[HPforGrownups] Can One Like The Twins *And* Percy?

[Amber ?]

No: HPFGUIDX 35869


>From: "cindysphynx" <cindysphynx at home.com>
>
>I've been following the Percy discussion, and I think I agree
>with . . . everyone.  JKR does seem to encourage the reader to view
>Percy as a cartoonish straight-man.  She also paints Fred and George
>as cartoonish jokers.  Percy has his fans; Fred and George have
>their fans.  But given that Percy is in many ways the opposite of
>Fred and George, is it possible to really like both sets of
>characters?

I wish I could say I was one of them, but not really. I like Fred and George 
in the books and laugh at their jokes (when they are not mean). But in real 
life, I would LOATHE the twins. I do NOT like practical jokes. I would 
probably stay far away from Fred and George in real life, out of disgust and 
irritation.

Would it surprise anybody if I were to say that I identify with Percy and 
love his character? Nah...

>I know I have heard others say they don't like Fred and
>George because they don't appreciate their particular brand of
>humor, but I wonder if they find Percy more interesting.

Well, I find Percy more interesting because I strongly suspect there is more 
to Percy than is on the surface. I also think that at times, the Pompous 
Head Boy act is exactly that: an act. He might be one of those people who 
don't know how to act around people and thus acts pompous out of not knowing 
what to do.

His obsessive rules-following could stem from his childhood. When Voldemort 
was "killed" the first time, Percy was probably 5. Thus, his early years 
were spent in the shadow of Voldemort. Quite terrifying. A way he might've 
dealt with that is to follow rules so that "nothing bad will happen".  
*shrug* 'Tis possible.

If you read fanfiction, there is also a lot of angst potential for Percy. I 
love angst and thus am drawn to him. Furthermore, with the way that the 
fourth book ended, Percy is going to have a lot of trouble/decisions to 
make.

I also admire Percy's drive and ambition. You have to admit, it takes guts 
to be Prefect, Head Boy and intelligence to score highly on O.W.L.s and 
N.E.W.T.s. The way he works hard for his goals is wonderful.

>And for what it is worth, Percy doesn't seem to have any Edge at
>all, and the jury is still out on whether Percy is Tough.  He seems
>to bounce around between "pompous" and "worried."  It's a rather
>harsh assessment, but there you have it.  Sorry, Percy fans.

Ah, he's tough. Did you not notice this scene in GOF:

Oh dang, my books aren't here with me. Well, after the kafuffle with Winky 
and the wands and the Dark Mark in the sky, Arthur, Bill, Charlie and Percy 
return from fighting with the "Death Eaters". I think he returns with a 
bloody nose or something like that. Evidence from a real fight. Furthermore, 
when the trouble began, Percy ran off with his brothers and father without a 
moments thought.

Percy's tough. We just haven't seen a lot of it and what we have seen is 
low-key.

Sometimes I wish JKR hadn't created so many interesting characters. She only 
has so much space to develop them and thus some have to fall to the wayside. 
*sighs*

~Amber

********
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I am moved by fancies that are curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.
- excerpt from "Preludes" by T.S. Eliot

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