Discussion Forums about Books and Reading | Is It Ron's Love for Gambling or Maths?
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It wasn't explicitly mentioned in the book that he had interest in math from the start, or school in general. He was good at it—you need to be pretty quick about it if you're going to count cards—but he probably wasn't aware of it until his professors noticed him.houligan19 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2020, 22:27 I think that it can easily work both ways. He was interested in gambling to earn a living. He went to school because it became a way to earn a living. It seems as though he liked math somewhat already, but gambling increased that interest, along with his crush, of course. Hard to tell which was actually more important, or if Ron even knew himself.
Ron isn't hopeless. He is a gambling fanatic. As an addictive and involving habit, it influences the majority of his decisions. Maths is a complimentary of the underlying focus on gambling. Even though we may agree that the habit diminishes a bit after a while, it still rekindles from time to time.maiiii_maii wrote: ↑02 Nov 2020, 20:55 I think that Ron resorted to gambling because he could not go on to college. He's intelligent yet because no one pushed him and gave him support to continue his studies, he reverted to gambling instead.
Your sentiments are true and as clear as the truth is. But again don't you think Ron's love for maths was what moved him into successful gambling tactics? He might not have known it, but his calculations on poker and chess were precise and correct.Melexa wrote: ↑03 Nov 2020, 12:45 I think Ron's love for gambling was borne out of his desire to get money. We see this love for gambling right from the beginning at the Chess tournaments and later on when he shifted into poker - all of which was driven by his desire to get money.
Generally, school wasn't central in Ron's mind. So his love for maths was on the periphery. His focus was money, and whatever gives him that becomes important to him.
You are right. My perspective, however, is that his desire for money moved him into gambling, while his mathematical abilities made him successful in it. My humble opinion thoughJoseph_ngaruiya wrote: ↑04 Nov 2020, 00:28Your sentiments are true and as clear as the truth is. But again don't you think Ron's love for maths was what moved him into successful gambling tactics? He might not have known it, but his calculations on poker and chess were precise and correct.Melexa wrote: ↑03 Nov 2020, 12:45 I think Ron's love for gambling was borne out of his desire to get money. We see this love for gambling right from the beginning at the Chess tournaments and later on when he shifted into poker - all of which was driven by his desire to get money.
Generally, school wasn't central in Ron's mind. So his love for maths was on the periphery. His focus was money, and whatever gives him that becomes important to him.
I absolutely agree with you! His focus was money more than school. When he did go to school it was because Regina was paying him to do so! And you are right about his love for gambling being apparent right from the start with his love of chess. Very well said!Melexa wrote: ↑03 Nov 2020, 12:45 I think Ron's love for gambling was borne out of his desire to get money. We see this love for gambling right from the beginning at the Chess tournaments and later on when he shifted into poker - all of which was driven by his desire to get money.
Generally, school wasn't central in Ron's mind. So his love for maths was on the periphery. His focus was money, and whatever gives him that becomes important to him.
Indeed, he is cunning and edgy. It wasn't easy to strike a balance between the two interests, but Ron was lucky enough to hack it. However, I found his weaknesses to be stronger than his strengths. He couldn't keep up with renting a house for himself and most of his money was used up in gambling.HannahsReads wrote: ↑04 Nov 2020, 16:43 What an interesting question. My take on Ron is that he never had much internal motivation. The outward motivational lures of winning at gambling and seeking for Regina, then Sheila's, approval were what drove him. I think his cleverness enabled him to use both math and gambling to succeed once he had that external motivation.