Howdy!
If you’ve been following along on my social media or subscribed to my email list, you will know that I have immersed myself into the saga of Harry Potter
From the first book until the end, one of the themes that sticks out to me is the contrast of the Malfoy family to the Weasley family.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Malfoy family is a very affluent, arrogant pureblood wizarding family. The father, Lucius, is very smug and pretentious. He is a high ranking official at the Ministry of magic. The son, Draco, is the typical spoiled rich kid… bully, tyrant, weak when pressed.
Conversely, the Weasleys are perceived as a poor working class family. They are a family of 9 with 7 children spread out over many years. When we are introduced to their home, The Burrow, in the second book, the oldest two children, Charlie and Bill, have already moved out of the house. This leaves Percy, twins Fred and George, Ron (Harry’s best friend), and the lone girl, Ginny, at home. The father, Arthur, is a mid level worker at the Ministry and is infatuated with Muggles. Mother Molly, is a stay at home mother who is an incredible cook and house keeper.
The Weasley’s house is not necessarily posh nor trendy. Its a mismatched, several story cottage in the middle of the country. They have a garden and a hog pen… and no neighbors. However, upon his first visit to the Burrow, Harry is astonished and amazed by all of the magical quirks and coziness it beholds. Ron says to him “It’s not much, but it’s home.”
I cannot help but relate my own home and living situation to the Weasleys and the Burrow. Albeit, I’ve never been “poor” in my life. I’ve always lived comfortably and have never had to worry about where my meals will come from. But there are times I wish my home was more aesthetically pleasing. I wish there wasn’t gates tied up around the yard to keep the cows from getting out. I wish the plastic fence wasn’t broken from bulls crashing through it. I wish there wasn’t mud on the driveway that has fallen off my truck post feeding. I wish we could have beautiful landscaping all around our house.
But do I want these things enough to give up my way of life? Do I want to give up my need for mud boots and four wheel drive vehicles to live in a house that lives up the standards of society? Our house is beautiful… Keri has designed an incredible interior that was brought to life by some outstanding carpenters. But there are definite flaws on both the interior and exterior.
But like Ron says, It’s home. I think of my home and the Burrow and contrast it to Harry’s Aunt and Uncle Dursley’s home where he lived from ages one to ten. The Dursley’s are so worried about fitting in with the world around them and worried about what everyone thinks. They are so uptight when it comes to their home that everything must be in its perfect place.
Which home would I rather have? Which home would I rather my kids grow up in? One where they walk on eggshells and are reprimanded if even the slightest thing is out of place… or one where they are free. One that is occasionally (ok most of the time ) a mess. But one where they can go outside any time they want and do a million things. Play baseball in the yard, ride a horse, ride a bike, go fishing, or just go take a walk.
To add to that, what kind of family to we want to be. Do we want to be stuck up and pretentious like the Malfoys. Look down our noses at folks we perceive to be less than us… or would we rather be the Weasley’s. Quirky, bordering on strange from time to time. Not blessed with an infinite amount of gold but more than sufficient funds for their needs. But most importantly, a home filled with love. A home where what happens on the inside is more important than what the world sees from the outside. When I think of this contrast, I am more than content with my home.
If you couldn’t tell, I’m a bit obsessed with the Harry Potter series. In an upcoming email, I’m going to give you my top 5 most liked and top 5 most disliked characters from the HP books along with an explanation for why for each character. Be sure to subscribe to my email list so not to miss out on my break down.
