Official Philip Nel Discussion Question #2 - Snape!

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 37577

Dr. Philip Nel writes:

To a reader intrigued by Snape, Rowling advises, "keep an eye 
on him' (Barnes & Noble chat).  So, who is Snape working for, 
really?  Is he on Dumbledore's side?  Voldemort's?  Is he only 
looking out for himself?  Put another way, is Snape's behavior 
motivated by a schoolboy grudge or by allegiance to Voldemort?  
Is Snape petty or evil?  What will his role be in the final three 
novels?
**********

COMMENTARY AND FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS:

This group hardly needs to be told to keep an eye on Snape. 
Rowling's most enigmatic character has been the subject of 
endless debate and speculation here, not to mention the 
Snapefans spin-off list where crushy posts, fanfic and  
Rickmania reign. 

Who is Snape working for? If Dumbledore, then why is Snape 
still so nasty? Does he really want the Dark Arts job, and if so, 
why wouldn't Dumbledore give it to him? If Snape has been  
working for Voldemort all along, then why did he save Harry's 
life? If Snape is only looking out for himself, then why should he 
expose himself to danger by confronting Quirrell or taking up the 
mysterious errand at the end of GoF? 

Many list members consider a school boy grudge too petty a 
motive for Snape's behavior. Rowling has left much of Snape's 
canvas blank, and readers have obligingly filled in the details: 
could there have been a failed love affair? Does Snape come 
from an old wizarding family like the Malfoys, or does his elegant 
diction disguise humbler origins? What about his hooked nose 
and  sallow complexion? Could he be Welsh, Jewish, connected 
to the similarly described Viktor Krum, or perhaps even to the 
hated but unseen Vampires? 

Does Snape act out of a  petty devotion to rules and procedures, 
or is that  just an excuse to make people  miserable? How does 
his attitude toward rules and discipline compare to Percy's?

 At the moment, Snape's future is as mysterious as his past. The 
last we see of him, Harry notes his expression is "difficult to 
read" though he looks as "sour and unpleasant" as ever. Harry 
has never had trouble interpreting Snape's expression before: is 
this because Snape has changed, or because Harry has? 

Rowling has assured her audience that Snape is "tough" which 
implies that he is in for it.  Will suffering transform him? Will 
Snape ever truly be accepted by Sirius and Lupin? By Harry? 
Would Snape betray them if he could?

I don't think Snape is evil. I think he has a vicious disposition, 
and relishes the opportunity to let loose on whomever he thinks 
deserves it, but unlike Voldemort he no longer seeks to punish 
the entire world for his misery, nor does he manipulate innocent 
people for his own ends, as the Crouches and Lucius Malfoy do. 
I think the clues to his true character reside in his relationship to 
Hagrid and to Filch. As Sirius says, you can tell what someone 
really is by the way he treats his inferiors. Hagrid never 
considers Snape a threat to Harry, and Hagrid, for all his 
gullibility with strangers, seems to be pretty perceptive about 
people he knows. 

As for Snape's future role, I think he will serve as a conduit for 
information from the Dark Side, whether as a spy or in some 
other way, and also as a foil for Lupin and Sirius. There will be 
situations where Harry isn't sure which of them to trust.  Snape is 
also the vehicle for Rowling's ideas about the possibilities and 
limits of redemption, which should become clearer as we learn 
more about Snape's life.

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