In Defence of Ron Weasley

Ron Shenker

Opinions

Harry Potter is arguably the most popular book series of all time. It’s loved by so many people because of its fun, intriguing plot, magical setting, and compelling characters. Hermione inspires girls, including myself, to embrace their intellect and to be proud that they are nerds. Fred and George teach readers to have fun in life and to laugh as much as possible. Luna encourages readers to be unabashedly themselves, even if others judge them for it. These four characters are regularly found among people’s favourites, but there is one character who is often forgotten: Ron Weasley. Despite being one of the most compelling characters in the series, Ron is rarely considered a favourite Harry Potter character. Why?

There are many reasons why some fans don’t like Ron or, at least, don’t appreciate him enough. One of these reasons is his portrayal in the movies. The movies are fun, digestible pieces of Harry Potter media. Each movie is only about two and a half hours long, whereas the novel series average 500 pages per book. Because of this, the movies are an easier way of revisiting Harry Potter and are therefore what people usually remember when thinking of the series. However, the movies disservice Ron, highlighting his worst qualities and giving most of his redeeming qualities to Hermione. In the book The Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron attempts to defend Harry, by telling Sirius Black that if he wants to kill Harry, he’ll have to get through him and Hermione first. When he does this, he is also in severe pain due to his newly broken leg, and is trembling while trying to stay upright. In the movie however, Hermione is the one to defend Harry while Ron whimpers in the corner. Ouch.

A similar event occurs in The Philosopher's Stone. When the trio are crossing the various obstacles in their way, they land in a plant that tries to strangle them. Hermione identifies the plant as Devil’s Snare and remembers that it can be repelled by fire. As she and Harry struggle to find a way to make fire, Ron reminds Hermione that she’s a witch and can cast spells using her wand. Without Ron's quick thinking, the trio would have been doomed. This demonstrates Ron's street smarts and establishes his contribution to the trio. In the movie, however, Hermione is the one to have this epiphany. Ron is left whimpering in the background yet again as Hermione saves the day.

Another reason fans dislike Ron is because he abandons Harry in The Goblet of Fire and The Deathly Hallows. The movies highlight these plot points because they are significant and important to the story, but without his redeeming qualities, the films make Ron seem like a horrible friend. In The Philosopher’s Stone, Ron is ready to sacrifice himself at the age of 12 so that Harry can succeed. In The Deathly Hallows, during the battle of Hogwarts, Ron uses his quick-thinking to get basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets , one of the only objects that can destroy Horcruxes.

Ron is a great friend to Harry and Hermione. He supports Harry’s claim that Voldemort is back, he and his brothers help rescue Harry from the Dursleys, and he stands up for Hermione when Draco calls her a Mudblood. So, when you think about it, Ron Weasley really isn’t so bad. He’s loyal, smart, and brave. I think we all need to give him more credit. Ron Weasley deserves a higher rank on your favourites’ list.