LONG: Re: Official Philip Nel Discussion Question #2 - Snape!

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 37602

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> wrote:
> 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? 

I think that's a rather limiting way to phrase the question, giving 
us "petty or evil" as the only options.  This list has floated a 
huge number of possible reasons for Snape's behavior: loyalty to 
Dumbledore, life-debt to James, love for Lily, moral opposition to 
Voldemort, guilt over his past actions, and any number of others I'm 
probably forgetting.  

I think Snape is loyal to Dumbledore, not just in the sense of 
admiring him and wanting to earn his trust, but also in the sense of 
believing in Dumbledore's cause.  Snape's day-to-day interaction may 
be governed by vindictiveness and personal grudges, but when it 
comes to fundamental questions of good and evil, I think he's on the 
right side.

> 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?

I think Snape's a control-freak.  What's worse, he's a control freak 
whose life, in many important ways, is out of his control.  There 
are a lot of people out there who have the power to destroy him on a 
whim: Dumbledore, Moody, Voldemort, possibly other Aurors and DEs 
who know his history.  But the one thing he *can* be in control of 
is his classroom.  He's in charge, and making the students toe the 
line is part of that.  He's different from Percy in that respect; I 
don't think Snape loves rules for their own sake, or labors under 
the illusion that as long as you follow the rules bad things won't 
happen.  I think he just uses rules to assert his control.

That's possibly why Neville an Hermione make him so nuts, too.  They 
both undermine his control of the classroom: Neville, by creating 
chaos through his incompetence, and Hermione by conspicuous displays 
of her own expertise.

> 
> 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? 

I think Harry's perception of Snape is definitely changing at the 
end of GoF.  For four years, Harry has clung to an image of Snape as 
untrustworthy, and ready to turn evil at any moment.  In PS/SS, he 
thinks Snape is trying to kill him and get the Stone.  He discovers 
that Snape actually saved his life and protected the Stone, but it 
doesn't change his view: in PoA he's instantly ready to believe that 
Snape is trying to poison Lupin in order to get Lupin's job.  Then 
he finds out that Snape was actually *helping* Lupin by making the 
Wolfsbane potion -- but in GoF he's still just as ready to believe 
that Snape is a Death Eater.  But the Pensieve revelations, 
Dumbledore's endorsement, and that "Are you prepared" exchaange at 
teh end have finally succeeded in shaking up Harry's view of Snape.  
I don't think Harry's going to have fluffy-bunny feelings toward him 
anytime soon, but I don't he'll leap to quick conclusions of Snape's 
guilt the next time a mystery arises.

At the same time, I think Snape's view of Harry must be changing 
to.  Harry has faced Voldemort, watched a fellow student die, 
suffered the Cruciatus curse... it's going to be pretty darn hard 
for Snape to keep viewing him a spoiled brat coasting along on 
unearned fame.

> 
> Rowling has assured her audience that Snape is "tough" which 
> implies that he is in for it.  Will suffering transform him? 

I think Snape has already suffered, and I think he's as transformed 
as he's going to be.  He's gone from ordinary unpleasant person to 
evil Death Eater to unpleasant person working for the side of the 
Light.  How much more transformed can you get. <G>  Further 
suffering may reveal new facets of his charactger and change his 
relationships with other characters, but I doubt we'll see a major 
personality change.  I definitely don't envision him getting *nicer*.

> Will 
> Snape ever truly be accepted by Sirius and Lupin? By Harry? 
> Would Snape betray them if he could?

I don't think Snape would betray anyone to Voldemort at this point, 
and he seems to have shelved his determination to feed Sirius to the 
Dementors, so no, I don't think he'd betray them.  As for 
acceptance... I think Lupin is capable of being civil to him, and 
it's too early to tell with Harry.  With Sirius, I think the best we 
can hope for is that they'll one day get to the point where they can 
limit their mutual hostility to glaring across the room at each 
other and avoiding violent confrontations.

As for Snape's future role... I'm not gonna try to guess what his 
GoF mission is, I'm willing to let JKR drop that particular 
bombshell in her own good time.  But I do suspect that Snape knows 
something about James and Lily's death that he will eventually 
reveal to Harry.  That murder seems to be the central mystery of the 
series, with various characters dropping new pieces of startling 
information bit by bit.  So far we've had revelations from Hagrid, 
Dumbledore, and Sirius; I think we're due for one from Snape.


Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com