[amyrlis]

Great topic Maedhros - and great name too! Maedhros is my favorite Sil character! However, my opinion differs with yours of Finarfin abandoning his people and being afraid of the wrath of the Valar. I tend to side more with what Nar said about Finarfin not abandoning, but giving his people in Valinor the leader they needed. You say there were no problems in Valinor and they needed no king. But, the High King had just been murdered and the light of trees had gone out. I think those are great wounds that would take much healing for the Noldor who stayed to move past. I think, in their grief, they would look to a leader to help them through. I also believe that, rather than his turning back being a rash decision made only after hearing the Doom of Mandos, that Finarfin's heart was never truly in the journey and that was the last straw. And, as a prince, the decision was not his alone, he had his loyal followers to think of. Finarfin had to ask himself, "Do I want to lead my people into exile? Am I willing to sacrafice their lives for my (or my brother's) pride? What further peril will I take them into?" Perhaps he also thought he could do more good than harm by turning back, making amends with the Teleri and allowing a remnant of the Noldor to live in peace. It could not have been an easy decision since his children did not choose the same path, and he knew it would mean parting with them and his brother.
I have often felt pity for Finarfin, in that he's like Hurin in a way. I've always imagined that he knew, or at least felt a hint, of the woes which befell his family in Middle Earth as they were happening. And, perhaps he always struggled with his reasons for not joining them. Imagine what might have been if he would have been by Fingolfin's side at the gates of Angbad! But instead, he waited in Valinor alone, as his kin returned one by one to the Halls of Waiting.