When I think of Ron Weasley, the first thing that comes to my mind is ‘Choice’. As any Harry Potter(HP) series reader would know, being the ‘Boy ‘Who Lived’, or ‘The Chosen One’s’ Best Mate, is not an easy task. Even though he was constantly over-shadowed, sometimes even taunted, with this mighty task of being there for Harry all the time; Ron never shied away from his responsibilities and working along side his best mate. He was a constant presence in Harry’s complicated and dangerous life. Though there were fallouts(mind you far less than that of Harry and Hermione) occasionally, and bouts of jealously and anger involved, there was never a moment that Ron was not there for Harry. And as I have said earlier, it all comes down to CHOICE. In the following few paragraphs I will explain why RONALD WEASLEY is my favorite HP character and why and how I draw inspiration from his characterization throughout the entire series in my personal life and the way I associate myself with his personality. He has an immense presence and major influence in my day to day life and therefore I feel sometimes that I am his biggest admirer in this whole wide world.
We will come back to why it all comes down to choice in some time. But before anything else, I would love to discuss his personality traits that appeals and influences me the most. Though I am absolutely certain that we cannot limit this wonderful character to just a few paragraphs, but for the sake of this short essay, I would summize his best character traits that inspire me the best as briefly as possible. Ron in majority people’s opinion is fiercely Loyal, Brave, Caring, extremely Funny, very Insecure, sometimes Lazy, but extremely Over-protective of the people he loves and cares about.
He is someone who you could rely on undoubtedly and would come through every time; who would sacrifice himself for his family, friends or the greater good – whichever is needed at that time in a heartbeat and without second thought. He has always been a generous boy who would share whatever little he had, even his family and home, with Harry who had such a bad life before Hogwarts. We all know how openly he let Harry into his life and all the joy and happiness that Ron provided to Harry in all troubled times. It is his light-hearted and free-spirited nature that kept Harry from drowning in moroseness and the enormity of his responsibilties. If not for Ron, Harry would never have been able to enjoy the small happy maybe some times annoying things that a normal teenager would have like love, laughter, jealousy, companionship etc.
But to me, Ron is all of the above, plus some things that are not regularly considered when it is in regards to him and his actions throughout the series. According to me, Ron Weasley is very Clever, Smart and Intelligent( because he thinks outside the box and think of the number of times that helped Harry throughout the series) in a way that both Harry and Hermione can never be. This is exactly why he is such an excellent player at chess. It was never openly discussed, but I am sure Ron would have become a brilliant Auror(somebody without whose help Harry would not have managed to revolutionize the Auror Department) and an indispensable part of his brother George’s Wheezes business because he has a natural ability to plan (maybe not obsessively like Hermione) and strategize, and these are very important qualities for someone fighting evil forces or runing a crazily successful business. It is proof enough that you don’t have to excel at Academics to do well in whatever you choose to do professionally. This is one of the major reasons that Ron is such an influence in my life. I never was an intelligent girl when it came to education. In, fact I was always an average student. Though I don’t consider myself smart and a natural strategist, I am still very planned and organized in the way I carry out my day to day activities(again not in a obsessive way), both personally and professionally.I learned from Ron that I don’t have to be a Genius, or get top marks to do well in whatever I chose to do. I have always looked outside the box to look for solutions for any problems I faced at any given time. And this is definitely the inspiration that I draw from Ron’s wonderful character.
Insecurity has been a major part of my childhood and adolescent life, much like Ron. Though I never have come from a large family like Ron’s, I still was lost in the various achievements of my elder brother and younger sister, and the numerous cousins I have. Nobody ever gave a glance, or had a kind word, to what I achieved when I was younger(sadly even my own parents). In fact, they still don’t, but now I simply don’t care. This is where I draw the most important inspiration from Ron. We all know how he always felt as an under-achiever and over-shadowed, when compared to all his siblings and friends. He always thought he had to live up to everybody’s expectations and prove his mettle. And whatever he did, although spectacularly well in some cases, he always felt was not great at something that he did entirely on his own (take the chess scene in Philosopher’s Stone – there never was a mention of it elsewhere other than when he won the house points. Even Harry, for whom Ron sacrificed himself on that knight never thought or mentioned that Ron was very good anywhere seeing that the book was in Harry’s perspective).
Yet, Ron had come such a long way from the tall, thin, and gangly kid that Harry had met on his first day into a new magical world. Ron had managed to conquer all his demons and insecurities on his own. Ron had to make the transition from a fumbling, insecure teenager, to a fully confident, grown man; who could keep his emotions in check and do whatever was required of him, whenever and where ever without thinking of the consequences and the dangers involved. The Chamber of Secrets scene in Deathly Hallows is a prime example to how much Ron evolved as a person. He did not need Harry or Hermione’s directions to do the needy in such desperate times (and for not being a Parselmouth, I think he did extremely well and Hermione was definitely Awed at his coolness in achieving such an enormous success even in such pressurizing times). And this is also where Hermione finally realized that Ron is well worth every single thought and affection she had for him and it cemented her love and respect for him that only grew hereafter.
I definitely did not face such dire situations like Ron to make me overcome my insecurities, but I learned to accept that we cannot simply please everyone. I always strived to do my best in what I could, and let my achievements speak for me. But that did not stop me from caring for the people I love most or standing by them whenever needed; even though they thought less of me. This is where Ron’s Character helped me the most and I cannot be thankful or grateful enough for a fictional character to make me overcome all my shortcomings in someway. And that is why I will always always love and admire RON WEASLEY!
And finally, as I mentioned earlier – CHOICE! Ron always had a choice to do the right thing, even though it may end in disastrous consequences; or to simply take the easy way out of any situation by cowering away like a coward. Time and again, throughout the entire series, we read about Dumbledore warning his students about how important the choice between right and wrong are. Making the right choices may not give a smooth path to a better life, unlike making the wrong choices, but it is worth every pain endured to get the final successful result. Ron’s Choices throughout the series, are examples of how he chose to stay on the right side; not because he was to be glorified for it, but simply because it was the right thing to do. Every single time he CHOSE to be with Harry in all the dangerous adventures and missions, even though he was never asked of it and not caring for the end consequences. We have all read about some harsh and reckless decisions Harry takes(Department of Mysteries in OoTP) but never once does Ron questions Harry’s intentions. He is simply there for his best mate whenever and wherever.That is what a true friend does. Ron chose every single time to be there for Harry, fight alongside him, face all the dangers with him, getting injured and scarred, but never once complaining. It is this CHOICE that Ron made to be by Harry’s side no matter what (even estrangement from his brother Percy), that kept Harry sane in all those maddening times. Whoever thinks that Ron’s the lucky one to be befriended by the Great Harry Potter are ignorant fools, in my opinion. It is actually the other way around because Harry is truly the lucky one to have found a friend and confidant in Ron. Harry needed Ron very much to keep him in balance, and to not forget that he was, after all, a normal teenager(even though marked with a terrible fate of destroying evil). Ron’s light-heartedness , sense of humor, and his inate ability to care for and comfort. These things are what kept Harry on his goal to destroy Voldemort without losing his mind or drooping into deep depressions(and we all know how moody Harry can get).
What more could Harry ask for in a friend? I have said this before and will say it again – “I would kill for a friend like Ron…”.
I also had a choice to take the easy way out. Drugs, partying ,etc. But Ron’s inspiration and his choice to always do the right thing made me realize that life is hard- Yes! People see you as nothing-Yes! But you still have a choice to prove that you are someone worthy, if not to others, then to yourself. This is what kept me far far away from all the terrible things that could have happened to me. Who do I have to thank that for – Ron Weasley! It might seem silly that I draw so much from a fictional character, but believe me when I say I do. The above stated points are just a few IMPORTANT ones that shaped my life; and there are several more areas and thoughts processes that Ron influenced, or still influence, my life. Since I promised to not make this a big essay, I will have to limit myself to all of the above said. Ron Weasley is a Hero – simple, but sweet, in every way imaginable.
Before I conclude, I would like to just mention a little something as to how I view Ron.
Harry Potter is like the Sun. He is so bright, powerful and he did a lot to save the world from possible destruction. So it is really hard not to give him the importance, or to not notice him. Everyone probably looks up to him for light(direction) and tries to bask in his light(glory). But it is very hard to look at the Sun for a very long time. You eventually have to avert your eyes because the brightness becomes unbearable.
But Ron Weasley is like the Moon. It may not be as bright, but the moon has its own unique kind of beauty and power. You can stare at it for hours without the fear of getting your eyes damaged. In fac,t there may be no suffering at all when watching the moon, because a moonlit night gives a sense of comfort, calmness, warmth, serenity, and peace like no other.
But people forget the moon as soon as the Sun rises; and the moon is always eternally overshadowed, but it still does not fail us any day. It still always provides us with that warmth and peace and a sense of calmness in many troubled times.
For me, Ron is the Moon who balances and calms all the irritations and frustrations of everyday life!
