[HPforGrownups] Ron/Sirius parallels

[Monika Huebner]

No: HPFGUIDX 11036

On Sun, 28 Jan 2001 05:28:20 -0000, drmm at fuuko.com wrote:

>On a completely unrelated note (well, maybe slightly R/H related as 
>it's a semi-defense of Ron, but not really), I've decided to come up 
>with a bunch of parallels between Ron & Sirius to confuse the 
>Ron-dislikers but Sirius-likers . . .

Not confused at all, but I see their characters in a completely
different way. 

>1.  They both have tempers.  We've seen *tons* of times that Ron has 
>gotten upset, and Sirius' actions in the Shrieking Shack don't show a 
>whole lot of calmness of mind IMO. 

They both have tempers, that's right, but for entirely different
reasons. Ron is overshadowed by his brothers and unsecure, but this
has already been discussed a lot on this list, so I won't go on
elaborating on it.

Sirius' outbursts of anger and violence in PoA are something entirely
different. He has severe psychological problems, and I am convinced he
is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I don't want
to repeat myself, please read my post in the Post Hogwarts PTSD thread
on this topic. 

> A person with a calmer temperment 
>(and I don't understand why Lupin went along with Sirius) would have 
>realized that taking Peter to the authorities would be a better
>action than killing him . . . 

As I said above, the temperament Sirius shows in the Shrieking Shack
is not a personality trait but a classic PTSD symptom. He is not
himself at this time, didn't you ever ask yourself why he was so calm
and analytical in GoF?

> Sirius is willing to risk
>his life to save Lily & James and is willing to kill the person who 
>betrayed them (although I don't think that's terribly wise or 
>thoughtful of him).

No, it isn't. He overreacted to a traumatic event, and he wasn't able
to think clearly or concentrate at that time. As I explained in my
other post, this was a biological reaction to a traumatic threat, and
when this happens to you, you aren't capable of being wise or
thoughtful.

>Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Sirius (although really, since 
>Snape is my favorite character, I don't quite understand that werewolf 
>incident).  I just think if people give him a break for doing stupid 
>things in his youth, they should pass it on to Ron too.

Oh, I have never blamed Ron myself. I like him, and I think he still
has all the time he needs to improve when he gets older. 

Monika 
(who just couldn't keep herself from defending Sirius and who is
convinced that his behavior during PoA is *not* due to poor impulse
control).


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