Dark is rising again - final post reread impression

[sistermagpie]

> magpie:
> <SNIP>
> It's funny that for me I like Merriman more because he has no 
> remorse-
> -not because I have a problem with remorse, but because it seems 
like
> he does things because he thinks they're right, and since he thought
> they were right he can't regret them. He might regret hurting 
people,
> but he would still stand by his decision. Dumbledore bugs me because
> of exactly the stuff you seem to like about him. He seems to kind of
> want to be cuddly and at the same time do these coldly manipulative
> things, and get the support of Harry and be all tearful about it.
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Right, I of course agree with you both that Merryman is consistent 
> and that way to everybody.
> 
> The point I am wondering about, Magpie, is why would you find him 
> more likable if he does not regret the things he thinks is right?

Magpie:
It's probably hard for me to think of it really being a rule of 
consistency or anything--it's probably just many things about both 
characters.

But I guess what bugs me more about Dumbledore is what seems to me 
sentimentality on top of what he's doing. Merriman is ready to be 
hated while Dumbledore feels bad and tells people he feels badly. Or, 
like in OotP you know I just think his whole speech reads 
like, "Okay, I'm going to tell you how everything is my fault. By 
which I mean I'm going to show what everbody else did wrong and so 
let me down and hopefully you'll feel sympathy for me." 

It's probably just a personal preference, but maybe it's that I don't 
look at the two and see Merriman not knowing he did wrong and 
Dumbledore knowing. On the contrary, it seems like Merriman knows he 
did what he had to do based on his fanatical principles--he knows how 
people might feel about what he did, but his loyalty isn't to 
individual people. Where as Dumbledore defends himself personally, 
seems to want to be sympathetic at the same time. It's like his 
ridiculous "...you were a little thinner than I'd like, but you 
weren't a pampered prince!" and then he shows up the Dursleys for one 
last showy display of playing Santa. Merriman seems like he is what 
he is--you can completely trust him as far as you can trust him, he's 
not messing with you. Dumbledore seems a lot more about his own 
personal shifting ideas about right and wrong. Merriman a creature of 
the Light. Dumbledore's his own Light.

-m