Many, if not most, people consider Ron Weasley to be Harry Potter's sidekick. This may be true in the begging of the series, but as time goes on some would say differently. From the very start, Ron is somewhat insecure because of his families background. He is made fun of and looked down upon for being poor while at the same time he battles an inner struggle of feeling like he isn't special. He is the youngest of six brothers, with a brilliant younger sister as well. He feels as though he will never be good enough and nothing he will do is comparable. But all of this gradually changes as he matures and becomes more independent.
Ron's personal journey has many ups and downs starting from when we first meet him at Kings Cross Station. He meets Harry and they become fast friends, quickly pushing him right into that "sidekick" position. He is able to aid Harry in wizards chess in the 4th obstacle of getting to the Sorcerer's Stone. Although Harry couldn't have done it without him, Harry is still the big hero in the end. One of Ron's first defining moments of bravery comes from the second book. Although he is deathly afraid of spider's he gathers up the courage that he needs and follows a trail of them into the forbidden forest. In the next two books, Ron has a lot of maturing and teen angst happening in his life. In Prisoner of Azkaban he become's very upset with Herminone and they don't speak for quite some time because he believes that her cat ate his pet rat. Once they find out later that his pet rat is actually a man, Peter Pettigrew, who is responsible for the death of Harry's parents, Ron becomes revolted by the shear thought of having such a close association with the rat. I believe Goblet of Fire to be most of Ron's worst of times. He experiences the reality of his growing sexuality and becoming more attracted to girls. He now begins to become romantically attracted to Hermione and becomes extremely jealous of Victor Krum, as he takes her to the Yule Ball and spends much time with her. He also battles envy and betrayal as Harry is chosen as the fourth Triwizard Champion. He believes that Harry has cheated in hopes for more attention, but he is even more concerned of the fact that Harry had not even told him and felt betrayed. In the next book Ron moves forward in a positive direction. He is appointed prefect as well as making Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He is able to also better his Defense Against the Dark Arts skills through the D.A. which helps him when they go to the Ministry of Magic at the end of the book. In the sixth book Ron becomes very infatuated with a girl named Lavender but after almost nearly dying from drinking a poisoned mead that was meant for Dumbledore his fight with Hermionie finally comes to an end as they both resolve their issues.
In the last book Ron goes through some other developments, that I can't talk about right now. (sorry!) Overall Ron is the perfect "sidekick." He's humorous and not as dominant. He is often an aid to Harry and follows his lead. He may not be as clever and or mature as Harry and Hermionie but through his maturity he was able to become an equal. Through his development he was able to become a more independent and decisive individual that underwent the most character development out of anyone else in the series.
When Ron Weasley first comes to mind, I don't usually think of him being the most developed character, but with the ideas you present, it shows exactly how much Ron has come around to growing up and maturing into a very dynamic character. I think it is very interesting that Ron and Hermione are becoming slightly attracted to each other after everything that they have been through together, especially the cat incident. They have chosen to get over the fact I do believe. I did my blog post on Neville Longbottom, but after reading your post, I believe that Ron has gone through just as many changes as Neville himself.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin, I agree with your analysis of Ron Weasley. When he is first introduced to us, we meet a vulnerable, self-concous person whom is often overshadowed by those close to him, whether it's his siblings or his best friends. While we see him blossom into a courageous and comedic character, he still holds that self doubt, which only makes him human. I too struggled with the importance of Ron's character because he is seemingly underdeveloped yet such a key character in the life of Harry. I didn't find the changes Ron makes through the series enough to see him as an equal to Harry. As much as I want Ron to fill the role of an equal, the character does not seem developed enough for me to believe that J.K. Rowling had intended for us to see him as an equal.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin, I really enjoyed reading this. Most people don’t think of Ron being as important as Harry in the series but with the arguments you provide, it shows just that. I like what you said about Ron’s past because that defends the fact that Ron has an important history, just like Harry, therefore being just as much an important character. Another thing I liked was the way you described Ron’s development throughout the series. This really pushed me over the threshold to agree with you that Ron is more than just a humorous sidekick but that he is just as mature and just as noble as Harry himself.
ReplyDelete