Percy

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 15164

Hi --

muggle-reader at angelfire.com wrote:

> <long snip from CoS> Clearly Ginny is in a state of mental distress.
> She is anxious, panicky, and hyperreflexic. Upon learning that Ginny
> was about to divulge "important" news, Percy, with egocentric urgency,
>
> thinks "It's all about ME!", hence choking on his tea. He does not
> even consider the important news is about the Chamber, much less that
> his sister could possibly have any information about the Chamber.
> Percy's only "concern" is to save himself. In one fell swoop, Percy
> discredits Ginny's "important" news, questions her integrity and
> discredits Ron's concern for Ginny.

I put a completely different spin on that scene.  I think Ginny
hero-worships Percy a bit, thus explaining her need to scamper away.
Percy's motivations -- I hadn't thought of self-centeredness.  That's
admittedly plausible.  But, I think it's equally plausible that
insecurity is at play.  She's apparently only recently discovered that
Percy has a girlfriend, and it's something Percy doesn't want to share
with his brothers.  He seems very shy about it, and he just leaps to the
conclusion that she was about to "tell" on him.  I also don't think it's
that unusual that he would think that her news involved something
personal -- she's an 11-yr old girl, his little sister.  Why would he
think that she had important revelations about the Chamber?  Ron & Harry
don't necessarily think so either.  They know they were asking her about
the Chamber, but her answer might have just as easily been to do with
Percy as with the Chamber.  All she'd said was that she had something
"important" to tell them.

> Moreover it shows that Percy follows his preconceived notions when
> assessing a situation rather than listening and sorting through the
> facts. Ron's response, to Hermione's comment that Percy wouldn't give
> any of his family to the Dementors, of "I don't know, " said Ron. "If
> he thought we were standing in the way of his career
Percy's really
> ambitious you know
"( GoF, Ch 27) doesn't seem completely off the mark
> in light of Percy's history.

I think it does.  I think the subtle ways that Rowling has illustrated
him demonstrating family loyalty & caring concern for his siblings in
times of trial indicates he would *not* let his ambitions get in the way
of family ties.  He's obviously going to have a struggle, because JKR
has also emphasized his ambition and his adherence to rules.  However,
my bet is with Hermione's judgment, not Ron's.

> I truly want Percy to side with Dumbledore and the rest of the
> Weasley's in the upcoming books. J. K. Rowling could have Percy see
> the light. But at this point, Percy's character can convincingly go
> either way.

Yeah, it can.  You're definitely right about that.   I have more
confidence in Percy though than in Ron to be honest.  I see Ron as a
much more likely pawn of the dark side than Percy.

Penny



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