Ron Week: More Questions

[arabella at sugarquill.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 16270

> Harry and Hermione don't have these 
> preconceptions, as were raised in Muggle homes, but I don't think 
> this excuses Ron - he should rise above it.

He should indeed.  And in many ways, I think he does.  By the end of  
GoF, Ron's only truly unresolved prejudice is that against the 
rights of the house-elves, and IMO, that issue is unresolved 
altogether for everyone.  S.P.E.W. seems to dwindle off even for 
Hermione (though I'd be surprised if it didn't make a comeback on
some 
level) and we never hear anything from Arthur Weasley again after he 
gives Hermione his support on the stand for elfish rights at the 
Quidditch World Cup. 
 
But as for prejudice aside from that against house-elves: we've never 
heard another word from Ron on the subject of werewolves, so I'm 
assuming he managed to get over that one.  Also, Ron needs very  
little prompting to surmount his struggle with his feelings about  
Hagrid being half-giant ("'Who cares?' Harry said. 'There's nothing 
wrong with Hagrid!'  'I know there isn't, but...blimey, no wonder he  
keeps it quiet,' said Ron, shaking his head." And then, "'Well... 
no one who knows him will care, 'cos they'll know he's not
dangerous." 
Granted, Ron goes on to say that "they're just vicious, giants," but  
as he points out, it's more in their natures than anything else, just 
as Hagrid points out that it wasn't in his own mother's nature to be  
maternal.)  From what I've read of Ron, he notices and admits the 
prejudices he feels, is able to discuss them, (yes, he even discusses 
the house-elves; he may be sticking to the wrong guns, but he's got  
guns in that argument - Winky *does* seem extremely miserable having  
been freed and though that's the natural struggle of the oppressed,  
it is still a difficult struggle for a 14 year old to understand),
and 
more often than not, he comes to learn and move forward in his  
thoughts.  After all, what kind of realistic character would Ron be  
if he didn't even have these thoughts to begin with, especially
having 
grown up in the wizarding community? 

> By GoF, I feel that Ron has seriously regressed.  He has almost 
> turned into a clown - bitter, jealous and sad on the inside, a
joker 
> on the outside.  

Wow.  That's a pretty negative painting of a character who gives me a 
lot of joy; let's see what I can say about that.  I'll agree with you 
that Ron has a jealous streak.  Oh yes.  On two levels, really (and I 
 think it's someone from SugarQuill who said this on one of the 
boards; I can't remember whom it was and I apologize for lifting your 
logic).  First, Ron's jealousy is in relationship to Harry's 
limelight.  Secondly, his jealousy is in relationship to other 
people's (not just Harry's, I imagine) material possessions.  

On the limelight issue: I'm hoping that his fight with Harry will  
inform Ron's position on this from here on out, and in fact I think 
we can already see him beginning to be a bigger person on this front 
"In tribute to their recently repaired friendship, Ron had kept the 
bitterness in his voice to a bare minimum."  That's a pretty good 
show for a young guy who's feeling edgy about this whole Yule Ball  
business.  I'm also hoping that, in light of what Harry has just been 
 through with Voldemort, Ron will begin to see that the limelight  
isn't necessarily the best of all places to be.  Of course, that's  
just a hope right now, but I have faith in Ron. <g>  My final hope on 
 that score is that Ron will come into a little limelight of his own  
that will give him a sense of self-worth that kills his jealousy of  
Harry.  (Though, as Ebony has beautifully pointed out, Ron already
has 
a lot of important things that Harry doesn't have, and if he'd wake
up 
and realize it, he'd be a bit better off, emotionally.)  

The material possessions issue is a little different; it cuts very  
deeply into Ron.  He makes comment after comment about his poverty  
and other people's comparative ease.  He's extremely unhappy about
his 
financial situation.  But I think it shows a strength, rather than a  
weakness, that he is willing to admit this in such a forthright  
manner ("I hate being poor.")  In my opinion, that's a damn hard
thing 
to say, especially in front of your best friend who has money and the 
girl you've got a crush on (that's IMO).  Ron is at least aware of  
who he is and what his struggles are and what motivates him.  I think 
 that's a huge first step to improving himself and overcoming those 
emotions. 

>This seems what Harry values him for.  When they are 
> no longer speaking, Harry misses Ron who can make him laugh, talk
to 
> him about Quiddich, make Potions and Divination bearable.  

Yes.  Absolutely.  And we know how much Harry values laughter because 
 at the end of GoF, he more or less purchases some from the twins,
for 
 his future.  "I could do with a few laughs.  We could all do with a  
few laughs.  I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than  
usual before long."   I think that Ron's wisecracking element is  
essential to Harry.  Harry loves him for it. 

>(I hated Ron during the Yule Ball episode, despite feeling very
sorry 
> for him)

Yeah, he was a prat there, wasn't he?  Attraction can cause the best  
of us to go off the deep end, though, I imagine - and that's what I  
see as the root cause of Ron's ridiculous behavior.  I don't worry
too 
much about Hermione, though - she can take care of herself.  She got  
him back nice and quick -  had him mouthing like a goldfish out of 
water by the end of the night. <g>

> Harry and Hermione seem so much more mature 

I'll give you that on the level that both Harry and Hermione seem to 
be able to contain their emotional responses more readily than Ron 
can do.  IMO: Harry acts on his core instinct, Hermione on her
logical 
deductions, and Ron goes more or less right from the gut - emotion  
seems to drive him along and that can be seen as an immature level on 
which to function.  I personally think there's something  
heartbreakingly honest about that kind of emotional impulsiveness,  
but that's just my opinion.  Also, IMO, Hermione and Ron tend to  
function on an identical level from time to time, leaving Harry alone 
 to shoot for the marrow of the issue.  My favorite example of this
is 
 the passage, "'You just don't like Crouch because of that elf,  
Winky' said Ron, sending a cushion soaring into the window.  'You
just 
want to think Snape's up to something,' said Hermione, sending her 
cushion zooming neatly into the box.  'I just want to know what Snape 
did with his first chance; if he's on his second one,' said Harry 
grimly..."   And then again, at the end of GoF, Ron and Hermione 
regard Harry almost as if they are afraid of him.  I don't  
necessarily see Hermione as so much more mature than Ron, on either
of 
these occasions - rather, it is Harry who seems to rise above them  
both.  Of course having seen what he's just seen at the end, that's 
 hardly surprising.

> I am hoping that the events at the end of GoF will hope Ron grow
> up. 

I can't imagine anybody who really loves Harry remaining unaltered at 
 this point.  And since Ron has shown far more friendship than  
fighting toward Harry when all four books are measured, I can't help  
thinking that yes, Ron does love Harry and care about him very much. 

~Arabella