« Previous Post | Index | Next Post »
Catlady wondered:
For that matter, if Fred and George had been able to put their names into the Goblet of Fire, could it have chosen one of them without the other as Champion?
And then Corinth screamed in frustration:
No! No, no, no, no! This is off topic, but I must rant. Twins are not one person! Of course the Goblet could have made a choice; they are two completely different people. nd I hope to God the school wouldn't make an exception and treat the twins as a single person.
Heh. Now, you wouldn't be a twin yourself by any chance, would you, Corinth? ;-)
But cheer up. Canon backs you up here 100%. Padma and Parvati are twins, and they were sorted into separate houses. Nor does anyone seem particularly surprised or stunned by this occurrence. So I don't think that we have to worry too much about Hogwarts (or magical artifacts like the Goblet and the Sorting Hat, for that matter) making unfair assumptions about twins or denying them recognition of their individuation.
When it comes to Fred and George, they do seem to enjoy the game of speaking with one voice, probably both because (as you said) it facilitates their love of mischief and also because it gives them an edge in the power dynamics of their large family. But the one glimpse we see of their behavior when they do not have an audience shows quite clearly, I'd say, that "Gred and Forge" is largely act. In _GoF,_ we see them quarrelling over how to proceed with Ludo Bagman. Tellingly, they believe themselves to be unobserved at the time. The instant that they realize that they are not in fact alone, they revert to their usual public behavior, putting up a united front against Ron.
Give me some time to look through the books and I'll give canon for the two different personalities.
A number of people have noted differences between the twins here on the list in the past, and several months ago, Richelle embarked on a full catalogue on their canonical appearances for just this purpose, although IIRC, she only got through the first book. I don't have any message numbers here right now, but an archive search might yeild some interesting finds.
IIRC, people usually find Fred to be the leader of the two: more aggressive and initiatory than George, but also rather meaner, more lacking in empathy. A couple of people have expressed concern for Fred, as they feel that if JKR ever decides to pull an "evil twin" plotline, Fred could prove vulnerable to temptation or corruption.
Oh! But now I see that Scheherazade said the exact same thing. ::shakes head:: I should really get up to speed before I start firing off replies, shouldn't I?
Please do post this to the list when you're done with it, Scheherazade! I know that many people would be interested in seeing it.
—Elkins
who once promised a full break-down of Percy appearances...but then never delivered. Er...maybe in 2003?
Posted to HPfGU by Elkins on December 31, 2002 11:28 AM
« Previous Post | Index | Next Post »