Weasleys - hypocritical?

[Sara Butler]

No: HPFGUIDX 80486

Yaira wrote:
> I'm starting to think the Weasley's are a little bit hypocritical.  
> They're all for befriending muggles and defending them when anyone 
> else insults them, but their family's been pureblood for ages. 

To which Richard replied:
> Sorry, but I think you've gone a little off you bean on this one, 
having departed from canon.  Yes, the Weasleys have been pure-blood 
for ages, but that doesn't make them hypocritical.
Richard, who thinks JKR would NEVER portray the Weasley family as 
basically hypocritcal <<<


To which Yoda (me) further adds:
I have to agree with Richard on this one, but I want to add that I think that one of the major reasons that the Weasleys are "purebloods" is that they are in a way supposed to represent the "typical" wizarding family.  One of Ron's major functions, especially in the first book, is to allow Harry, and us, a glimpse into the homelife of the wizarding world.  (Notice that Ron spends a lot of time being surprised by the various things that Harry tells him about Muggle life.)  Hermione is the token muggle-born of the trio and Ron is the one who was raised as a wizard.  Another reason for the Weasley's to me purebloods is to make them a foil for the Malfoy's.  If all of the people who are accepting of muggles were half or part bloods then the only people who were distainful of them would be the purebloods and that wouldn't be right either.  One of the wonderful things about JKR is that she refuses to put people into little boxes.  Not all purebloods are snobby, and not all half-bloods are
 angels (see Tom Riddle).

Yaira again:
> Mr. Weasley might have a fondness for muggles and their objects, but 
> all the rest of the Weasleys are completely contemptuous of him!

I don't think that the Weasleys are contemptuous of Arthur, they just think that he's a little nutty when it comes to muggles and he is.  Aren't we all a little nutty when it comes to Harry Potter?

Yoda, Who's just a little nutty about a great many things