Blog Prompt 3; Dumbledore is only human...

                                                          Dumbledore is only human...               

                I personally loved the end of the series. The only thing that I did not enjoy about the end of the series was that I always wondered what Harry, Ron, and Hermione did before the epilogue. Obviously we could not be told everything that went on but I would have liked some idea of what their plans were.  However, I was very happy with the end as far as explanations about Dumbledore went.

                Dumbledore was a very complex man and to understand him completely we might have to read another novel. Overall, I was pleased with the way Rowling wrapped up the story about him.  When I learned about Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald I started to wonder about what kind of man Dumbledore really was. In Rita Skeeter’s book we see a letter that Dumbledore wrote to Grindelwald about controlling the muggles saying, “We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD…” (The Deathly Hallows 357). Dumbledore had become friends with the dark wizard and it led to the death of his sister. We later learn that Dumbledore never forgave himself for the death of his sister. He died not knowing if it had been him who killed her.

                At the end of the novel my feelings toward Dumbledore are not feelings of dislike, but I have come to see him as a man instead of the amazing and perfect wizard that I always saw him as throughout the series. He wanted the Hallows just as much as Grindelwald. He wanted to master death and even tells Harry, “I confess, it meant the return of my parents, and the lifting of all responsibility from my shoulders” (The Deathly Hallows 716). He learned from his mistakes and even refused to be Minister of Magic for fear of what having that kind of power would do to him. While Harry has also shouldered a great deal of responsibility at the age of seventeen it is important to remember that Dumbledore was still only eighteen when he made the decisions that led to his friendship with Grindelwald and the death of his sister. He had not faced all the dangers that Harry had. Dumbledore was human and humans make mistakes.