Ron's talents

[Marcelle]

No: HPFGUIDX 96937

celletiger wrote:
>>Is there anything special about Ron? Does anything stand out about
>>him, or is nothing supposed to stand out about him as the youngest
>>of so many brothers? 

I'd like to respond to what members have kindly replied about
Ron.  I snipped the responses, but attributed the quotes to the 
appropriate people. 

Caesian:
><snip> Harry is heart, Hermione is brain, and Ron is appetite, or
>belly. All of those are meant symbolically - Harry is the moral 
>compass, Hermione the rational one concerned with consequences, and 
>Ron sometimes lets his appetites rule him. <snip>

celletiger now:
So, IOW, Ron is greed, or maybe desire?  How can it be described in 
a positive way?  Ron is drive and determination?  He never wants to 
do his homework, and while he'd like to be head boy, he
doesn't act the part


Caesian: 
><snip> And he has great taste in his secret crush.

celletiger now:
I guess I agree that Ron does have good taste in his secret crush, 
but its just such a far-fetched crush.  He may as well pine for 
Fleur Delacour.  My post was in no way shipper-driven.  I'm not
on board any ship.  In fact, I think most ships have the same hole 
in the bottom of the boat: romance is not what the series is about.  
I wasn't ever on the Mulder and Scully ship either, though


Maus:
>Ron seems to be pretty good at Divination, almost all his joke
>predictions seem to come true. The irony is of course that Ron
>doesn't take the subject very seriously himself.

>I can see a great career as a seer in Ron's future.

celletiger now:
I have no clue what else Ron is going to do after Hogwarts.  I 
cannot see Ron becoming a seer because, as you said, he does not 
take it seriously at all, something you rather need if you are going 
to make a living.  He has, imho, unrealistic ambitions of being an 
auror.  I do not believe he has shown the magical talent necessary 
for this job.  And he hasn't shown magical talent or ambition 
anywhere else to suggest his future magical career.  Another reason 
I don't think he'll have a future after Hogwarts.

Antosha
><snip> Ron's a good friend, a good chess player, and the one of the 
Trio who's led not by his emotions (like Harry)or by his 
rationalization (like Hermione) but by well-grounded impulses 
tempered by loyalty.

celletiger now:
I like "well-grounded impulses tempered by loyalty" better
than greed, but I don't see how this is singular to Ron.  I think 
all three have this trait.  Ron has nothing special.

Melanie:
>There is also the whole strategy thing. He is the best chess player 
or >at least a pretty good one. So if you want a real, concrete 
talent >that is it. <snip>

celletiger now:
Yes, he is an outstanding chess player, and that requires a 
strategic mind, but he never applies his powers of strategy to 
anything outside of the game of chess.  Now if you want to make a 
kind of circular argument that strategizing is the ability to see 
your opponent's next move, so that is a form of being a seer, so
he is a natural seer.  But he still does not take practical 
advantage of this gift.  Perhaps part of growing up is realizing 
your gifts and applying them to your life for the benefit of 
yourself and others, and Ron just hasn't done this yet.  I, 
personally,haven't either, btw. :P

Melanie:
However, the truth is in life sometimes the best gift a person can 
offer the world is friendship. I think that is Ron's true gift.

celletiger now:
Melanie, I think you are right about this.  Ron's gift is 
friendship.  One of the reasons he'll sacrifice himself for Harry 
and Hermione in the end.  And it won't be that tragic of a loss 
because he never had a future anyway.  There were some posts a few 
weeks ago about JKR setting us up to dislike whoever she's going
to knock off.  I think the same reasoning can be used here: JKR has 
not invested too much into Ron, so there won't be anything but the
great loss of a trusted friend (which *is* something, anyhoo).  But 
after he does a Fawkes-like rescue, the battle can be continued 
without him, as he has nothing to contribute other than his life in 
friendship.

celletiger, who is still looking for her talent so that she can 
develop it too.