Blog Prompt #2

                                                         The Unexpected

One of the biggest themes in the Harry Potter series is coming of age.  One of the best things about a series like this, where each  book represents a different year in the school, is that  we get to see each character mature.  One of the main reasons that we get to see the growth of each character is that the series gets darker and darker with each book. In the Sorcerer's Stone, the students don't really have much to worry about except making friends. By the Half-Blood Prince, they've dealt with the Chamber of Secrets being opened, dementors, the return of Voldemort, the death of a student and now a Death Eater attack on Hogwarts, culminating in the death of Albus Dumbledore.  The fact that each student has been able to come back happily year after year even though things get progressively worse shows how much each student has grown up.
     In my opinion, the student that shows the most progression is Ron.  In the Sorcerer's Stone, Ron is just happy to befriend the famous Harry Potter.  He doesn't care about being overshadowed because he can finally stand out from his older brothers. He has he distinction of being best friends with "the boy who lived". No matter what Harry gets himself into, Ron is by his side. Ron might not seem like the bravest person in the world, but any 12 year old who manages to meet Aragog and his children without dying from fear (especially a person with extreme arachnophobia  is pretty brave.  By the Goblet of Fire, Ron has gotten tired of being known as just the best friend. For a while, his jealousy gets the best of him and he stops being friends with Harry. It might not seem like the most mature thing to do, but its better to address your problems/feelings than act like they don't exist. By the Half-Blood Prince, Ron has seen and dealt more than the rest of the school has because he's always right there with Harry. To me, that makes Ron more mature than Harry in some ways because he's there out of choice, not because he feels obligated to stop the return of Voldemort like Harry does. He's loyal to his friend, despite his jealousy and insecurities. It takes a lot to of maturity and bravery to be able to put yourself through everything that Harry gets them into. It takes even more maturity to willingly do it, knowing that you'll never get as much recognition. I think that this is shown even more  in the Deathly Hallows, but I won't talk about that just yet. Until then, Mischief Managed.

by Alan Lawson