic sorting quizzes cannot possibly identify the 20% of overriding traits.
2. Characteristics, Fatal Flaws and Greatest Strengths
A person's intrinsic characteristics are what the Sorting Hat identifies and uses to sort individuals into their corresponding Houses. However these characteristics do not necessarily work together or against each other, rather there will be one dominant characteristic which will influence and manipulate how a person's other characteristics manifest themselves in day-to-day life.
These fatal flaws or greatest strengths influence the positive or negative appearances of all the other traits, making them the deciding factor in sorting. For this reason, it is impossible for an individual to be a candidate for more than one House. Their Pareto Sorting Principle characteristic will ultimately indicate which House the individual belongs in, despite having majority characteristics for other Houses. This concept will be explored in greater detail, with specific examples in the next section. It is of note that a person's Pareto Sorting Principle characteristic may not necessarily be in contrast to their majority characteristics. In which case they will be sorted into that particular House with a majority of characteristics and a Pareto Sorting Principle characteristic in favour of that allocation, however for the purpose of this essay differing majority and Pareto Sorting Principle characteristics will be explored.
3. Sorting
There is one key point for sorting in canon which must be acknowledged: that the Sorting Hat sorts students into Houses based on its own assessment of them. The Sorting Hat plays a significant role, in that it is able to objectively see into the person it is sorting often further than that person is able to see themselves. Thus it is considerably more difficult for fans of the series to be sorted into a House without both the objectivity and insight that the Hat possesses.
There are many sorting tools available in the greater fandom, most commonly in quiz form. There are two significant downfalls to their effectiveness. Firstly, it is often painfully clear which responses relate to which Houses. All fans will associate with one or more Houses in particular, their opinion having been influenced by favourite characters or biases against certain characteristics. Therefore, in completing these 'sortings', fans will often deliberately or subconsciously choose the answers that correspond to the House they would most like to be in. Secondly, these sorting tools have no way to determine the 20% trait as it will be different for each individual and, as there is no one finite dominant trait for each House, it could be one of many traits attributed to each House. Additionally, it is important to note that while many traits do in a sense belong to a certain House, traits are not exclusive to that particular House.
A final thought is on the impact of choice on the Sorting Hat's decision. A main theme throughout the series is the significance of an individual's choice on the outcome of any situation. While this remains true, the Pareto Sorting Principle allows that the 20% trait strongly influences and manipulates all of the other traits a person holds. Thus, it can be assumed that the choice of the individual will similarly be influenced by that trait.
3.1 The Houses of Hogwarts
The four Houses of Hogwarts are all clearly defined by a number of different characteristics that its members possess. The following table aims to highlight, but not limit, examples of the key traits that belong to each of the four Houses. These characteristics have the ability to be seen in both a positive and a negative light, depending on the perspective and the situation. They can also work as majority traits together or independently as the Pareto Sorting Principle trait. These traits are either listed by the Sorting Hat or mentioned and displayed by characters throughout the series.
Gryffindor
Brave:
Courageous under adversity
Daring:
Willing to take risks in order to achieve their final goal, can often be careless or cocky
Strong Sense of Good:
Gryffindor's have a strong sense of that they believe is right and good, whether or not is for anyone else is not always guaranteed
Conviction:
Having a strong conviction for their beliefs can often lead to a head strong, stubborn and hot-tempered personality
Hufflepuff
Loyal:
A strong sense of loyalty and belonging, can often lead to a strong group mentality and bond
Just:
Will usually try to be impartial in judgements of others, however can arguably be overruled by loyal nature
Patient:
Hufflepuffs are often understanding and can be patient
Hard working:
They may not always reap the highest rewards, but Hufflepuffs will always persevere even under adversity
Ravenclaw
Intelligent:
Natural aptitude, intelligence and studiousness. They often have goals and aspirations that they will study for and work towards
Witty:
Humour through greater understanding of situations, can sometimes lead to being misunderstood socially
Ready to Learn:
Willingness to understand new things, can often denote a practicality and flexibility of character
Logical:
Logical reasoning and ability to understand two arguments, can lead to an impartial personality
Slytherin
Cunning:
Sneaky, shrewd, deceiving and ingenuous, this trait can often manifest as cruelty to those who do not meet their standards or expectations
Ambitious:
Strongly desirous of clear goals and aspirations, but will often use any or all means available to achieve them. Goals are often self-centric in nature such as wealth, success and power
Pure:
Value things of superiority and status, can relate to their familial loyalty and desire to prevail
Neutral Perspective:
Can see the grey areas, will often use this to choose the path most beneficial to themselves
3.2 Examples
The following examples aim to highlight how this theory was enacted within the canon of Harry Potter.
3.2.1 Harry Potter
Harry Potter is the main protagonist in the series. At the time of his sorting, the Hat notes that he is a perfect candidate for Slytherin House however Harry exercises his ability to choose and is eventually sorted into Gryffindor. While it is true that Harry's connection to Lord Voldemort as a Horcrux influences this, Harry's own greatest strength characteristic influences his choice of Gryffindor. Harry shows early in the books that he is both courageous and brave, bold and often hot-tempered, all Gryffindor characteristics. However he does also display a number of Slytherin traits. He shows a great amount of ambition in certain areas, most specifically in his Defence Against the Dark Arts studies, desire to become an Auror and general quest to defeat Voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince he shows that he is cunning in his dealings with the Half Blood Prince's potions book, although it can be argued that a lot of his tactics in battle and on the Quidditch pitch also involve his cunning side. Ultimately, his Pareto Sorting trait is a strong sense of what is good. It is this great strength of character that shapes all of his other characteristics. In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, it is his realisation after cursing Draco Malfoy that the book is in fact bad that leads him to get rid of it. His ambitious nature is shaped by his perception of good and bad leading him to persevere in his fight against Voldemort. Indeed his choice of Gryffindor over Slytherin is shaped by his sense and perception that Slytherin is not a 'good' House to be in, nor does it ever appear to lend itself to the greater good's cause.
3.2.2 Hermione Granger
When the books begin, most readers are often confused as to Hermione's place in Gryffindor. She overtly displays all the characteristics of a Ravenclaw from her intelligence, willingness to learn, natural aptitude in almost all things and studiousness. In fact, Hermione as a character perfectly epitomises the Pareto Sorting Principle. Her greatest strength, similarly to Harry, is her strong sense of good. It is this one dominant characteristic that has the power to influence all the others in her daily life, activities and choices. It shows in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that she will use her intelligence to break rules in pursuit of what is good when she makes Polyjuice Potion, a contraband item. Her Pareto Sorting Principle trait also manipulates her use of her smarts and studiousness as she devotes a lot of time to saving Buckbeak in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and her House Elf rights campaigns throughout the series. It also leads her to her decision to assist Harry in his horcrux hunt instead of attending what would have been her final year at school.
3.2.3 Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle
Known as the dim-witted cronies of Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle are members of Slytherin House. Aside from their propensity to bully other students, they show no outward characteristics of a typical Slytherin. They are neither ambitious or particularly cunning nor can they be seen to have any kind of neutral perspective, simply content to follow Draco Malfoy in all his ambitious and cunning endeavours. Indeed it is this seemingly blind devotion to Draco that could be used to argue their place in Hufflepuff. They appear to be loyal to Draco and their fellow housemates and seem to be hard working when it comes to fulfilling the wishes and desires of those they show loyalty to. However it is their aforementioned bullying nature which is tied to their Pareto Sorting Principle characteristic. Their overriding cruel and purist nature, in terms of their familial loyalty and superiority, influences who is deemed deserving of their loyalty and hard work, ultimately slating them for Slytherin House.
3.2.4 Ginny Weasley
Ginny is sorted into Gryffindor, but proceeds to display particularly strong Slytherin traits throughout the series. She shows the cunning side to her characters on many occasions, however notably in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when she uses her apt acting ability to get her family and friends out of trouble with her mother as well as in her many stealthy endeavours for Dumbledore's Army in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She also displays mean and vengeful characteristics at times with her frequent and accurate imitations of characters she doesn't like, such as Fleur Delacour and Dolores Umbridge, and use of her exceptional charm skills in retaliation at other students. She excels in several positions on the Quidditch Pitch largely due to her savvy and ambitious qualitites. She also appears to possess great ambition to distinguish herself as more than just the youngest and only female Weasley, using her smarts and cunning at every opportunity. Despite all this, Ginny is seen to be driven by her conviction. Following her beliefs does manifest as hot-tempered and stubborn, particularly obvious in her frequent disobedience of instructions and orders throughout the series. As her Pareto Sorting Principle characteristic it influences all of her other traits and ultimately makes her a Gryffindor, as shown in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by her belief that anything is possible if you have enough nerve.
3.2.5 Severus Snape
At the conclusion of the series, Severus' character can be seen in a completely different light than had previously portrayed. It is revealed that almost all his actions throughout the books have been driven by one soul motivating factor: his love of Lily Potter. As proven by the revelation that his Patronus takes on the same representation as Lily's, Severus' love for her is undeniably all consuming and plays a large part among his personal traits. He displays a great deal of courage in his full time job as spy for Dumbledore for a period of more than seventeen years, completely infiltrating the inner circle of Lord Voldemort. His work for Dumbledore is known by no one, leading to public hatred against him for his actions from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. No matter what leads him to take on this role, that Severus was willing to put his life on the line in a permanent capacity clearly shows that conviction, courage and daring, all quintessential Gryffindor traits, play a significant role among his inherent characteristics. However, no matter how many of these characteristics he actually possesses they are all undeniably influenced by his fatal flaw characteristic. His cunning allows him to utilise his different characteristics in a way that gives him success in his subterfuge and undercover work. Despite vowing to protect Harry, as Lily's sons and her last remaining legacy, he feels no duty to be nurturing or particularly caring to him based on his hatred for James Potter and his friends. In fact, he can be seen throughout the series to be overtly cruel in many circumstances to those associated with people who have wronged or tormented him. For this reason, he was sorted into Slytherin House.
4. Conclusion
For fans of the Harry Potter series looking to be sorted into a Hogwarts House there are several important factors to consider. The most critical requirement is the ability to look within yourself and analyse your personality, choices and characteristics with objectivity and insight. It is possible that some people may be able to do this, however for the majority of people is it extremely difficult to be honest in a self-assessment. Secondly both positive and negative characteristics must be addressed, which is often a difficult feat as some traits adapt positively and negatively to different circumstances. A possible solution is to turn to family or friends who are both familiar to the Harry Potter series and you as an individual. This is not as easy as it seems, as the person has to know enough about you to identify your characteristics as well as your potential Pareto Sorting Principle and how it influences and affects your other characteristics.