Ron's Development

[C M]

No: HPFGUIDX 77436

Reading through various posts in this group, I see a lot of 
statements being applied to Ron that are clearly considered by many 
to be definitive truths about his character, i.e., that he's 
resentful of and/or angry about his brothers' accomplishments, his 
family's financial status, and his being "shunted to one side" in his 
friendship with Harry. Throughout the first four books of the series, 
we were given ample evidence to support these statements. Even the 
most ardent Ron fans can't dispute that.

By the conclusion of OOP, however, it seemed to me that Ron had 
changed a great deal in ways that would combat those decidedly 
negative traits. He was more even-tempered (he was only briefly 
disappointed/irritated by Harry and Hermione missing the final 
Quidditch match), he was more confident (he helped win that match by 
giving himself a mini pep talk) and no longer seemed so concerned 
with money (he didn't seem remotely affronted by Harry giving his 
Triwizard winnings to F&G).

Am I alone in thinking that Ron has had some noticeably positive 
development? He's far from perfect and still has a lot of maturing to 
do, but as I read posts that mention him (usually related to SHIPs or 
who'll be the "ultimate betrayer"), I can't help feeling that the 
changes evident in him by the end of Book 5 are being completely 
overlooked by many people. I don't expect everyone to simply chuck 
the view of Ron that they formed over the course of the first four 
books, but I wonder if there isn't a general reluctance to 
acknowledge any of the "good Ron stuff" in OOP, perhaps because it 
would interfere with long-held theories or beliefs about the 
character and where he's headed.

Of course, one could argue that all of these seeming "improvements" 
are a fluke; that Ron will revert back to the way he was pre-OOP in 
the very next book. We won't know until then, but in the meantime 
I'll continue to contend that what we saw in Book 5 was a (slowly, to 
some) maturing Ron who is well on his way to coming to terms with who 
he is and where he fits in his family, his group of friends, and the 
world as a whole. A Ron who, IMO, is becoming less and less likely to 
envy his friends' achievements and/or turn traitor.

CM