Blog Prompt #2

Rereading the last three books have definitely helped me catch alot of the things I missed previously. Granted, it only took me a day to read those, so I was quite sure there was alot that I had missed. There has been one set of characters that really developed greatly shows the coming of age theme throughout the stories. Those two characters are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

When they were first introduced to the series, I would not exactly describe them as friends. They could not stand each other in the beginning. Hermione Granger was the incredibly smart, half-blooded, only child. I believe she also had somewhat of a superiority complex. Ron Weasley on the other hand was decently smart, pureblooded, and the sixth of seven children. We learn from the Sorcerer's Stone that Ronald has a little jealously. After looking in the Mirror of Erised, he sees himself the best of all his brothers. He is continuously being overshadowed by his older brothers (and later on by his younger sister), and in some sort of irony set himself up with the most known wizard of all time, Harry Potter. It was not until Harry and Ron saved her from the troll in the bathroom that they even became friends. But, by the end of Sorcerer's Stone, they remain good friends. This reminds me of alot of my first friends in high school. It was weird how the people that instantly didn't get along, often ended up dating soon after. This attraction continues to mount in the series, getting stronger in each following book. In the movies, it wasn't until the Prisoner of Azkaban where the awkward situations occur, despite the occasional bickering. Which is natural and can be considered flirtatious in some situations. Hermione and Ron start to do the little touchy feeling thing (Hermione grabs Ron's hand when introduced to Buckbeak), but neither wants to admit how they feel. They most likely won't admit it because neither knows how they're truelove feeling. I mean both of them are about/are going through puberty, and all their emotions are mixed up as it is.

Both of these characters are developing throughout the series which plays into one of the main themes of the series: the coming of age. They start off an equivalent to nemesis, but in the end become very, very good friends. There are many awkward situations between them, and that is completely natural especially in their age range. I myself went through some of the exact same awkwardness with boys that I liked, especially at that age. Rowling's use of this theme was easily understandable because I was going through the same situation when I first read the series. Ron and Hermione had not gone through those life situations and were not able to process those adult emotions. Ron was like a kid in a candy store when he got ahold of Lavender in Half-Blood Prince. But in the end, he realized that he didn't really care for Lavender. Hermione was the one he truly cared about. Ron and Hermione start out with an immature childhood romance and end with a both mature and wind up in a strong relationship.