Snape's Redemption

[ftah3]

No: HPFGUIDX 33562

dicentra_spectabilis_alba wrote:
> So if Snape isn't as bad as he seems to be, why is he this bad at 
all?
>  It would seem that he has already been "redeemed" once by 
abandoning
> the Death Eaters, so there's no point in setting him up for a second
> redemption. For a redeemed character, he's still pretty rotten.  
<snip>
> With Snape, what can we find out to change how we see his bad
> behavior?  His bad treatment of Harry is genuine, not misunderstood
> good behavior. Even if it turns out that LOLLIPOPS is correct, mean 
is
> still mean. 
> 
> No, Snape's bad side is genuinely bad. JKR might insist on this to
> conceal something else, but I really can't see him being redeemed a
> second time.

Who says that the Good Guys have to be nice guys?  Sure Snape is 
mean, vindictive, rude, etc., but I honestly don't see that attitude 
problems mean he isn't 'redeemed.'  And I don't believe that anything 
is necessary to change how we view his bad behavior.  He might just 
simply be a jerk who is needlessly mean to Harry.  People like that 
do exist, although again it doesn't automatically mean they're in 
need of being 'redeemed' from Evil to Good.

And if you mean that he needs to be redeemed from ill-tempered to Mr. 
Nice Guy, boo hiss I say!  :-)  I like him rude.  It's refreshing 
(and terribly amusing).

>From another angle, JKR paints with an awfully broad brush.  Snape is 
a secondary character, and like most of the secondary characters 
certain personality traits are played up in him.  The spit-flying 
rage he goes into in the Shrieking Shack was, to me, a hilarious 
example of this.  

I see Snape in a similar light as I see the Dursley's ~ if they were 
real, I'd call child protective services on them, stat; but since 
they're not, I find their extreme behavior amusing, and then judge 
their impact on the plot by what they do.  With Snape, if he was a 
real teacher, and my child went to his school, I'd lobby to have him 
fired; but since he's not, I'm amused by his exaggerrated behavior, 
but find that in action he's one part bane of Harry's life and one 
part trusted associate of Albus Dumbledore.  Considering the latter, 
I don't see the former as anything more evil than a personality 
defect.  I also view his actions in regards Lupin and Black as 
personality defect as opposed to inherent evil as well ~ and 
perfectly in character.

And as far as Snape doing something else to 'redeem' himself, I don't 
see it.  Rather, I don't see it as being a redemption.  I do think 
he'll do something important for the Side of Good in the future, but 
I don't think it will be redemptive, because if he had to be redeemed 
(and do we know he had?  I mean, other than being ill-tempered to 
MWPP, I can't seem to recall if it was stated he was a bad guy in the 
past, or if it has just been inferred so by listfolk here.  [The 
dangers of discussion lists!  LOL]) anyhow, if he had to be redeemed 
in the past (brought over from the Dark Side), it's done.  So any 
significant action on his part imho will simply be in character for a 
guy who is a Jerk in a White Hat**.  A completely valid character 
type, imho.

Mahoney
**White Hat being another term for Good Guy.  Ah, cheesy Westerns....