The Twins / Ron / Weasleys

[kchuplis]

No: HPFGUIDX 145109

> Magpie:
> 
> See but...how are those two povs helpful to understanding what's going on 
> between them?  I mean, there's a lot of stuff that's "normal" in that lots 
> of siblings do it, but all sibling relationships are different and different 
> people react differently to things. And that seems implied by "Percy can't 
> stand teasing, apparently," followed by, "sorry, but he begs for teasing 
> with such behavior."
> 
> Doesn't that obviously set up a vicious cycle for Percy?  Isn't that sort of 
> the standard bullying pov?  "Begs for it" really means "makes people want to 
> do it," doesn't it?  But that doesn't mean it's right to do it.
> 
> When I read the Percy stuff especially starting in Book IV it's painful to 
> me.  It just seems like such a sad situation with Percy trying harder and 
> harder and being more and more pompous and getting back more and more 
> ridicule and dismissal.  

I totally agree that it is sad and painful. And I don't say that teasing is right, but just 
the same, I don't see this idea that seems to be being aired in other parts of the 
thread that the twins are extraordinarily mean or that Ron is oppressed or that they 
are responsible for the choices that Percy makes that are completely alienating his 
family. I simply see it as oridinary family dynamics that have gotten out of hand, but 
where the other boys have always backed off when pushing too far, Percy never 
seems to look back and completely leaves the family  that he sees as being on the 
wrong side of the government he's come to cherish. I'll have to look for specifics, but 
I have been left with the impression that Percy isn't doing what he does because he 
has total belief in the ideals of the ministry but rather because of what his chances 
are at advancing. Yes, Arthur *does* get a promotion and Percy does not. It's a bit 
telling. One of the themes often presented in the books seems to be that following 
rules exclusively for the purpose of following rules and not looking at anything 
outside of that can lead to a very dangerous and narrow minded world view. I see the 
Weasley boys as a microcosm of that idea with the twins very far on the left, perhaps 
the opposite of Percy and Percy too far on the right. Ron seems to be the happy 
middle ground where sometimes you've got to do what is right, but not "just for fun". 

kchuplis