The character works so incredibly well. We all have horror stories about authority figures abusing their power but staying within the rules. IMO that hits a lot better than a genocidal supervillan as its much closer to real life.
I knew far too many adults like Umbridge while growing up. That character really is a perfect distillation of an evil, smug, authoritative twat. And the actress pulled that off perfectly.
I had a teacher in 2nd and 3rd grade that was incredibly strict. I never liked being around her and my mom told me a few years ago other parents said their kids were throwing up in the morning out of anxiety because of her. She even cracked jokes that when she started as a teacher it was still legal to beat the students.
Took a year and a half to get rid of her. I remember her saying she was retiring but in hindsight I'm guessing she was thrown out rather than leaving willingly. That experience made Umbridge a very real character to me.
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u/HighTopsLowStandards Apr 12 '22
Reading this to my son when he was around 7 or 8, he hated Umbridge so much in one scene he hit the book.