Weasleys and the Problem of Money

[betsy fallon <betsyfallon@hotmail.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48218

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Carol Bainbridge <kaityf at j...> 
wrote:
> Darla wrote:
> >There's been something nagging at me about the Weasleys lack of
> >money. If they are so hard up, as they appear to be on several 
occasions
> >(i.e hand-me-down robes, shortage of family owls etc), why did they
> >blow the money they won in PoA on a holiday abroad?
> 
> Corinth replied:
> >I didn't see it as blowing the money on a just-for-fun vacation.  
If
> >I remember correctly (sorry, no books at my disposal), they 
traveled
> >in order to see Bill, whom they hadn't see in two or three years.
> >Why waste the money on luxury items that the family has done
> >perfectly well without if they can see their oldest son, and get a
> >vacation in the process?
> 
> bboy_mn comments:
> >I'm inclinded to agree with Corinth, spending the money on a 
vaction
> >to visit their son and to give the kids an experience that they 
would
> >remember for a lifetime is hardly 'blowing it'.
> >
> ><snip> They didn't just hold on to it and let in nickle and dime 
away until
> >it was gone, the did something which to them was spectacular. A 
once
> >in a lifetime opportunity to give their kids something big, 
special,
> >and memorable. It may not have been the most finacially sound 
choice,
> >but by much deeper more heartfelt standards I feel it was the 
better
> >choice.
> 
> I think JKR is doing more with this vacation than what we see at 
this 
> point.  Certainly the trip is needed to get the story started -- 
without 
> the picture of Scabbers sitting on Ron's shoulders, Sirius wouldn't 
go to 
> Hogwarts, etc.,  It wouldn't surprise me to learn too that JKR used 
it to 
> tell us something about the Weasley family and their values.  
However, I 
> think there's even more to it than that and I'm sure we'll be 
finding out 
> what that is later.  I'm sure that the trip was in some way related 
to what 
> Arthur really does at the Ministry of Magic.
> 
> Arthur works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, but then 
some things 
> don't make sense about what he does.  For one thing, after the 
Quidditch 
> World Cup at which the Dark Mark appeared, Molly comments to the 
Weasley 
> children: "Your father hasn't had to go into the office on weekends 
since 
> the days of You-Know-Who."  Why is Arthur's presence required at 
the 
> Ministry?  Are they so short of help that people from every single 
> department must come into the office?  That doesn't make sense.  
Also, in 
> PoA, Ron tells Harry that his dad had to visit Azkaban once.  Why?  
Was he 
> visiting friends?  That seems odd.  What would Arthur be doing 
> there?  Finally, according to _Magical Worlds of Harry Potter_ by 
David 
> Colbert, many scholars believe Egypt to be the origin of magical 
knowledge, 
> and Hermione also mentions how fascinating Egyptian wizards were.  
Another 
> link to Egypt is the scarab or dung beetle, which the kids have 
used in 
> potions class and which symbolized immortality.  And what is 
Voldemort 
> after?  (Wouldn't surprise me if Egypt turns out to be the place 
the kids 
> will visit outside of Hogwarts.)
> 
> I really do think that the Weasleys didn't win this money at all, 
that it 
> came from the MOM and that Arthur was on official business in 
Egypt.  Of 
> course, all this could be coincidence that is just fun to think 
about, but 
> I don't think so.  I think there's something about Arthur's past 
(and 
> present) that explains the deep animosity between him and Lucius.  
I think 
> Arthur truly loves Muggles and is fascinated by them and that 
attitude 
> makes a perfect cover for whatever it is he actually does.  I think 
he's 
> much more significant than he appears to be on the surface.
> 
> bboy_mn again:
> >Now a related but slightly different subject. <snip>
> >It's true that Hermione said Ron was jealous, but the only
> >conversation where Ron gets to speak for himself reveals different
> >feeling if you analyse it objectively.
> 
> Well, aside from the fact that analyzing literature in a completely 
> objective way is near impossible, I still might agree that jealousy 
is not 
> the only thing Ron was feeling.  I do, however, think that was part 
of it.
> 
> bboy_mn:
> >It reveals that Ron felt like
> >his friendship had been betrayed. So, if the is foreshadowing, it 
will
> >be in Ron feeling deeply betrayed by Harry again, and these
> >circumstances will open Ron up to manipulation by other people.
> 
> This is certainly possible, but I also think that it's Ron's 
frustration 
> with his position, financial and otherwise, that could lead to his 
being 
> manipulated.  When I think of Ron being manipulated, I always think 
of it 
> as coming from something more "innocent" than jealousy or sense of 
> betrayal.  With both jealousy and a sense of betrayal, a person may 
have a 
> feeling of wanting to get even with someone.  I don't think that's 
true of 
> the frustration with lack of money.  If Ron is growing more and 
more bitter 
> about his position, he doesn't necessarily want to be better than 
anyone 
> else or get even with anyone.  It's more of a self-comparison than 
a 
> comparison with others.  I hope that makes sense to someone.  He 
just wants 
> to feel good about himself, but he doesn't need to hurt someone or 
see 
> someone fall in order to get that feeling.
> 
> >But I
> >don't think for a second that Ron will ever really truly go over to
> >the dark side. He will go through a period where his judgement may 
be
> >clouded by emotion, and there for easy to manipulate, but when it 
gets
> >right down to it, Ron will return to his true nature.
> 
> That's exactly what I think.  It's also what makes me sometimes 
think that 
> he could end up sacrificing himself at the end, just as he does in 
the 
> chess game in PS/SS.  If he does get manipulated, I would say he'd 
figure 
> it out and do what needed to be done in order for the good side to 
win, 
> even if it meant self sacrifice.


If you remember in SS, when Dumbledore is talking to Harry about the 
Mirror of Erised, he tells Harry that Ron is seeing what he (Ron) 
most desires.  Ron is overshadowed by his brothers. Charlie and Bill 
have left Hogwarts and have great jobs. Percy was Head Boy and now 
works at the MoM. Fred and George are the class clowns and everyone 
likes them. Ron is known as Harry Potter's friend. Not just Ron 
Weasley. There is no Ron Weasley, only Harry's friend, Percy's 
brother, etc.

I like the character of Ron, but I believe that he still has 
issues to resolve. Obviously, he's a teenager. I previously stated 
that IMB that the Dark Side will try and use this envy/jealousy to 
try to lure Ron to its side. Ron, thinking like a teenager, might use 
this to achieve fame and/or fortune. He will not turn to the Dark 
Side, but perhaps, thinking that if acts as if he has turned, he 
could be a spy for Dumbledore and he will help destory LV this time. 
If he succeeds, his name will now be known without all the other 
prefixes. He will be Ron Weasley, the defeator of LV. He will have 
the fame he desires. 

But don't forget, Ron is a teenager and acts and thinks like one. 
But I too have the nagging feeling that this will ultimately lead to 
Ron's demise.

Betsy