Last time, I started to try and rework the character and characterisation of Ron Weasley – far too long ago, but I never made promises as to how frequently this page would be updated!
Anyway, I finished on a nice and provocative idea – that Ron would have been a stronger, more interesting and more logical character who would have also added far more to the core group had he been more consciously drawn as something of a closet Slytherin – or at least, as a Gryffindor with Slytherin traits.
To start this second part off, I actually wanted to try and defend this idea using material already in the HP books – fragments and ideas of Ron’s character that could have been developed for better drama. Then, I’ll put my money where my mouth is and propose a couple of ways in which this drama could have manifested.
So, what do we know about Ron, either Rowling’s Ron or my proposed rework? Much of that question has already been answered in the previous post – Ron is (or should have been) a tactician, a game-player, who thinks ahead a step to achieve what he wants. He is a good and mostly loyal friend, though with some serious shortcomings to overcome in regards to his temper and his jealousy. And he wants to be something. He wants to play Quidditch, he wants to be Prefect, he wants to gain victory over Voldemort and his goons. He doesn’t want to meet expectations, he wants to break them, to make a mockery of them.
Mind, too, this latter part is all based on the text of the books. If you doubt me, allow me to present this passage from the first book, when Harry shows Ron the Mirror of Desire Erised – and if that isn’t an unbiased indication of Ron’s wants, then I don’t know what is:
Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.
“Look at me!” he said.
“Can you see all your family standing around you?”
“No — I’m alone — but I’m different — I look older — and I’m head boy!”
“What?”
“I am — I’m wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I’m holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I’m Quidditch captain, too.
Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.
“Do you think this mirror shows the future?”
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Chapter 12, ‘The Mirror of Erised’, by J.K. Rowling
This all tracks with Ron’s character, and (to be fair) is maintained in later books….Ron is the younger middle child, less capable than his older siblings and (perceives himself to be) less beloved than the youngest. But it is not maintained consistently in how it manifests. In later books, this “middle child” syndrome primarily manifests as resentment. In the Mirror, it manifests as….ambition.
Let’s rewind a moment. We all know that, if Hermione had caught the Hat on a different day, she absolutely would have been Ravenclaw. We also know that Harry was *that* close to being a Slytherin….but curiously, Harry displays very few Slytherin traits. That ambition, that drive to succeed, is rarely a dominant trait for him, and even when he does show ambition, it never occurs to him to engage in deceit or underhandedness to pursue it. One could argue that he has already “succeeded” due to his status as a celebrity….but a true Slytherin would search for ways to maximise and advance that in some way, or for some purpose. Harry occasionally enjoys his celebrity, but rarely does “more” with it.
The eventual implication is that the Hat “smelled” Voldemort’s Horcrux on Harry, and was confused into seeing him as being a good fit in Slytherin and that’s fine….indeed that is the only way to explain why the Hat leaned in this direction. Because Harry is not a Slytherin – if anything, he’s a Hufflepuff. Loyal, steadfast, tenacious….these are Hufflepuff characteristics. Hermione is studious, thirsts for knowledge, and learns quickly….obviously a Ravenclaw.
And Ron should be the Slytherin of the group. Wanting more in life. Ruthless….and with the strategic know-how to back it up. Obviously, Ron doesn’t ever really fill that role….but just imagine how cool it could and would be. Suddenly, his fights with Harry and Hermione make more sense – this is Ron forgetting himself, forgetting his friendships. His eventual place on the Quidditch team and his Prefect status make sense, he’s worked hard and proven himself to the staff of Hogwarts over years, and achieved things that he wants.
Indeed, this resentment could even manifest in a somewhat twisted way, through his friendship with Harry and the latter’s status as the Chosen One. For a true Slytherin, the idea of a Chosen One is abhorrent – unless it is them themselves. Already in the books, we see Ron’s resentment towards Harry and his destiny manifest in several ways, on several occasions. This would be entirely in keeping with Ron as a Slytherin-adjacent. Indeed (though it would be wise not to ever spell it out in the text), the irony of Harry being so much “more” of a Slytherin than Ron simply by virtue of his bond with Voldemort would further drive this uncomfortable mix of emotions and jealousy that Ron sometimes feels towards Harry.
Further, one could then rearrange certain events so that Ron is more active in the plot. In the 7th book, it is still Hermione who prepares her TARDIS bag of goodies before the wedding….but let’s make it Ron’s idea to put it together. In the 2nd book, Hermione finds the info on the Basilisk and is petrified, but it can be Ron who realises that she had a purpose in the library. And in the 5th book, it can be Harry who encourages everyone to go to the Ministry to save Sirius and leads them there…..Harry is a good leader. But Ron can be at his side, urging caution at every turn, and directing the young witches and wizards through the Department in some strategic good order.
We can also go the other way….in the 7th book, it’s Ron who has the idea to use a Basilisk fang to destroy Voldemort’s cup. But that connecting of two “trivia facts” feels more like Hermione. Rather, have Ron be the mastermind of the book’s heists…firstly on the Ministry and Umbridge’s office, later on Gringotts. Ron’s grown up around both locations, is as intimately familiar with them as any civilian can be. Give Ron that chance to show his cunning, his adaptability, and his foresight.
Speaking of, let’s rework at least the 7th book in order to encompass these traits better. We can assume that Ron’s insecurities, craving for attention and so on have been developed in the previous books, leading him to a point where he is, perhaps, a better person than he was six years ago – but he is still struggling with jealousy, with a need to prove himself, and with a drive to achieve something. In chess, one always has a clear goal – to capture the opposing king whilst defending your own. This goal is not typically achieved by hiding your pawns in a forest on a month-long camping trip…..but I’m getting ahead of myself.
So, we open book 7 in much the same way – indeed, I wouldn’t necessarily change anything significant plot-wise until the 2nd act, the camping. In the book, Ron abandons his friends out of frustration during this section, overtly due to the lack of comforts and the lack of a concrete plan. Unfortunately, this reason makes him sound whiny – so let’s downplay that a little (even if he mentions it as a reason, make it clear that it’s an excuse and not his actual motivation). The lack of a plan obviously fits his reworked character well, that is exactly what would frustrate a strategic thinker like Ron. But I think we need to make that lack of a plan into the niggling frustration that infuriates him over the weeks, and then give him an additional, dramatic event which drives him to leave.
So, one night, Ron’s magic radio is turned on, and the news comes through. Brokenly, dully, the voice of Lee Jordan informs his audience that his friend, Fred Weasley, has been killed. Murdered, by Death Eaters, in a desperate blaze of glory.
This feels like a big change, but I think it’s for the better. I like the “anyone could die” feel of book 7, as set by Hedwig and Moody at the beginning of the book….but then the next major character to die is Dobby, quite a while later, and then there’s another pause in the fatalities until the Battle of Hogwarts. By moving Fred’s death a few months earlier, I think it gives more space for the other deaths in Hogwarts to breathe (perhaps Lupin, who otherwise dies “offscreen”, can take his place), and also adds to the sense of urgency and desperation that we the audience need….if Harry can’t find these Horcruxes, more characters we know and love will suffer, and die.
So for the sake of the overall plot, I like that change a lot. But it also provides a catalyst for Ron. Ron is distraught….and angry. He is grieving, of course, but he lashes out. They’re in these stupid woods, looking for stupid trinkets, when they could be out there, fighting the good fight. He could be fighting that good fight. He’s wasted here, and wasting his own time – if he had been there, maybe he could’ve saved Fred. Hell, if he was actually doing something, maybe this war would already be over. Over, because of him. Because Ron Weasley knows he could be – should be – that hero.
And through this argument between Ron and his friends, we see that Ron….Ron almost envies Fred, even though he’d be the last person to realise it. Fred’s a hero, Fred went out luring dozens of Dark Wizards into a trap, Fred did something. Ron wants to do something too. His frustrations at the lack of a concrete plan, and his inability to sit on the sidelines, away from the glory and the attention, are all too much. Fine, stay on your stupid little quest, hiding away from the real problems, he says. Some of us are tired of running and hiding, some of us could be doing something.
Ron is wrong, of course….but I think his frustrations are now much more relatable, and much more tragic. Because he’s wrong, but also kinda right. Or, rather, he is wrong to claim that what Harry is doing is pointless, or to imply that it is cowardly. But I think we understand that these claims are coming from a very good place, from a desire to do good. Ironically though, Ron’s ability to see the strategic bigger picture is here turned against him – he’s dealing with a situation he doesn’t fully understand, and reacts by turning to what he perceives as the real priority – fighting the good fight, on his terms.
So Ron leaves. Here, again, it can play out as in the book, until Harry finds the sword, and Ron saves him. At this point, I like the idea of Ron surfacing from the lake with Harry in one arm, sword in the other – the quote with him with the sword, finally a true Gryffindor, is great. And Harry offers to Ron that he should destroy the locket.
And Ron refuses. Not because he fears the locket….well, he can claim it’s because of that, only to then admit the real reason under further interrogation. Ron didn’t return to claim glory or to do something. He came because it was the right thing to do, the brave thing to do. If he destroys the locket now, he’ll be exactly the person he doesn’t want to be.
And in that moment, we see that Ron has finally let go of his insecurities. Ron’s ready to be a hero, even if all he does is support the other heroes. Ron destroying the locket would just feed into his pointless desires, and he knows that. The locket must be destroyed, and the war must be won – but it doesn’t matter who wins it, or destroys it.
At this point, there’d be two distinct options since the locket does still need to be wrecked……and I do like the symmetry of each of our heroes destroying a Horcrux.
The first option would be that Harry tries to destroy the locket – and he fails. He’s exhausted from bearing it for months, from the constant travel and fear, from the frozen lake. He tries, and it overcomes him. At this point, Ron could step in and do the deed himself – not for himself, not to win renown or praise, but because it has to be done.
Alternatively, Ron himself could propose a third option, giving Hermione the sword and the duty. Preferably, naturally, with a corny line about how they’re doing this for each other or something. In this version, Hermione would destroy the locket, and then Ron would later, in the nick of time, realise how to destroy the cup – indeed, turning this into something of a race against time could be quite effective.
Either way, the point would be that Ron’s abandonment of his friends would be far more relatable, far more rooted in his own story than I feel it currently is….and his return and redemption would be true character growth, rather than regret for a stupid mistake.
So, in short, there are some really interesting ideas and traits in Ron, particularly early Ron, which would have (I think) benefited from being explored further. Ron could have occupied a unique role within the core trio as a strategist, as a planner, as a trickster. With that skill would come ambition, ruthlessness, cunning and arrogance – an arrogance that would lead to jealousy.
Is this a better character than the one Rowling delivered us? Look – I ain’t gonna make that claim. Trying to criticise or rework one of the three most important characters in the most successful books of our generation is, quite frankly, a bit silly. But is it a character that I find more compelling, logical and interesting? Yes. Yes, it absolutely is. And, whether you agree with me or not, I hope you might at least have had a moment to pause and think about my proposed changes – because I hope that that, at least, is worthwhile.
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