[HPforGrownups] The OOTP Gripe List, v. 5,432

[Susanne]

No: HPFGUIDX 126083



Hi,

Monday, March 14, 2005, 9:52:05 PM, lupinlore wrote:

> 3) Ron.  His development seems contrived to some, and perhaps even
> offensive, since he was elevated to a position he had not earned at
> the expense of Harry, who had earned it.  In particular it seems
> forced and manipulative as it seems designed to fulfill a
> foreshadowing we had been assured was not a foreshadowing.  That is,
> we were specifically assured the Mirror of Erised did not foretell the
> future.  If it did foretell the future, even by coincidence, then the
> whole thing smells of poorly conceived contrivance.  Some also object
> to the fact that Ron's Quidditch triumph, which he certainly HAD
> earned, took place "off screen," thus once again making the sudden
> eminence of his character seem hollow and forced.

Just a quick comment to the above:
even if Ron actually gets his wishes (from age 11) fulfilled
in the future, I see this more as a lesson of "Having is not
always as good as wishing".

Meaning, while he is now a prefect and has won the Quidditch
cup, it doesn't quite make him feel as good as he may have
thought, and he now knows it comes along with a lot of hard
work.
Most people don't instantly become good quidditch players
(Harry was a lucky exception, but even he has to train with
the team).
And being a prefect doesn't mean automatic respect from
everyone (see Fred and George) and also means a bunch of
extra work (and humiliation for Ron, as everyone thought it
was Harry who got the badge).

Ron has learned a lot this last year, and I hope it will be
Hermione's turn for some much needed lessons in HBP (mostly
talking about her methods to achieve her goals).

-- 
Best regards,
 Susanne                           mailto:siskiou at vcem.com