Ron Week - NOW We're Talking!!!

[zsenya at sugarquill.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 16195

Moey - you are my twin aren't you - I had a whole response lined up 
and you said pretty much everything that I wanted to, but I will go 
ahead and put it in my own words...

> > Ron is arguably the least developed of the Hogwarts three, but he 
> > plays an important role in supplying H&H with critical 
information 
> > because of his Wizarding background.  As late as the 4th book he 
is 
> > still filling-in background information that Harry & Hermione 
didn't 
> > know because they were muggle-raised (info about giants; 
attitudes of 
> > house elves).  Here are a few more questions to help keep things 
> > going during Ron Week:

He is? He is the least developed? In what way? I don't think he is 
any less developed than Hermione's character and if he is least 
developed, then a lot of people seem to have a lot of firm ideas on 
him based on very little.  Perhaps people get that impression because 
Ron is closer to an actual child than any of the other students at 
Hogwarts.

> > A. The ability to play chess well indicates a high native 
intellect, 
> > the ability to think strategically, and the ability to consider a 
> > large number of simultaneous threats.  Good chess players are 
> > frequently good in science and mathematics.  How has Ron 
demonstrated 
> > his native ability in areas other than the chess board?  

I'll add to everything that Moey said by saying that Ron was a big 
help in working with Hermione and Hagrid towards a case for 
Buckbeak.  Is this foreshadowing for my dream of Ron as Defense 
Attorney?

> > B. Is Ron suffering from depression?  There are a number of 
clues, 
> > including his bouts of low self-esteem, jealousy of Harry and 
> > Hermione, and poor performance in his school work (despite his 
high 
> > intellect, noted above).  

Having had very close contact with more than one person who suffers 
from depression, I can say that Ron does not seem to be a prime 
candidate.  He seems pretty well adjusted to me. We don't have 
evidence that he does badly in school (do we?) As a matter of fact, 
his grades are almost always mentioned in conjunction with Harry's as 
being not too bad (but not up to Hermione's standards, of course).  
Although in Book 4, he did demonstrate jealousy of Harry during that 
fight which seems to have damned Ron in many a person's eyes (despite 
Harry's obvious role in the situation), I don't know that I've ever 
seen evidence that he's jealous of Hermione.  I'm not sure that at 
this point in his life, he sees her grades and attentiveness to 
schoolwork as anything that one might be jealous of.  None of the 
depressed people I know would fight the way that Ron does.  They 
might curl up in a ball and lock themselves in their room, but they 
wouldn't throw punches, obviously sulk and be loud about it.  Now 
that I think about it - Harry is the one who seems more likely to 
suffer depression than any of them.

The "turmoil" that Moey mentioned in her post is evident in the book 
s and entirely age appropriate.  Of course he hates being poor.  My 
family wasn't dirt poor when I was growing up, but my mother never 
broke down and bought the fashionable clothes for me, and boy did it 
cause some tantrums as a young teenager.  It never developed into 
anything more evil than that. I got over it and so, I think, will Ron.

> > How might this play out in later books -- i.e., is Ron a 
> > candidate to become a DE?

NO! NO! NO! (okay, that was a bit immature, but it's how I feel).  I 
am 100% convinced that Ron won't become a DE, although I'm only 90% 
sure that Harry won't die (grins at Moey)

> > D. Although Ron is a rabid Quidditch fan, he has not yet made the 
> > Gryffindor team.  How has Harry's success (in his first year!) 
> > affected their relationship?  Would it be a good thing for their 
> > relationship if Ron finally made the team?

I'm sure that Ron would love to be on the team, but once again, I 
don't see any evidence that it's bothering him that much, except when 
he sees himself as Quidditch captain in the Mirror of Erised first 
year.  He enjoys being a spectator very much, and I suspect that he 
might even be a little relieved that he doesn't have to go through 
what Harry does.  Remember also that in addition to Harry, Ron's two 
older brothers are on the team and their presence may be more of a 
hindrance in his eyes, than Harry.  The first time a position really 
opened up on the Gryffindor team was fourth year, and Quidditch was 
cancelled. I have my fingers crossed that Ron will get to be Keeper 
next year.

I'm worn out.  I'll defend Ron til the end, because really, no matter 
how many *suspicions* people have of him, he hasn't done anything bad 
yet, and until he does (if he does) I'm standing by him as much as I 
stand by Hermione and Harry.  We don't really know that Ron will 
cross over to the other side any more than we know whether or not 
Harry will become a chain-smoking basket-case in constant therapy.

:)Zsenya, who hopes that after Book 7, all of the Weasleys and Harry 
will retire to SugarQuill Island to lounge around in the official SQ 
uniform.