First, I want to start off by saying that I do adore Dumbledore as a character. The wise old man with crescent spectacles did hit a soft spot with me. There is just something about an elderly man watching over you that gives a sense of peace and I think that is what J.K. Rowling was going for, which made him an important character within the story itself.
However, I have doubts about whether Dumbledore was truly needed for Harry's development. We discussed that Dumbledore was a guiding figure for the Hogwarts student, much like Merlin was for King Arthur or Gandalf was for Frodo. Yet throughout the books and movies, he does not have much interaction with him. He is there at the beginning, occasionally in the middle, and at the end he provides a final conclusion for the events that took place under the school. Otherwise, at least in the first book, you only ever see him during dinner time or at a quidditch match.
From my perspective, he does not truly aid Harry. At least, not in any way that another professor would have. Take McGonagall for example. She could have easily replaced Dumbledore for most of his scenes. Like when he was explaining the mirror. Professor McGonagall would have been able to tell the young hero the same things he needed to know.
If you put that in comparison to Gandalf, it is easy to tell that no one could have replaced him. The only character mentioned with equal power as a wizard was Sauron and he was needed as a bad guy! Gandalf was needed to find the ring initially. How would a hobbit even know of the rings of power? He was needed again to fight the Balrog. None of the other heroes could have done that. And again, he was the only one who could have gone off to find the riders of Rohan in time because of his connection with the horse, Shadowfax. Likewise, with Merlin there was no one who could have taken his place. How many educated, politically connected prophets do you honestly think could be walking around the earth at one time?
Now, I know a counter argument for this will be that Dumbledore was needed for his power. He is built up as a powerful wizard through out the story, what with his picture being a collectible card and him having the elder wand. And yet, he rarely uses it. We do see him use it in the Order of the Phoenix as he duels with Voldemort to save Harry; however, again I have to say that someone else could have stepped in. It is stated that the aurors are on their way. Had they interceded instead, the same conclusion could have been reached.
But what about his knowledge of the horcruxes? This might be one of the hardest points to counter. Yet, the author could have made Hagrid know since he went to school with Tom Riddle. That development was at the authors discretion and that is really the only way to counter that.
So, if Dumbledore is not the guiding figure...who is? That is answered by looking at the people Harry surrounded himself with: Ron and Hermione. It is often said that a person's friends help morph who they are and what they can accomplish. In this case, I think it is very true. They are his support, his foundation. It is evident in the last book just how fundamental they are; Dumbledore is dead and they persevere together. If any characters are Harry's guiding light, it is those two.
To sum it up, I believe Dumbledore was not integral to the story. He was put in for feel goods and nothing more where as Gandalf and Merlin are needed. There is no story without those two but with the Harry Potter series, he could have been left out.
...Again, not saying I do not love Dumbledore. :)
I dont think dumbledore was really needed. He was really just a tool to advance the plot, everything he did could have been done by one of the other 70 mentors that Harry has, or done by Harry himself.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I think Dumbledore was needed in the story, as a figure for source of knowledge and vague clues to drive Harry & friend onward in their goals. However, I would agree that, as awesome as Dumbledore was, he was nowhere near as integral to the story of Harry Potter, as Gandalf was for The Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeleteGandalf lead the Fellowship, he fought, and he continued to wage the war of diversion to keep Sauron from noticing Frodo, so that Frodo could destroy the ring. Dumbledore, while I feel that he was up to more than the audience was specifically told, seemed to only drop vague, in ripped clues for Harry to (hopefully) solve, and occasionally give more direct help (like when he secretly gave Harry his father's invisibility cloak), but that is usually it. It seems to me that, in terms of plot, Gandalf played a much larger role in The Lord of the Rings, than Dumbledore played in Harry Potter.
I definitely think Ron and Hermione are Harry's guiding figure. They are with him the whole time, and like you said, when Dumbledore is dead, Ron and Hermione are still by Harry's side. They really keep him going and keep him grounded to what he has to do, so I don't think Dumbledore is needed.
ReplyDeleteI'm also going to have to agree that from a narrative perspective, Dumbledore's role could very easily have been fulfilled by other characters. But I'm also going to suggest that, for the success of the series, the comparison to Gandalf may have been necessary in order to people just outside the demographic of "Likes Fantasy" to understand some of the world that they were dealing with. "Wise Old Wizard Mentor" is an archetype that Gandalf started and that people would have been familiar with from other media - Mister Miyagi, anyone?
ReplyDeleteAnd on a personal note, I liked that there was this wise old dude character who was looking out for Harry. My grandfather was my primary "father figure" until his death when I was 12, so that had me relating more to the character; it was easy to imagine him as kinda like my grandfather.
I one hundred percent believe that Ron and Hermione certainly helped to aid Harry with where he was going. However, I more so believe that Dumbledore was more-so Harry's guiding figure. Dumbledore is the one who really pushes Harry to think things out on his own so he is the one who gain the knowledge as well.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think there would be a long story without Dumbledore because Harry is practically his pawn throughout the entire story. Dumbledore purposely moves Harry to the places he needs to be in order to take out the Dark Lord. This doesn't make him needed though, I just don't think Harry would have gotten to the end with out the guidance of Dumbledore.
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting perspective to take. I had not thought of that originally and I can see how Dumbledore was using Harry like a pawn. But at the same time - Harry would have found himself in a lot of those situations none the less. Like with the Goblet of Fire. Dumbledore certainly did not put his name in the cup. >.>
DeleteI thought about that too. Dumbledore uses Harry much more as an instrument than what anyone would have guessed, so for that reason I don't see how Dumbledore could not have been in the books. His actions kind of steered Harry in the Direction that Dumbledore felt he needed to take in order for Voldemort to be destroyed.
DeleteI am torn on this question, and I hate not taking a clear stance, but i really don't know what I think.
ReplyDeleteI think Dumbledore is necessary because he is in a position to guide Harry with wisdom. Even though Ron and Hermoine are there to guide Harry, they can't be defined as wise. they are young, and are experiencing these situations with him. They offer a strong support system, but their guidance can only be given from the perspective of children, which would make Dumbledore needed.
On the other hand, there are plenty of adult characters in the books who are able to provide guidance to Harry if needed like the Weasley's or McGonagall, and from that perspective Dumbledore is not needed.