Varying Views of Characters

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 190904

Steve Replies:

This is more of a general comment, than a response to anyone specific.

Characters are not one dimensional, or very two dimensional for that matter. All characters are very complex. A person can be a good guy, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss his/her darker aspect.

Dumbledore was a good guy who had to make hard, terrible, and dark choices. In war, people die, and frequently those people are sent to their death by some who has or at least thinks they have a master plan. War is not a neat tidy fairytale. 

Just because we can see this darkness in Dumbledore, doesn't change the fact that he fought vigorously for the side of good. Just because he knew Harry would have to make an ultimate great sacrifice, is no different than all the other people who are sent to their death trying to stop evil. 

There have been some who have been outraged by Harry's rule breaking behavior, and yet, I think or hope that they see Harry as the ultimate good guy. I think his heroics far outweigh his rule breaking. 

And while we are at it, let's look at the rule breaking. Harry had no business wandering the corridors, and going into the Chamber of Secrets. He should have just left it to the adults, kept his nose clean, and stayed nice and safe in his room. Yet, if he had done that Tom Riddle would be fully alive in the world and Ginny Weasly would be dead. As a result for his flagrant disregard for the rules, Ginny is alive, that Diary-Riddle is dead. 

So, which is more important, Ginny alive and Riddle dead, and a few rules being broken? Or, Riddle alive, Ginny dead, and the rules safely in tack? 

Every character is multi-faceted, every character has benevolent, and not so benevolent motivations, and we should not judge them on a single event, or a single aspect of their character, rather on the whole, rather for the greater good that comes from their actions. 

Harry was a soldier, Harry had a duty, part of the duty was to die at the right time; he did his duty like countless other soldiers that have been marched to their own death. 

As for Dumbledore sending him, that is the duty of a General, to send good men to their death, if it advances the cause of victory.

Just because Dumbledore had this dark side does not mean we can't or shouldn't discuss it, but we should also remember that he was a good guy on the grander scale who was seeking liberty and freedom from tyranny for all. 

Steve/bboyminn 

Who is curious to see if this post goes through. I've sent three in the last few days and Yahoomort seems to have hit them all with an Avada Kadavra curse.