The Slayer made the correct choice

[fly on the wall]

That's a good point.

I think I object more to her decision to jump as a matter of storytelling than character: because the writers never succeeded in making me, as a viewer, care about Dawn the way they did with Angel or Willow (I've never thought she was written well enough for me to consider her first a sister then a plot point), Buffy's determination to save her regardless of the cost strikes me as hollow.

I think that's difficult for every viewer.
Because we didn't see her first as Buffy's sister. We saw her, were confused by her sudden appearance, found out what she was, and saw her as an object. An annoying, whiny, seemingly unnecessary at times, object.
But it's important to keep in mind how BUFFY sees her. It's hard to see Dawn as Buffy must see Dawn, because we only knew her for twenty episodes before The Gift, and she was a prop tool, a mystical Key, and annoying to boot..especially since in the beginning, we didn't see the strong bond Buffy felt with her...we saw Buffy reacting as WE were reacting, in annoyance, and irritation, etc. But Buffy sees her as her little sister, who she was sworn to protect long before she became a Slayer. Her little sister, who was the only person who shared the pain of their parents' break-up and their father's eventual estrangement, their move to Sunnydale and everything they've fought there since.
It's important to keep this in mind, I think, when watching The Gift. The viewer's attachment to Dawn and Buffy's attachment to Dawn are two very different things.

 

[LittleBit]

That's a good point.

(I've never thought she was written well enough for me to consider her first a sister then a plot point).

This is where I disagree the most.
See, I think the exact opposite is true: at some point the writers realized/decided that they needed to insert a sister in the mix (the reasons are varied, and I kinda agree with them, but that's another matter).
The point is, they wanted a sister in the show, and they elaborated a plot to make it work.

After this, it's a matter of personal perception: it worked fine with me, I instantly accepted her as a sister and it sounded wrong to me everytime the scoobies didn't treat her "accordingly".

 

[Relic]

^^^^ I agree with this, that Dawn was not a possible end of series addition and that they had other stuff they wanted to do with her. I ended up feeling sorry for Dawn atleast as much as I rolled my eyes at her. She was suppose to be that annoying little sister and we as viewers lacked the implanted memories/ benefit of watching her grow up and becoming attached to her.

We just got to see her as an outsider suddenly forced into the role of familiarity. It was alittle weird at first but I thought the season did a good job of showing it was weird for Buffy in the begining, too. Through the season we get to see that bond grow and ultimately surpass the fact that those memories where implanted. Thats a cool moment, at least for me.

I'm not saying that Dawn is my favorite character or anything, but I completely understood why Buffy would try to save what she felt was her sister...what was made her sister...from being a key thats would open a dimensinal rift and likely go home to the same dimension as the carrier and the lock; the anti fun time house of Glory.

First and foremost she was saving her sister from a fate/prophecy, giving her a chance that Buffy herself was not afforded; atleast at first.

Thats why I believe she smiled.

Yes, she was tired of fighting...she had been for some while, and was again in season 6 and after when they brought her back, but she still fights. She fights for those that she loves, to protect them.

 

[shaphalf]

I think the most important part here is that it's not Dawn's calling to save the world. It's Buffy's. Hence why she was the one who had to jump.

It would have been completely against the whole premise of the show and the character of Buffy to sit back while an innocent does her job for her. I couldn't imagine the show continuing one with a slayer who made that decision. As Giles said, Buffy is a hero. A hero would never sacrifice another person if she can sacrifice herself.

I think that this is the most profound decision that Buffy has ever made on the show. It shows the kind of character she has and what it truly means to be a Slayer.

 

[WaLkiM]

I think she made the correct choice...Just remember that quote "The hardest thing is to live in it.."