Ron is like Percy (plus more Weasley thoughts)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 89356

> Debbie wrote sometime back in post 38730 
> (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/38730):
> 
> <In spite of Ron's attempt to be the anti-Percy, in fact I think 
> they are very much alike, two bookends driven apart by the noisy, 
> attention-getting twins. <snip>
> 
> bboy_mn agrees with this analysis, going on to say in post 88447 
> (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/88447):
> <I believe that Percy's main problem is that he is
> trapped in a downward spiral of 'approval seeking', and believe it or
> not, much of the approval he seeks needs to some from Ron and the
> Twins, which only proves just how sadly disfunctional the role is 
> that Percy has buried himself in. Ron on the other hand, still has a 
> chance to break the disfunctional cycle before he becomes as deeply 
> entrenched as Percy. Once the Twins are gone from Hogwarts, Ron 
> becomes much more comfortable with himself, and that's when he 
> begins to show his true potential. Without having to fear the Twin 
> approval/disapproval, Ron is free to attempt things without the 
> impending fear of rejection>
> 
> Sophierom wrote:
> While I love these ideas, particularly Debbie's characterization of 
> Ron and Percy as "bookends driven apart by the noisy, attention-
> getting twins," I think we should not overemphasize the similarities 
> between the two brothers.  As JKR has made abundantly clear 
> throughout the series, it is individual choice that really makes the 
> person.  bboy_mn's insight that Percy is trapped in a dysfunctional 
> cylce is a very astute and sensative analysis, but ultimately, I 
> believe that JKR would argue that it was Percy's choice as an 
> individual, not some inevitable reaction to family dynamics, that 
> led him to become a pompous twit.  I also believe that Percy has 
> the choice to return to his family and provide a real service for 
> the Order (and I think he may very well do this in the end.) 
> 
> But so far, what makes the similarities between Ron and Percy so 
> important -and I believe the case for their similarities was very 
> strongly presented - what makes these similarities so important is 
> how the brothers use these similarities to create such different 
> personalities. The idea that both of these Weasleys have taken their 
> analogous character traits and behaved so differently makes a 
> fantastic parallel to Harry and Tom Riddle.  

Carol responds:
I agree that the differences are at least as important as the
similarities. Percy has a lot of self-control (he's most likeable when
he loses it, as when he runs out to hug Ron after fearing that he had
drowned in the second task in Gof); Ron has almost none. Granted, he
forces himself to do things he's terrified of, like facing the spiders
in the Forbidden Forest, but he also frequently loses his temper, as
Percy almost never does (which makes his fight with his father in OoP
so shocking).

Their approval-seeking is also different. Percy seeks it from adults
by working hard and using his intelligence to get twelve OWLs and I
forget how many NEWTs. (Having a high IQ is not the same as having
common sense, which he conspicuously lacks.) He wants and expects to
become a prefect and later Head Boy because in his own mind he
deserves it, and he's probably correct. Ron, in contrast, is shocked
and flattered that he's been chosen Prefect. He never really acts the
part (he certaiinly never polishes his Prefect badge or pins it to his
pajamas), in part because he's been brainwashed by the twins into
believing that only prats become prefects. He works hard as Keeper
(after the twins are gone) but not at his studies. If Head Boy is
primarily an academic honor, as I suspect it is, it's likely to go to
someone other than Ron, and he's more likely to earn three OWLs like
the twins than twelve like Percy.

What Ron values is the approval of his peers, mainly Harry (and
perhaps Hermione--I'm not sure at this point), but also his classmates
in general. When Sirius Black tears up his bedclothes with a knife and
later when he spends an hour under water with the merpeople, he revels
in the attention. The sarcastic singing of "Weasley Is Our King" by
the Slytherins, OTOH, torments him much more than the Slytherin badges
reading "Potter Stinks!" bother Harry. How Percy would have reacted in
a similar situation I don't know, but he probably would have been much
more seriously troubled by the disapproval of a teacher. Percy values
grades (marks) and rules; Ron sets little stake by either; in that
respect, he's much more like the twins.

Percy may well be the dysfunctional "good boy" that bboy (Steve)
suggest he is; Ron, OTOH, is just an average kid with two serious
character flaws, a bad temper and the stubborn streak he shares with
Percy. Add to that the disadvantages of poverty and five older
brothers and Ron has, as JKR would say, a lot on his plate. But like
most people (even Percy), he has virtues to counter his flaws. He's
brave in his own way and he's loyal in a pinch. I don't think we'll
see him fight with Harry again, nor do I think he'll break with his
family as Percy did. In the end, friendship and family are what matter
most to Ron. They're what he will fight for when the time comes for a
showdown with Voldemort and the DEs. Percy loves his family, too, as
his reaction to Ron's rescue in the second task shows. I only hope
that his love of family will win out over his ambition and stubborn
pride in the next two books. If so, the similarities between Ron and
Percy will be more important than the differences.

Carol