|
Ron Weasleyby Neil Ward
Ron Weasley is the wisecracking best friend of Harry Potter. He is a "tall and gangling" boy, a freckly redhead, with ears that turn pink when he's embarrassed. He comes from a whole family of wizards and is the youngest of Arthur and Molly Weasley's six sons and a brother to younger sister, Ginny. Ron first meets Harry on the Hogwarts Express in SS/PS and by the end of the train journey they have bonded over pumpkin pasties and are set to be fast friends. Throughout the books, Ron's friendship with Harry is a focal point; Ron becomes the brother Harry never had and the Weasley family end up treating him as one of their own. The famous and wealthy Harry Potter was not, perhaps, the wisest choice as a best friend for a boy struggling to deal with his poor family background and so compromised by the distinctions of his five older brothers. The row between them in GoF brought Ron's jealous nature back into the frame. Despite his skill at chess and his superior knowledge of the wizarding world, Ron is always in the shadow of Harry ... and he clearly hates that. Following the episode with the troll in SS/PS, Ron and Harry form a three-way friendship with bookish Hermione Granger. Ron's relationship with Hermione is littered with bickering and by the time they reach their fourth year at Hogwarts, they have had one major row (over Crookshanks) and his crush on her has become very obvious. For coverage of the whole R/H vs H/H shipper thing, please see the Potential Romantic Pairings. For detailed information from the Harry Potter books, please visit the Harry Potter Lexicon, created by HPfGU member, Steve Vander Ark. Message numbers prefixed 'Y' are from the Yahoo archives; eGroups message threads are indicated by date and title. Credit Where Credit's Due"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices. I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you free to checkmate the King, Harry!" [SS/PS, Chap. 16] Ron deserves to be credited with what he has done. For example, in SS/PS, he had the courage to go into the guarded wing of Hogwarts and the intelligence to play and win against the giant chess set. In CoS, he faced his greatest fear in entering the Forbidden Forest and confronting Aragog and the giant spiders, and at the end of that school year, he is awarded 200 points for Gryffindor for "special services to the school" - only the third boy in 50 years to get such an award. Ron Weasley fans were incensed at a
description of him as "pale... and relatively nondescript" and whilst GoF
dealt with situations in which Ron could not really play a heroic
part, it was felt that "if he had been able to help, he would [have]".
Perhaps it's time for Ron to get more stage time and even a subplot of
his own. "All we know about the inner workings of Ronald Weasley
is that he's a wizarding chess wiz, a great friend, sarcastic yet funny,
and kind of insecure due to the nature of sib order. The
There are hopes that Ron will find a niche in his future career, perhaps within the Ministry of Magic. His skills at chess have been identified as the sign of a good strategist: "A pre-teen who can outplay a professor's magical chess set, and has enough courage to sacrifice himself in order to ensure a winning outcome, definitely had leadership talents that should be developed." In discussing who might become a prefect in Book 5, several people thought it could be Ron and a typical comment was that "it would be "a wonderful way for him to finally get his chance in the spotlight". (Y4162, Y4596, Y4310, Y6487, Y4128,
Y4614)
Poverty and Family"You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." [SS/PS, Chap. 6] "Mum, you've given me Ginny's new dress," said Ron, holding it out to her. [GoF, Chap. 10] As one member reminded us, "it sucks to be poor, regardless of how much your family loves you". It's easy to feel sorry for Ron being stuck with a wand finely matched to someone else and a rat who turns out to be a ratfink, but at least one member had no sympathy at all: "It's hard for me to get very weepy over Ron's early years ... everybody has problems growing up but it seems to me Ron's childhood was wonderful, as close to being perfect as anybody ever had". "He was always touchy about the fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had much more money than he did." [GoF, Chap 7] Because of his poor background, Ron was very sensitive about being given a Quidditch hat by Harry, and, later, it was noted that Harry made an anonymous donation to the "Ron Weasley dress robes fund," an indication that he was aware of Ron's sensitivity. Of course, it would be agony for an adolescent boy to go to a ball in dress robes that looked like a dress: "All that rigid gender sterotyping and homophobia would combine to humiliate him". Some feel that Molly Weasley is a "pushy, overbearing mother who lavishes attention on 'perfect' Percy," whilst being highly critical of Ron and the twins, which might be because Percy is the most like her. Others objected to the characterization of Molly as a pushy, pointing out that she is the only member of the family who is positive about Percy. Molly does appear to lavish more affection on Harry than on Ron. "I can see how that would really hurt," said one member. Although Ron complains about his family, some members feel that his moaning is what makes him normal, and that it is nothing unusual for a 14 year old. Being stubborn and loyal are, claims one Ron supporter "the best qualities in a friend". On the other hand, although Ron is undeniably 'normal' in the same way as Seamus, Dean, Ernie or Justin is normal; perhaps "his mediocrity is emphasized when compared to Harry and Hermione". In a recent Time Magazine article, JKR pinpointed Ron's "oddity" as having an unconventional parent in Arthur Weasley; not the more popular "family's-poor-sibling-rivalry" reasoning. There is some agreement that Ron's self esteem and confidence will improve as he gets older, and several members have posted detailed personal accounts of living in the shadow of high-achieving older or younger siblings. It has been said that Harry has an idealistic
view of Ron's childhood. He sees Mrs. Weasley as the ideal, loving
mother and Ron's family in general as something he never had, and longs
for. On the other hand, Ron has an idealistic view of Harry's
fame. He doesn't realise that there are problems, as well as advantages,
in being famous. Perhaps Ron resents his family because to him, they're
a reminder of the attention he never had. There is "a wonderful irony"
in the two boys' different perceptions of each
(Y5202)
Sibling RivalryRon has a hard time competing with the achievements and reputations of his brothers. Apart from wanting desperately to be Head Boy and Quidditch captain, as he sees in the Mirror of Erised, Ron probably wants more - perhaps "a record number of OWLs and maybe a win in the Triwizard Tournament" - in order to feel barely worthy of them. Having this type of ambition in order to raise self esteem is sometimes the sign of a critical or unloving family, but in the case of the Weasleys it may be that Molly is just spread too thinly to give him much attention. Ron's insecurity could be seen as understandable. He does everything he can to make himself as unlike his brothers as possible: he is less studious than Percy, better behaved than the twins and has said he'll never make Head Boy. Despite loving Quidditch, he doesn't seem interested in trying out for the school Quidditch team either. One of the more imaginative suggestions from our members was that Ron should "learn to play a portable musical instrument, or else become a quick sketch artist. Those are arenas that none of his brothers have succeeded in, and they are skills that earn the admiration of one's fellow party guests". From a more extreme viewpoint, if Ron died a heroic death in GoF it would represent "a bigger accomplishment" than any of his brothers had yet achieved. There are few instances of Ron's family being envious of anything that Ron had done. However, "we do see pride.... the Weasleys show family closeness and concern for one another all the time. His accomplishments do get rewarded with praise and attention". Although it is often the parents who set high standards for their children; it is reasonable to assume that, in this case, Ron "probably beats himself up in order to live up to the legacy of his brothers and only blames himself if he fails". Some believe Ron may be having an easier time living up to his brothers than Percy, because he does not have to deal so much with the "myth of two perfect brothers" - Bill and Charlie long having left Hogwarts - whereas everyone knows that Percy and the twins have their faults. An alternative view is that the opposite would be true: Percy is a model prefect and the twins are "fun, popular and good at Quidditch," and Ron has to live up to that as well as the legendary reputations of Bill and Charlie. (Y2821, Y4620, Y4663, Y5306)
AmbitionSome have suggested that compared to Harry and Hermione, Ron is stable, cheerful and has a "lack of intense ambition," and even that he feels comfortable in Harry's shadow because he's grown up in the shadow of his brothers". However, many would disagree with this and declare him one of the most, if not the most, ambitious characters in the series. For example, he shows far more ambition than "surface-level ambitious" Percy. When he looked into the Mirror of Erised in SS/PS what did he see? He saw himself, standing alone, more successful and admired than any of his friends and family. It could be argued that this ambition and his lack of distinction compared to those around him combine to fuel his insecurity. From this viewpoint, he is "someone plagued with doubts about his talents and skills, worried constantly that he won't measure up to his older brothers or his best friends". Another school of thought makes a distinction between Ron "being confident about his talents and skills (which are externals)" and "having a sense of self-worth". This trait shows itself in the fact that he isn't jealous of Harry's or Hermione's abilities; his jealousy in GoF was triggered because Harry was the centre of attention one time too many. One of his salient characteristics is the fact that he's struggling to define himself. Hermione talking to Harry about Ron: "It's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is...I know you don't ask for it, but Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend and you're really famous, he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you and he puts up with it and never mentions it but I suppose this was just one time too many." [GoF, Chapter 18]. To some, this "one time too many" is evidence that Ron had, in fact, been jealous of Harry in the past and that this was the straw that broke the camel's back. To others Ron's reaction was just "a very natural and common behaviour, which practically anybody would have adopted in the same situation." After all, wanting distinction - fame and attention - is very different from wanting to excel, and it could be argued that whereas Ron is frustrated by the lack of distinction; Harry was "driven to excellence through fear of failure". Accepting the fact that these two types of "ambition" arise from different kinds of insecurity, it was suggested that an ambition to excel is healthier than an ambition for fame and attention. Wanting fame is, in some cases, a sign that the subject needs the stamp of approval from others; it is not necessarily the sign of self-confidence it might appear to be. At the same time, excellence and fame do not spare Harry from developing feelings of insecurity and self-doubt; he doubts his own worth and, by his own admission, hates the attention heaped upon him. (e-20/12/00, "Ron" and "Ron/ Definition of "Shipper"
& "Mary Sue")
Jealousy of Harry"Oh, Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said despairingly, "He's jealous!" [GoF, Chap. 18] Potentially, Ron could feel vastly superior to Harry, given his upbringing in the wizarding world. Although he is on an exponential learning curve, Harry has only known of this alternative universe for 4 years. Ron, on the other hand, is "a veritable font of ...knowledge of the wizarding world". It is a mark of Ron's character that he doesn't lord over Harry the fact that he knows more about the world into which they were both born. Ron does show jealousy of Harry's fame and attention. For example, when Moody-Crouch told Harry and Hermione they each had the makings of an excellent auror, he didn't tell Ron this. The Marauder's Map is another possible source of jealousy between Ron and Harry. "After all, Ron's brothers gave the map to Harry rather than giving it to their own brother." Ron seems affronted initially, but does not seem to bear a grudge on this point. This may be because, whereas Ron had parental permission to go to Hogsmeade, Harry didn't, and he would have appreciated the fact that the twins gave the map to Harry so that he could have some fun in Hogsmeade. In GoF, when Bill left to go to Mr. Weasley, he "clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, kissed his mother on the cheek, pulled on his cloak, and strode quickly from the room." He didn't even acknowledge Ron. A discussion of Book 5 predictions, led to speculation over whether Ron would be upset if Harry and Hermione were made prefects. The consensus was that he would probably find it amusing, but would be secretly upset by it. It was felt likely that his jealousy would resurface, regardless of whether or not Harry and Hermione were made prefects. (Y4577, Y4594, Y6299)
The GoF ArgumentSeveral people felt uncomfortable with the huge row between Ron and Harry in GoF, with one member describing it as "more upsetting than the death of Cedric". Equally, the scene where the two made up again was regarded as a poignant moment: "Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back. Hermione burst into tears." Many agreed that Ron should be thoroughly ashamed of himself for having failed to support his friend in time of need. Others put it more bluntly and labelled him "an ass": he unjustly called his best friend a liar, something that would "permanently poison most friendships". Here was a friend who had saved his sister's life, a friend who had demonstrated a willingness to risk his own life to save him too. "I understand why he had the fight, he was jealous of Harry, and I understand why he was jealous, he was insecure; however understanding why somebody is obnoxious does not make him one bit less obnoxious," said one member. Some members felt that Ron's behaviour was justifiable. "It's not like we can't see how sorry Ron is for his absence... we have some indications after that of Ron trying to make up for it by trying to boost Harry's confidence". Ron's actions were understandable considering his upbringing and the fact that he would have apologised sooner "had Harry not done things that exacerbated the situation". The fact that he was ashamed of himself probably contributed to his reluctance to speak to Harry again after the initial fight. There were instances where it seemed one was ready to reconcile but the other wasn't, as is often the case with strong friendships. For example, Harry wanted to talk about it in Potions detention, but Ron was upset about the Skeeter article, and there was a chance to make up when Ron came down the stairs during Harry's chat with Sirius, but Harry was annoyed at the conversation being interrupted. Being a teenager means "frequently hurting each other very badly because of not knowing a better way to act, trying to figure out the best way to act but guessing wrong..." In the final analysis, Ron was an idiot for starting the argument and should have known that he was being a prat, whilst Harry was guilty of prolonging the fight with a further outburst and by refusing to meet his friend on common ground. Some think Harry should have knocked Ron's block off; others hold that Harry showed a lack of sensitivity to Ron's feelings. And never the twain shall meet... (e-09/10/00, "Harry's lack of consideration")
Betrayal?JKR has been reported as saying that someone would turn on Harry in the later books and some members wondered if this could be Ron, even making parallels with Peter Pettigrew. "I can't help but wonder if he might be seduced by money or material items to betray Harry at some point," was a typical comment, although there was also agreement that any betrayal would be an unwitting one: "In his quest for some type of notoriety he might compromise his values in a way that could help out the big V". A betrayal could be over romantic interest in Hermione or it might result from Ron gradually feeling less "needed" as Harry wises up to the wizarding world. It is, perhaps, understandable that people have uneasy feelings about Ron. He is obviously humiliated by his lack of money, and by some accounts, "too often, those who are humiliated take revenge". Pre-GoF, there was reference to the fact that the hero's sidekick never gets the glory. Ron wants to stand out from the rest, as the Mirror of Erised reveals, but finds himself, instead, in the shade of his best friend, Harry, the hero. "Let's hope the green-eyed monster of jealousy never bites Ron, the way it bit Peter Pettigrew," said one member. Although there was some support for the idea that Ron could go "the way of Wormtail," another member thought this unlikely, because Ron "brings a lot to the trio," whereas Peter "always hung around with those more powerful than him". There is also the fact that Ron comes from a wizarding family that absolutely despises Dark Magic, although it was proposed that Ron might act under an external influence, as when Ginny fell under the spell of Riddle's diary. One scenario for unwitting betrayal would see Harry go into hiding and Ron becoming his secret-keeper. Ron might then betray Harry indirectly by revealing Harry's location to someone he trusts. One or two thought this was plausible and agreed that if there was a betrayal of Harry, the betrayer probably wouldn't realise what they had done Some people have drawn a parallel between Harry, Ron and Hermione and the possible triumvirate of James, Lily and Voldemort (Riddle). Could Ron's becoming increasingly jealous and resentful of Harry be an echo of Voldemort's past jealousy of James? (Y474, Y2817, Y2833, Y2809, Y2837, Y4992,
Y2831)
Will Ron Ever Get a Chance to Play Quidditch?"The Chudley Cannons," said Ron, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league." [CoS, Chap. 3] The idea of Ron joining the Gryffindor
House team in one of the later books is a popular one, especially as some
of the existing team will have left the school in OotP. Ron
could be made Keeper of Gryffindor to replace Oliver Wood, but he might
not get his chance until the twins and some of the Chasers leave.
One member thought Ron would get to be Keeper and Captain of the team,
because he is good at chess, a game that requires "planning, insight, thinking
ahead, laying out a strategy". However, Ron
Ron could take over as a Beater and one of the twins could move to Keeper, but some members thought the twins should not and would not be split up as they are, to quote Oliver Wood, "like a pair of human Bludgers themselves". Another theory is that Ron could join the squad as a "second-string" player and surprise everyone by pointing out a brilliant strategy. There were concerns that if Ron played on the Quidditch team Voldemort might be better able to cause injury to Harry's 'wheezy'. Ron's predicament could be part of a vicious cycle. He does not have a good enough broom, so he cannot practice and is not good enough to get onto the team. Because he is not good enough to get on the team he cannot justify asking his parents for a better broom. So he cannot get onto the team. Although Ron isn't too proud to borrow a broom for tryouts, perhaps he avoids trying out because he believes that his parents don't have enough money to buy him a decent broom even if he did get on the team. Hopefully Ron will get an opportunity to show his Quidditch ability in the future. His build suggests that he may be a good Keeper. His seems to have good logical reasoning and forward thought to work out what moves others will take. On top of this he is tall which would make reaching the Quaffle much easier. (Y6051, Y6393, Y6376, Y6074, Y669)
Is Ron a Seer?"Ron peered into Harry's teacup, his forehead wrinkled with effort. "There's a blob a bit like a bowler hat," he said. "Maybe you're going to work for the Ministry of Magic..." [PoA, Chap. 6] "Next Monday," he said, as he scribbled, "I am likely to develop a cough, owing to the unlucky conjunction of Mars and Jupiter". [ref?] Unlikely as it may seem, some of Ron's comments have been interpreted as a demonstration of possible psychic potential. For example, in Chapter 13 of CoS, when Ron, Harry, and Hermione are trying to figure out how Tom Riddle earned an award for special services to the school, Ron says, "Maybe he murdered Myrtle." This, of course, turns out to be true. When Ron read Harry's tea leaves in PoA he predicted "a windfall, unexpected gold". This could be another example of the theory that Ron is a seer who doesn't realise his own abilities: Harry did get a windfall (and gold) the next year, when, in GoF, he "won" 1000 Galleons for the Triwizard Tournament. In fact, stretching the point slightly, there were two even earlier 'windfalls': the leprechaun gold that Ron had poured on him, and the Firebolt he received from Sirius! Ron also predicted that Harry would work for the MoM. Meanwhile, JKR was reported as saying that someone unlikely would become a teacher at Hogwarts and one member suggested that Ron might even take Trelawney's place. This led to speculation that, under Professor Weasley's watchful eye, the students might spend the Divination lessons seeing who could "lob the crystal balls and tea cups ... furthest out the window". When he and Harry made up their star charts for Trelawney's homework, Ron predicted - albeit not seriously - that Harry would get stabbed in the back by someone he thought was a friend. His prediction, if not his timing, was correct. Ron also made up some predictions about his own fate - guessing that he would drown and get trampled by a rampaging hippogriff. It's fair to say that, "at most, only one of these could happen". It's easy to ignore incorrect predictions and read significance into correct ones, but could Ron develop a talent for precognition to give him that special 'edge' he needs? (e-12/11/00, "Talons & Tealeaves"
thread)
Will Ron Be Killed Off?Prior to the release of GoF, JKR said in interviews (e.g. Rosie O'Donnell show) that people worried about Ron, because, in films, it is often the hero's best friend who dies. In other interviews, she reportedly confirmed that it wouldn't be Ron. As it turned out, Ron wasn't the "major character" who died in GoF, but some still think his number will be up before Book 7. One member noted that the description of the dead unicorn in SS/PS paralleled and foreshadowed the death of Cedric in GoF, and Cedric, we are told, has unicorn hair in his wand ..like Ron. "Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair." [PoA, Chap. 4] There were cries of "No not Ron, PLEASE not Ron, I'll do anything...!" and Kathleen MacMillan promptly founded "SPUHTOBR (Society for the Prevention of Undue Harm to Our Beloved Ron)" and asked two Sickles for membership. (Y42)
Love InterestIn PoA, whilst Harry sided with Ron in the argument between Ron and Hermione over Crookshanks, he did attempt to get them back together, whereas Ron remained stubborn. "Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other" [PoA, Chap. Following the row about Divination]. 'Can't you give her a break?' Harry asked Ron quietly. 'No,' said Ron flatly. 'If she just acted like she's sorry ....'" [PoA, Chap ] Based on Ron's petulant behaviour in PoA and GoF, many members conclude that JKR is leading into a romance between Ron and Hermione in one of the later books, and, although there is some dispute over her feelings toward him, he clearly likes her. Ron and Harry are still at an age where they are unsure how to talk to girls, and Ron is probably still at the 'pester them' stage. In GoF, adolescent hormones started kicking in. He drooled over Fleur and he's probably mixed up about his 'liking' for Hermione, whilst still seeing her as "a pal, a buddy, a fellow adventurer". There is a body of opinion that thinks Hermione should and will end up in the arms of Harry Potter, even if it is long after they leave Hogwarts. Who would that leave for Ron? Is Wheezy likely to be in any sort of relationship by the end of the series? See Potential Romantic Pairings for more on Ron's relationship with Hermione. Miscellaneous TopicsRon's Name The name Weasley led to the suggestion of a parallel between Ron and the fable of Running Weasel, who was killed by his rat. Ron means "favoured and powerful advisor". Ron's Owl How would Ron explain to his parents where he got Pigwidgeon? Three suggestions: (1) he could say that Hagrid gave it to him, (2) he could tell them Hedwig had had a baby, or (3) "the truth is always a nice touch". Ron's Birthday Ron's birthday has been suggested as being in March or early May, because "there's something about those March/May folks I've known that reminds me of him". May is considered possible, because of Ron's Taurean traits, but a June birthday is also feasible, as it is just after the kids leave Hogwarts for the summer and we tend to hear little about the early part of the summer. [We now know that Ron's birthday is March 1 --Ed.] (e-19/09/00 "Ron's birthday" thread) Triumvirate Dynamics In the principal triumvirate or triad, Ron could represent 'Heart' to Hermione's 'Mind' and Harry's 'Soul'. Alternatively, in mythology, that would be represented as 'Heart', 'Head' and 'Sword'. Another, more psychoanalytical, possibility is, 'Id', 'Superego', and 'Ego'. |
| All original material is copyright 2002, Harry Potter for Grownups. Do not use this material without permission! created 6/10/01 | last update 7/30/01 | email the webmistress |