Can Character Change: A Separate Post

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 38834

Heidi asked:

> Can character change?

<snip examples of character changes to date> 

This is a very valid question that goes to the heart of a lot of the 
speculation that goes on around here, IMO.  Everyone is likely to 
have a different answer, but here's my answer.

Yes.  Characters can change over the course of a book or a series.  
Heidi proved this with the examples she provided.

But, alas, things start to get murky fairly quickly when we dig a 
bit deeper.  

How about this for an example?  Let's say that I decide to 
predict/advocate Ambitious!Ron.  Ambitious!Ron wants to be a 
prefect, then be Head Boy, then secure a lofty position at MoM, then 
be Minister of Magic.  Ambitious!Ron will stop at nothing to make 
this happen, even diving into all of his schoolwork (including 
Divination) to get top marks and lots of OWLS and NEWTs.  If 
Ambitious!Ron has to step on Percy and Mr. Weasley to claw his way 
to the top of MoM, well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

I think we'd all agree that Ron isn't currently amibitious in quite 
this way (if at all).  There's an argument to be made that Ambitious!
Ron is directly contradicted by almost all of Ron's canon behavior.

But could JKR do this with Ron's character?  Of course.  What would 
it take?  Well, I could be flip and say "Massive Head Trauma."  But 
short of that, JKR could imagine all manner of scenarios and 
motivations for a sea change in Ron's characterization.  I mean, 
she's really holding all of the aces, isn't she?  She can make up 
spells, characters, and plot twists and combine them to give us 
Ambitious!Ron.

I wonder, however, whether the fact that JKR *could* do a 180 degree 
turn with a character makes something like Ambitious!Ron a canon-
based theory.  I don't think it does.  Because, like it or not, the 
readers are stuck with the canon of the first four books, JKR's 
words, and those two schoolbooks she wrote.  That, and a bit of 
logic, are all we have to go on.

So IMHO, the fact that JKR *could* push a character in a certain 
direction does not provide me with a compelling reason to buy a 
particular theory.  And the fact that another author in another 
series or work of fiction chose to have his or her characters behave 
in a certain way is not probative at all of what JKR's canon 
characters do and will do, IMHO.  It might be fun to discuss this as 
an intellectual exercise, but anyone raising an Ambitious!Ron-type 
theory has to understand that not everyone will accept the part of 
Ambitious!Ron that goes beyond the four corners of canon.  

>And if so, what seeds have to have been sown by now to "allow" it?

I'd say that the proponent of a character change has a real uphill 
climb, to tell you the truth.  There should be, at a minimum, 
substantial ambiguity in canon about the character.  

So let's change Ambitious!Ron to Ambitious!Percy or Ambitious!
Hermione.  Both of these characters have shown us plenty of ambition 
(although nowhere near the type of ambition I used in Ambitious!
Ron), so I'd bet more people would buy those character changes.  And 
in fact, some people have advocated them on the list, IIRC.

Is there sufficient ambiguity about something like Redeemable!
Draco?  Well, to me, that's the key question.  If there is some 
ambiguity -- some clear reason to think he is good deep down or that 
he likes Hermione deep down -- well, that would help a great deal.  
Speaking for myself, I haven't seen it yet.  Or, at least, enough of 
it.  If someone wants to make the case for Redeemable!Draco, I'll 
always listen, of course.  But I can't make any promises that I'll 
sign on for a tour of duty.  ;-)

Cindy