Ron's money problems (was Re: Ron Week: More Questions)

[Rosmerta]

No: HPFGUIDX 16285

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., arabella at s... wrote:
> 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). 

I agree with everyone who's said Ron's become more rigid as the books 
go on, but I think part of this has to do with his poverty. At 11, 
you may be a little bothered by your used stuff, but by 14, you care 
very much. 

The scene in GoF with his dress robes is played for laughs, but it's 
heartwrenching for a teenager to be wearing loser clothes, and 
especially to a big event like the Yule Ball. Yes, he was a jerk at 
the Ball, but why be nice to Padma when, after all, "she didn't look 
to enthusiastic about having Ron as a partner....and her dark eyes 
lingered on the frayed neck and sleeves of his dress robes as she 
looked him up and down." You can bet Ron didn't miss that look.

And how must Quidditch-loving Ron feel to have his already famous 
best friend zooming around on the best broomstick ever made while 
he's got to ride something that gets passed by butterflies? 

Yes, Ron needs to get over those feelings of jealousy and inadequacy, 
but he won't really be able to do that until he gets out of Hogwarts, 
gets a job and can start a life of his own. After all, Bill and 
Charlie seem to be doing just fine (Bill's got enough swag to splurge 
on a pair of dragon boots, after all), but look how the twins behave 
in GoF. The middle teens are the times when you feel the poverty the 
most and can do the least about it, so my heart goes out to Ron. I 
think we should cut him a little slack.

[And as an aside--why *are* the Weasleys still so broke? By GoF, 
they've got three of the kids working and two of them out of the 
house. I wonder if the parting of the ways will help or hurt Arthur. 
If he gets booted out of his ministry job for insubordination or some 
such, there'll be big problems at home.]

~Rosmerta