Dude, don't harsh my mellow so. All I wish for Ron is for him to do something for himself that he's proud of and finds genuinely meaningful-- that is all. Rowling can kill him however she wants to after that.
But author intent and all that -- JKR has to know that she can't actually control what a reader perceives as valuable and likeable in a character. I mean, I love Hermione because she's complex but I'm also wary as all get out when it comes to her because I think she has the personality to be a dictator. Sometimes reading her, especially in OotP, all I can think of is --- Hello Robespierre! Long live the republic of virtue! And then there's Harry, who goes into really gray territory morally speaking and then somehow comes out smelling like a rose, completely exonerated by the narrative voice.
With Ron, I like the tension. I *like* that he's not content with being a clown. I *like* that his natural tendencies can run toward selfish self-indulgence but he manages to hold back and be generous most of the times. I *like* that he's a coward and braver than I would ever be at once. And I don't think that's what Rowling wants me to like nor do I think she can erase it without making the character completely unrecognizable.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-03-10 06:19 pm (UTC)But author intent and all that -- JKR has to know that she can't actually control what a reader perceives as valuable and likeable in a character. I mean, I love Hermione because she's complex but I'm also wary as all get out when it comes to her because I think she has the personality to be a dictator. Sometimes reading her, especially in OotP, all I can think of is --- Hello Robespierre! Long live the republic of virtue! And then there's Harry, who goes into really gray territory morally speaking and then somehow comes out smelling like a rose, completely exonerated by the narrative voice.
With Ron, I like the tension. I *like* that he's not content with being a clown. I *like* that his natural tendencies can run toward selfish self-indulgence but he manages to hold back and be generous most of the times. I *like* that he's a coward and braver than I would ever be at once. And I don't think that's what Rowling wants me to like nor do I think she can erase it without making the character completely unrecognizable.