Perfume vs. Book

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 89236

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Arya" <dequardo at w...> wrote:

> Meri wrote:
> I also loved that Ron gave Hermione perfume for Christmas. I just 
> knew he was going to be a sweet boyfriend!
> 

> Erika (Wolfraven) wrote:
> I've seen many R/Hrs mention this passage. But really I don't find
> it helps the R/H cause much. Here's the quote:
> 
> "'Thanks for the book, Harry," she said happily.'I've been wanting
> that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume's really 
> unusual Ron.' " 
> (444 UK)
> 
> Okay, clearly the perfume is an indication that Ron's interested in
> Hermione, but we've known about that since GoF. But what about
> Hermione's reaction? I'm not a guy, but I can't imagine that if I 
> were to give a girl perfume I'd want her to say it was "unusual". 
> Contrast this to her response to Harry's gift. She's described as 
> receiving Harry's gift "happily" ...edited...
> 
> Another reason I think this quote reflects poorly on the R/H 
> situation is that demonstrates how little Ron understands Hermione. 
> It's true that many girls would be pleased to receive perfume as a 
> present; in fact's it's a typical if not cliche gift for a girl. 
> ...edited...
> 


> Arya now:  
> Erika did an excellent analysis of this and I just felt compelled to
> offer my opinion about the use of interpretting gifts as indicators 
> of feelings between two people.  ...
> 
> The perfume Hermione gets from Ron strikes very near to my heart 
> because there was one year with a rather newish b-friend  ... gave 
> me perfume for Christmas.  I was very disappointed in the end.  
> ...edited... It's something you give to a person but chose 
> because you, the giver intend to enjoy it.  (He had said he liked it
> and that's why he bought it.)  The coffees, like the perfume, were 
> consumable.  They were temporary and not lasting.   
> 
> Let's look at Harry's gift in this same light.  He buys her a book 
> that he knew from likely overhearing Hermione mention she wanted it. 
> ..edited... 
> 
> Compared to Ron's gift of an "unusual" perfume which Hermione, I
> think we can safely say, would rarely wear (she is rather low 
> maintenace).  I see Ron as perhaps having a bit of a proximity crush
> on Hermione.  I've seen no evidence it's returned--especially since 
> OotP-- and do not think it would be lasting.  
> 
> Arya~~ 

bboy_mn:

Pardon me while I reminisce.

When I was young, very young (pre-teen), and also an economically
challenged boy like Ron, I would go down to 'Ben Franklin's - Five and
Dime', often called the 'Dime Store' for short. A place when many
things to fulfil a childs desires could actually be purchased for five
or ten cents. There I would buy the ladies in my life (mother,
grandmother, aunts, etc...) a bottle of perfume for special holiday
gifts like Christmas. This perfume came in a really small bottle and
cost significantly less than a dollar. 

To me it was just perfune, I thought it smelled good, but looking back
on it as an adult, I realize that this perfume was probably the most
horrendously nasty stuff to every waft it way through the air. No
doubt all the recievers of my gift found the scent 'unusual', and in
hindsight, I am convinced that every bottle I ever gave ended up in
the trash bin. But perfume was a one-size-fits-all 'GIRLY' type of
gift, so I thought I couldn't go wrong.

We know Ron is still hopelessly lost when it comes to girls; poor boy
doesn't have a clue at to any aspect of the nature of women, and as
far as that goes, in my many long years, I still haven't figured them out.

If Ron had given Hermione a book as a gift, it would have been a
'friend' present; in his own subconscious misguided way, Ron tried to
buy Hermione a 'girl' present. Although, I'm sure consciously he
didn't try to make it even remotely a 'girlFRIEND' present. 

So he bought some perfume, a sure-fire 'girly' present, but he did it
in such a totally 'GUY' sort of way. If he had been smart, he would
have asked Ginny or his mom for advice, but what young boy wants to
embarass himself by talking to his sister or his mum about girls?
NONE, of that, I can assure you. And there was always the chance that
that would lead to Fred and George finding out, and in his mind, that
would lead to them taking the 'mickey' out of him until his dying day,
which under those circumstances couldn't have come soon enough.

So, Ron just stubbles through the whole perfume buying process on his
own, and given that, and that fact that he is finacially challenged,
it seems quite normal and very predictable that he would come back
with a perfume very very much in the 'unusual' catagory.

Ron is a total dunderhead when it come to women. If men are from Mars
and women are from Venus, then Ron is wandering the relationship
galaxy somewhere near Andromeda.

So Ron screwed up in a very typical 'guy' sort of way, but come on, at
least the poor boy is trying. At least he has figured out that
Hermione is a girl and is trying to do things that acknowledge the fact. 

Besdies, isn't it girls who are always saying it's the thought that
counts? 

Of course, from a guys perspective, it seems that the thought only
counts when you happened to think of expensive jewlery and the like.

Just a thought.

bboy_mn