OoP - Questions on Molly

[David]

No: HPFGUIDX 62436

Jenny wrote:
> Hey everyone -
> 
> I must apologize first if what I am about to ask has been brought 
up 
> already.  Approximately two posts every minute are lining up and I 
> simply cannot read them all, as much as I'd like to.  Here goes -

Me too.  N.B. we can come back and read all these in a year's time 
when we're all whining about the lack of book 6...
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> 1. Molly Weasley - What do you all think of her now?  Why is she 
in 
> the Order anyway?  What does she do, other than cook and clean and 
not 
> share anything with her children?  Is she a competent witch 
> considering she couldn't even dispel of a boggart or is she 
exhausted 
> and overworked?

OK I think she's exhausted and in particular under strain over 
Percy.  Not only has she lost a son, she must be constantly 
wondering where she went wrong: remember, in the family fights in 
GOF and POA, she and Percy were always allies against the rest, so 
she's probably wondering if somehow Percy's behaviour is 
particularly related to her way of running a family.

But more than that I think this is one of *many* examples of 
unfinished business littering the book: the whole thing feels to me 
like one huge scene-setting, marking time in so many ways and 
putting the pieces on the board for the denouement of the next two 
books: at least, I hope so.  Other examples are the inadequacy of 
Sirius' and Lupin's response to Harry's Pensieve experience, the way 
the apparent Snape-Harry bond at the end of GOF was put on hold, the 
fact that the Sorting Hat's song is introduced and so not taken up, 
and the dead ends of the romatic relationships.  I.e. everything 
that was ready to be taken up and developed at the end of GOF 
stalled, and instead other stuff has been brought in and left 
unfinished in turn.  Apart from Harry himself, only Sirius came from 
previous books and was developed - and look where that got him.
IMO.

  Does she see her children as people or as kids only?  
> Lastly, does she treat her twin sons poorly, especially when she 
> shoves them out of the way to hug Ron?

I think there is mostly silence from her about F&G: she's re-
evaluating.  I guess she still disapproves of the Joke shop, but 
feels at the moment that her approval is far worse than her 
disapproval.

> 4. Did anyone else think Petunia's question to Dudley about Harry 
> using his *thing* was absolutely hilarious?

Yes.

David