Deathly Hallows, chapter 18
May. 31st, 2009 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslockThe Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore
* And this short excursion into Dumbledore's past is relevant to the plot how, exactly?
* The sky is indifferent to Harry and his suffering. I only wish the author was as well.
* As a side note, how can silence be "glittering"?
* Oh yeah, Harry's wand is different, just like Harry is different. It can shoot golden flames on its own. Our hero just can't have a normal wand. I'd be happy at the destruction of such a super wand if there weren't another even more speshul extra-super wand just waiting for our hero.
* The pouch Harry is carrying around his neck is now too full of broken and useless objects to take any more. I'm sure this is meant to produce an awwwww reaction, but really, I'm just repulsed.
* "Out of sheer desperation they had talked themselves into believing that Godric's Hollow held answers." Ahahahahaaa! *wheezes* I don't remember Harry needing any desperation for his brainless decision to go to Godric's Hollow.
* Though he is perfectly justified of being angry at Dumbledore. If I were in his position, I'd be angry as well. It's just that he manages to make great melodrama out of being angry as well. Truly JKR cannot write strong emotions. *cough*ChestMonster*cough*
* And here comes Hermione, once again frightened of Harry. This is getting oooooold. Is this the Hermione who was ruthless enough to attack his best friend with birds? Whatever happened to that Hermione?
* Finally, there will be the answers about Dumbledore's life that Harry so desperately wants. Too bad they aren't of the kind that he likes. Beware further temper tantrums.
* Harry feels "savage pleasure" at getting to know everything about Dumbledore. Too melodramatic. Not only should JKR be banned from using adverbs, she should be forbidden to use adjectives as well until she knows how to use them respectfully.
* You wanted to know everything about Dumbledore, Harry. Now you'll have to grin and bear it, even if Dumbledore's past turns out to have a homosexual affair with Grindelwald.
* Dumbledore was a Youth Representative to the Wizengamot. How come we haven't heard about these Youth Representatives before? Or have they discontinued the custom? Maybe the post was created specifically for Dumbledore.
* 'Dogbreath' Doge. Is this supposed to be funny, or what?
* Grindelwald would miss out the top spot in a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time only because of the arrival of You-Know-Who? Excuse me if I'm slightly sceptical of Rita's assessment. Grindelwald seems to have been connected in some way with WWII, which puts his achievement quite high. What has Voldemort, in contrast, achieved? Well, he managed to have Dumbledore killed, a feat that owed more to Dumbledore's stupidity than his own skills. He has repeatedly failed to kill Harry Potter (maybe he ought to have enlisted Draco's help for that as well). It took him several years to put a top Ministry official under the Imperius Curse. Et cetera ad nauseam.
* I seems to me that, whatever Rowling tries to make us believe, Dumbledore still subscribed to the wizard dominance over Muggles for their own good even after he and Grindelwald parted. Just look at his treatment of the Dursleys. Besides, a person doesn't get over their deep-seated sense of superiority just because their friend turns out to be an ass, and a superiority complex is certainly what Dumbledore had until his death.
* Melodrama warning!
* This is the first hint that Grindelwald is alive. Until this bit, I thought Dumbledore had killed Grindelwald, because surely he was far too dangerous to be left alive. But I guess Dumbledore couldn't damage his precious soul.
* I happen to like the name Nurmengard. Has anyone any idea if the name means anything?
* Harry points out that the defence "they were young" doesn't really fly when it comes to Dumbledore and Grindelwald, because they were the same age as Harry and Hermione are and they are out there fighting the Dark Arts. Well, fair enough. But at least Dumbledore and Grindelwald thought for themselves, misguided though their thoughts were. Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, are fighting "the Dark Arts" (whatever they are) just because Dumbledore told them to.
* Really, Harry's smug insistence that they are risking their lives to fight the Dark Arts sounds really self-congratulatory. As if the poor idiot knows what the Dark Arts are any more than the readers do. They are just something that the Slytherins probably do during their midnight orgies.
* I think this time Hermione the psychologist actually nails it: Harry is so angry because Dumbledore never told any of this to Harry himself. As if Harry was somehow entitled to know everything about Dumbledore. I really don't like the man, but even I've got to say that he had a right to personal life and that it wasn't at all necessary to tell Harry anything about it.
* In fact, the whole Dumbledore subplot was completely unnecessary. It was interesting only as far as it concerned Grindelwald, and the space devoted to it could have been used to resolve any of the number of unresolved subplots from the previous books.
* Harry is right that Dumbledore never explained anything, merely demanding blind trust, but somehow I've got trouble of understanding how Harry thinks Dumbledore's telling him all about personal history would have helped any. If I were Harry, I'd rather Dumbledore had explained something useful, like how to destroy Horcruxes.
* Now Harry dismisses Hermione from his presence. Oh. My. God. Can the boy get any more conceited?
* And this short excursion into Dumbledore's past is relevant to the plot how, exactly?
* The sky is indifferent to Harry and his suffering. I only wish the author was as well.
* As a side note, how can silence be "glittering"?
* Oh yeah, Harry's wand is different, just like Harry is different. It can shoot golden flames on its own. Our hero just can't have a normal wand. I'd be happy at the destruction of such a super wand if there weren't another even more speshul extra-super wand just waiting for our hero.
* The pouch Harry is carrying around his neck is now too full of broken and useless objects to take any more. I'm sure this is meant to produce an awwwww reaction, but really, I'm just repulsed.
* "Out of sheer desperation they had talked themselves into believing that Godric's Hollow held answers." Ahahahahaaa! *wheezes* I don't remember Harry needing any desperation for his brainless decision to go to Godric's Hollow.
* Though he is perfectly justified of being angry at Dumbledore. If I were in his position, I'd be angry as well. It's just that he manages to make great melodrama out of being angry as well. Truly JKR cannot write strong emotions. *cough*ChestMonster*cough*
* And here comes Hermione, once again frightened of Harry. This is getting oooooold. Is this the Hermione who was ruthless enough to attack his best friend with birds? Whatever happened to that Hermione?
* Finally, there will be the answers about Dumbledore's life that Harry so desperately wants. Too bad they aren't of the kind that he likes. Beware further temper tantrums.
* Harry feels "savage pleasure" at getting to know everything about Dumbledore. Too melodramatic. Not only should JKR be banned from using adverbs, she should be forbidden to use adjectives as well until she knows how to use them respectfully.
* You wanted to know everything about Dumbledore, Harry. Now you'll have to grin and bear it, even if Dumbledore's past turns out to have a homosexual affair with Grindelwald.
* Dumbledore was a Youth Representative to the Wizengamot. How come we haven't heard about these Youth Representatives before? Or have they discontinued the custom? Maybe the post was created specifically for Dumbledore.
* 'Dogbreath' Doge. Is this supposed to be funny, or what?
* Grindelwald would miss out the top spot in a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time only because of the arrival of You-Know-Who? Excuse me if I'm slightly sceptical of Rita's assessment. Grindelwald seems to have been connected in some way with WWII, which puts his achievement quite high. What has Voldemort, in contrast, achieved? Well, he managed to have Dumbledore killed, a feat that owed more to Dumbledore's stupidity than his own skills. He has repeatedly failed to kill Harry Potter (maybe he ought to have enlisted Draco's help for that as well). It took him several years to put a top Ministry official under the Imperius Curse. Et cetera ad nauseam.
* I seems to me that, whatever Rowling tries to make us believe, Dumbledore still subscribed to the wizard dominance over Muggles for their own good even after he and Grindelwald parted. Just look at his treatment of the Dursleys. Besides, a person doesn't get over their deep-seated sense of superiority just because their friend turns out to be an ass, and a superiority complex is certainly what Dumbledore had until his death.
* Melodrama warning!
* This is the first hint that Grindelwald is alive. Until this bit, I thought Dumbledore had killed Grindelwald, because surely he was far too dangerous to be left alive. But I guess Dumbledore couldn't damage his precious soul.
* I happen to like the name Nurmengard. Has anyone any idea if the name means anything?
* Harry points out that the defence "they were young" doesn't really fly when it comes to Dumbledore and Grindelwald, because they were the same age as Harry and Hermione are and they are out there fighting the Dark Arts. Well, fair enough. But at least Dumbledore and Grindelwald thought for themselves, misguided though their thoughts were. Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, are fighting "the Dark Arts" (whatever they are) just because Dumbledore told them to.
* Really, Harry's smug insistence that they are risking their lives to fight the Dark Arts sounds really self-congratulatory. As if the poor idiot knows what the Dark Arts are any more than the readers do. They are just something that the Slytherins probably do during their midnight orgies.
* I think this time Hermione the psychologist actually nails it: Harry is so angry because Dumbledore never told any of this to Harry himself. As if Harry was somehow entitled to know everything about Dumbledore. I really don't like the man, but even I've got to say that he had a right to personal life and that it wasn't at all necessary to tell Harry anything about it.
* In fact, the whole Dumbledore subplot was completely unnecessary. It was interesting only as far as it concerned Grindelwald, and the space devoted to it could have been used to resolve any of the number of unresolved subplots from the previous books.
* Harry is right that Dumbledore never explained anything, merely demanding blind trust, but somehow I've got trouble of understanding how Harry thinks Dumbledore's telling him all about personal history would have helped any. If I were Harry, I'd rather Dumbledore had explained something useful, like how to destroy Horcruxes.
* Now Harry dismisses Hermione from his presence. Oh. My. God. Can the boy get any more conceited?
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no subject
Date: 2009-05-31 11:34 pm (UTC)Plot? That could (and should) have been over and done with in 200 pages. DH is filled with pointless, story extending, must be the length of a school year, yapping. I wouldn’t usually mind, because OotP and HBP weren’t exactly heavy on the editing either. The difference being that DH was so very boring. I can put up with meandering if I’m enjoying the book - but I enjoyed about 100 pages tops in this book. None of them were in this chapter.
“As a side note, how can silence be "glittering"? “
JKR likes her adjectives! Plus I’m sure there’s a ‘death was with them, like a presence’ joke in there somewhere
- “And here comes Hermione, once again frightened of Harry. This is getting oooooold.”
Harry was a nasty, whiny, incompetent git, but at least you could depend on that. Hermione was totally inconsistent, constantly unable to deal with situations which she could have easily handled in previous chapters (and would go on to easily handle in future chapters), according to the plot. She changed from one of the best characters, to one of the least likeable. She was also one of the worst written – and there’s some mighty big competition in this series. Dumbledore became more obviously manipulative over the years, but these revelations made him pass that vital barrier from complicated to tiresome. This chapter features three people I despise, with no giant snake bursting out of an old woman, or other action to distract me.
- “Until this bit, I thought Dumbledore had killed Grindelwald, because surely he was far too dangerous to be left alive. But I guess Dumbledore couldn't damage his precious soul.”
I really wish JKR had said that if you kill *in cold blood*, then that’s what damaged your soul. Certainly not someone killing in self-defence, or in the army - surely intent should be vital in something so serious? Why should Snape have to damage his soul, when Dumbledore and that w*nker Harry didn’t? Even Moody and Shacklebolt, who were in the Wizarding police/army didn’t (if I remember rightly). It was really unbelievable, especially because it was only the ‘goodies' that never killed, while the baddies’ frequently did. If JKR’s rules and attitude had been more realistic we might have had a better story and final confrontation.
- "Now Harry dismisses Hermione from his presence. Oh. My. God. Can the boy get any more conceited?"
Do you think believing he had the right to torture someone because they displeased him, to teach them a lesson, is conceit or arrogance? The answer to your question is looking suspiciously like yes. At least he didn't 'crucio' Hermione, friendship counts for something! That said, he'd soon ignore Ron's advice leading to her brutal torture by someone far more capable - but I don't think that was conceit, just total stupidity. You've got to love that Harry Potter!
no subject
Date: 2009-06-01 03:30 am (UTC)As I recently realized, Harry should have had his soul split by killing the Diary Horcrux. No dancing around with rebounds or "Well, Quirrel died when Voldemort fled the body" there. He stabbed the thing and watched it die. And, logically, by now, Voldemort should have a smaller sliver of soul in him than did the diary. In other words, if actually killing Voldemort himself was enough of a concern for JKR that she had him rebound the SAME BLOODY SPELL AGAIN... Harry's soul got split at twelve by dint of killing the Diary. Hooray for JKR logic!
no subject
Date: 2009-06-01 05:44 am (UTC)One day, someone will ask her if Molly's soul is split, and then she'll clarify this, because you know she won't be able to tolerate the idea there are equal consequences for goodies and baddies who kill.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-01 02:48 pm (UTC)This chapter features three people I despise, with no giant snake bursting out of an old woman, or other action to distract me.
Amen. In fact, Grindelwald is the only interesting thing in this chapter, and his part is lamentably small.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-01 03:04 pm (UTC)Didn't Moody kill Evan Rosier?
no subject
Date: 2009-06-01 09:02 pm (UTC)