[HPforGrownups] Re:Draco/ Snape parallels (was Draco's redemption - reprise)

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 33270

In a message dated 12/01/02 04:13:20 GMT Standard Time, aromano at indiana.edu 
writes:


> The one thing that gives me hope that JKR has much more satisfying things
> up her sleeve for our favorite silver-haired Slytherin is the fact that
> she has taken such pains to shroud Snape in mystery.  She's set up certain
> parallels between Snape and Draco, and I believe more will be revealed as
> the books progress.  I don't know if this means she's planning a
> Draco redemption, but I'm hopeful that it means we'll at least come to see
> him as a real boy, and not just a close-minded Daddy's boy/anti-hero.
> 
> 

Quite.
I'd been musing on this, wondering if one of Draco's literary raisons d'etre 
is to give us a clue to Snape's own background. Working backwards from my own 
(very amateur) psychological profile of Snape led me to construct a 
hypothetical background very like Draco's. I was particularly strick by 
Erin's 'ramblings' on Draco:

> He was very spoiled growing up,form his parents. And yet it shows they 
never showed Draco love.
<snip>
>HIs evil attitudes emerged from the prejudice of his parents, former Death 
Eaters <snip>, but also from copying his father's attitude, to impress him.
<snip>
>While at the shop, all Lucius can do is criticize Draco.
<snip>
The only other place Draco has to gain self-worth is at Hogwarts School of 
Witchcraft and Wizardry, among his Slytherin crowd. The only friends Draco 
has at Hogwarts are Crabbe and Goyle. From the looks of it, I doubt they are 
true friends.

Now I'm not sure if all this can be proved from canon, but it feels right to 
me and again I have no *proof* whatsoever, but I'd bet my bottom Galleon that 
Snape comes from an emotionally cold background, with a haughty father for 
whom his achievements are never enough. Fathers, their presence or absence, 
their strengths and weaknesses seem to have some importance in HP: Riddle, 
Crouch, Draco, Harry himself... are there others?

Tabouli:

>I suspect a boy who arrived at school knowing more Curses than anyone else 
is >most likely a boy with some serious grudges against the world (at 11! 
Poor >Severus) due to mistreatment somewhere, but this wouldn't make him >
automatically popular in itself. He had friends in Slytherin: Lupin and 
Sirius admit >as much. In fact, from all I can see, Snape would have been an 
articulate,intelligent >boy with considerable magic talent combined with a 
chip on his shoulder and a >vengeful streak.

Sound like anyone else we know?


Working the other way, the character of Snape is showing us that there is a 
way out from the inevitable for Draco, if only he makes the right decision.


What really intrigues me, though, and perhaps some of you other Friends of 
Snape out there can help me out on this one, is just *why* do some of us have 
sympathy for this horrible man, want to find excuses or reasons for his 
behaviour, whilst most of us seem to feel nothing but antipathy for Draco, 
who is after all only a child.

Is Snape striking some chord, does he have other literary parallels? Any 
thoughts?

Eloise


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