[HPforGrownups] Re: Maroon

[Julie Stevenson]

No: HPFGUIDX 88582

>  [neisra asks]
>
>Can anyone guess what the deal is with the color maroon so frequently
>associated with Ron?
>
>When his clothing is described (sweaters, dress robes, etc), it is
>almost always maroon.
>
>Does this color symbolize anything?
>
>[Anne Responds}
>'Maroon' is a shade of deep red---red is one of the colors of
>Gryffindor...and, if (warning: movie contamination), they got the
>color of the 'R' on Ron's sweater right in regards to the books
>(anyone remember if it was gold or yellow in the book?), then this
>might be one of Rowling's ways of reinforcing that Ron is indeed a
>Gryff to the bone...(Not to mention red hair and Maroon tend to go
>together rather well--who is to say Molly doesn't have a good grasp
>of color and fashion sense? Her knitting might be another matter
>though...^^;...)

You'll recall that Ron comments in Philosopher's/Sorceror's Stone when he 
tells Harry that he's got his own Weasley sweater (I can't quote the passage 
either, since like Anne, I'm at work without books) that he always gets 
maroon sweaters, and he doesn't like maroon.

I saw that as yet another indication that being the 2nd youngest child and 
the youngest boy in the Weasley clan, Ron often gets lost in the shuffle, 
and his desires go unnoticed or get passed over. So I'd say that maroon 
represents Ron's frustrations, and his desires to rise above the other 
members of his family in some way to distinguish himself amongst them -- 
just like the Mirror of Erised showed (bet he wasn't wearing maroon in that 
image he saw!).

-- Julie

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