Dumbledore has always felt rather godlike or parentlike to me as a character. That is, he doesn't actually do much - he just sets everyone in place and gives them opportunities to act - and so exercise their free will toward good or bad, good decisions or bad decisions.
It might be convenient for plot, but I always felt JKR writes Dumbledore like this because these are children's books and there is something traditional and comforting about stories where the children are given room to explore and grow but there is still an all-knowing person watching and gently prodding them into situations where they will either make the right decision or fail. (Aslan in Narnia might be another example).
I suppose this was blown all to hell in OotP as Dumbledore screwed up badly there but I wonder if he really did. Somehow it all works out and in the end Harry will kill Voldemort.
Er, re Peter - I think it's quite possible that Dumbledore knew Peter might betray his friends but felt he had to give him the opportunity to choose not to. Perhaps not literal knowledge, maybe more of a matter of Dumbledore's choosing to not look too closely so that Peter would have the opportunity to do the right thing in the end.
This is more "the means is more important than the end" sort of morality - but it's a common thing in children's books.
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Date: 2004-07-18 06:04 pm (UTC)It might be convenient for plot, but I always felt JKR writes Dumbledore like this because these are children's books and there is something traditional and comforting about stories where the children are given room to explore and grow but there is still an all-knowing person watching and gently prodding them into situations where they will either make the right decision or fail. (Aslan in Narnia might be another example).
I suppose this was blown all to hell in OotP as Dumbledore screwed up badly there but I wonder if he really did. Somehow it all works out and in the end Harry will kill Voldemort.
Er, re Peter - I think it's quite possible that Dumbledore knew Peter might betray his friends but felt he had to give him the opportunity to choose not to. Perhaps not literal knowledge, maybe more of a matter of Dumbledore's choosing to not look too closely so that Peter would have the opportunity to do the right thing in the end.
This is more "the means is more important than the end" sort of morality - but it's a common thing in children's books.