Unappreciated Weasleys (was: Prefects and points)

[vmonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 106174

Neri wrote:

Then we get to the great battle in the DoM. Somehow by pure
coincidence (yeah right) Harry goes one direction with Hermione and
Neville, while Ron and Ginny run the other direction with Luna. So
again we get to read a detailed description of Hermione's courage and
resourcefulness (I don't even bother to count how many times she and
Harry save each other's life) as well as her noble conduct ("you
can't hurt a baby!"). Then Hermione is injured and Harry is frantic.
Don't let her be dead! And what were Ron, Ginny and Luna doing during
all that time? Well, they were apparently doing a lot, fighting
several DEs and getting hurt and probably saving each other's lives
several times over, but WE DON'T GET TO SEE IT. All we get is Luna's
sketchy report. Turns out they were fighting the DEs in zero gravity,
in the dark, in a giant moving model of the solar system. Wow! This
could have been the grandest action scene in OotP, and what do we
ever hear about it? "I reducto Pluto in his face". Not exactly
detailed. And even that much we get from Luna. The injured Ginny is
the usual stiff-upper-lip (she clearly has too many brothers and too
few sisters. Someone should explain to her that the strong-and-silent
thing is for guys). Ron is even worse. Instead of getting hit with
something heroically looking, such as a bleeding shoulder wound, or
something that will leave an interesting scar on his forehead, he
gets hit with something that makes him tell rude jokes and do stupid
things. How appropriate.


vmonte responds:

This is the best post I've read on HPFGU's. I've even printed a copy 
of it for myself. Your assesment of Ron and Ginny is right on the 
money.  Much of what they do goes unnoticed or is pushed the 
background.  I know that JKR is a Christian and I'm reminded of 
something that happened to me in my catholic elementary school. We 
were going over the life of one of the Saints and a boy in our class 
told the Nun that his goal in life was to become a Saint. She started 
asking the other children what their religious goals were, and people 
answered in many ways, from doing charity work to becoming Nuns or 
Priests.  When she came to me I said that I wanted to help or save 
someone but that I didn't want the recognition or glory associated 
with it.  She asked me what I meant. I said that I just wanted to 
know that I had done the right thing. I felt that to be a good 
Christian it was not proper to do what what was right for the 
glory/recognition, but to do what was right because it was the 
correct path to follow. 
I just realized that from your post that this must be why I'm drawn 
to Ron's character. I felt the same way about the character of Sam in 
the movie Lord of the Rings. Sam did what he did out of loyalty to 
his best friend, Frodo (I think that was his name?). Frodo would have 
never made it to the end of the story if it wasn't for Sam.  And Sam 
risked his life not for glory, but because it was the right thing to 
do. Of course it's only Frodo who will be remembered. And Sam? I'm 
pretty sure he doesn't care about that.  He feels good in knowing 
that what he did was right.

vivian