Delurking in defense of Ron

[milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 7397

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, zsenya at y... wrote:
> AIGHGHHGH!
> I have been receiving HP for Grownups in digest form for weeks now 
(I 
> posted a bit in the beginning) but have to come out of lurkdom to 
> defend Ron, I just have to.  
> 
> I think Ron is a wonderful character in that he is very *normal.* 
> People talk about getting funny feelings about Ron, that there is 
> something unsettling about him - perhaps there is something 
unsettling 
> about every 14 year old boy?  To me, there is something much more 
> freaky about Harry.  I mean, he's so polite and nice but he's been 
> brought up in such an awful home and his worst trait seems to be a 
> slight disregard for rules and a tendency to sulk a bit.
> 
> People who don't like Ron seem to think that he complains about 
things 
> that he shouldn't complain about (like his wonderful family, for 
> example), but I find those complaints make him more human. I have a 
> wonderful family life and at 14 I really wished I didn't so that I 
> could fit in better with my punk rock friends.
> 
> Another writer described Ron as "pale" and "relatively nondescript" 
I 
> am gripping my computer tightly and gasping.  Are we reading the 
same 
> books?  I wonder if myself and a friend of mine who have been 
writing 
> Ron/Hermione fanfics have just projected a bunch of characteristics 
> onto him that don't really have any basis in the books.  Who is Ron 
> really, as JK Rowling writes him? True, we can't know his inner 
> thoughts, because the stories are not from his POV, but he is a 
very 
> vocal character. I think there is little doubt as to how Ron is 
> feeling most of the time. I'm sure you guys have been through these 
> points before, but, I mean, look at the way he sacrificed himself 
on 
> the chess board, look at how he went down into the Chamber of 
Secrets
> to find his sister, look at how he stood up to Harry in front of 
> Sirius Black. True, GoF dealt with situations in which Ron could 
not 
> really play a heroic part, but if he had been able to help, he 
would 
> have. And he will. I am sure of it. And if he betrays Harry in any 
> way, well, then, my heart will be broken, and I will just have to 
> write my own Harry Potter books and forget about JK Rowling. So 
There. 
> 
> Also, re: a few of the other threads, (as I said before, I am a big 
> Ron/Hermione shipper) wasn't it Anne Shirley herself who said 
> something to the effect that she wanted the man she fell in love 
with 
> to be a little bit wicked. Truth be told, if you look at all the 
Anne
> books, Gilbert is a bit boring by the end there (don't get me 
wrong, 
> he's still great, and has his moments, but he is very sort of, 
well, 
> just there, being honorable and good, isn't he?)  To me, Ron is 
lovely 
> and wicked.  Harry isn't perfect, but he's likely to suffer from 
all 
> sorts of depression and intimacy issues as he grows up due to his 
> upbringing.
> 
> Oh! And I was a big fan of Edmund in Lion, the Witch, and the 
> Wardrobe.  Maybe there's something wrong with me but I couldn't 
help 
> it.  He was so misunderstood - but he came around didn't he - he 
got 
> to be a king with his siblings.  And actually, it is Susan who 
turns 
> out to be the black sheep if you get to the end of the series.  I 
> never did like her.
> 
> Re: the kiss - I don't think it meant anything.  If ANYTHING, it 
> proves that Hermione likes Ron (hehe) - if you like someone you are 
> probably completely afraid to have any physical contact with them 
at 
> all, whereas if you just consider someone a friend, a little peck 
on 
> the cheek is a nice gesture of friendship.    Poor girl probably 
> trembles with emotion every time Ron is near - he's so tall and 
> red-headed.
> 
> Okay, well, I hope nobody's upset (and I hope you recognize that 
I'm 
> being good-natured - it's hard to come across in email)- I just 
felt I 
> had to speak up in defense of Ron.  Poor guy!  My friend and I are 
> actually working on a project now, which we plan to "debut" after 
New 
> Year's which is a website devoted to fanfiction writing and our 
dear 
> friend Ron.  I will post an official announcement when it is all 
done.
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone!

I agree with you on some of your points. Ron is 'normal'. Ron is 
normal like Seamus, Dean, Ernie or Justin. I think his mediocrity is 
emphasized when compared to Harry and Hermione. During Ron and 
Harry's falling out in GoF, Ron was able to "hang out with" Seamus, 
Dean, Fred, George and Lee Jordan rather easily. It tells me that Ron 
isn't as introverted as Harry or Hermione, who made no attempts to 
socialize with other groups during their falling outs. But, 
considering Harry's Dursley background, I expect him to be somewhat 
introverted and socially inept.

As for Gilbert Blythe, he wasn't completely 'true' to Anne. I 
remember that he was engaged to Christine in one of the middle books 
and in one of the later books he flirted with Christine, ignoring 
Anne as she tripped into a puddle. 

Edmund was a complex character, in a way, reminiscent of Snape: a 
reformed traitor. I think getting stabbed in the belly during the big 
fight was the first step to redemption. At the end of "Lion, Witch, 
and Wardrobe", King Edmund was very wise and gave good advise to High 
King Peter, He was quite level-headed in "Prince Caspian and the 
Voyage of the Dawn Treader". (I thought Susan's end was more 
shocking, as Lewis never gave any hints to support it.) Edmund and 
Snape exemplify that despite past poor choices, one can rise above it 
and change.

:-) Milz