The fact that you're on the fence about her, and that she isn't all good (and really, she isn't) speaks a lot to the nature of the show, I think. It seems to revel in shades of grey. Elena may be a lighter shade than, say, Katherine, but she's certainly not a pure angel of perfect purity.

I'm glad you enjoyed the post! Mostly I just felt like Elena deserved a bit of respect for being a good character, regardless of whether or not people actually like her.