Misinterpreted!Snape/ Kantian Snape (was PASHMINAS and all sorts of other things

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 47194

"And another thing!" said Eloise, still vainly trying to awaken Cindy from 
her slumber on the bar. "Oh well, *you'll" listen to me, won't you Amanda?" 
she said, addressing the ghostly, PASHMINA-clad form hovering next to her.

"You know that passage at the end of GoF that we keep talking about, when 
Harry and Snape hold each other's gaze and we keep trying to work out what it 
means? Well, l think now that it's to do with what you were saying about 
Harry misinterpreting Snape's actions."

"How's that?"

"Well....During GoF, we first have the bombshell that Snape *was* a DE and 
then we're told that he changed sides and we hear of Dumbledore's unshakeable 
confidence in him. So as far as the reader's concerned, we now *know*, JKR 
has *told* us that Snape's OK. So whatever he gets up to in the next book, we 
should be confident that he's acting for the good, shouldn't we?"

"We should, but Harry never is."

"Exactly! As you've pointed out, that's never been Snape's function in the 
books. Even though I was telling my kids from CoS, that Snape's OK, there 
were always those lingering doubts, largely articulated through Harry, that 
he wasn't. He's *always* open to misinterpetation and never more so than by 
Harry. 

"Now, at this point, we've been told clearly that Snape is a trusted member 
of Dumbledore's team and JKR goes and throws in this curious little passage 
where Harry reviews the evidence and wonders why Dumbledore trusts him and 
whether he's resuming spying. Why? If it's misdirection (trying to make us 
think that he's going back to spying when he's not) it is, as I've said 
before, IMHO extremely clumsy. If it's *not* misdirection, what's it there 
for? People often suggest that it's because the two ot them are reappraising 
each other. Yes, I think Snape's perhaps reappraising Harry, but Harry? 
Couldn't this passage's function be not to suggest that Harry's gaining 
respect or whatever for Snape, but precisely to maintain the fact in the 
reader's mind that Harry *still* doesn't know what to make of him? That Harry 
is still likely to doubt Dumbledore's judgement regarding Snape, that Harry, 
from whose POV we largely see events, is *not* going to be privy to what he 
does? And so form a link to his carrying on misinterpeting him in the next 
book as he always has? Without that passage, we start Book 5 with Harry 
having objectively seen Snape's conversion and full membership of 
Dumbledore's team, just as we have. With it, Book 5 starts just as all the 
others with Snape maintaining his ambiguity in Harry's eyes.

"No, you're right, Amanda. We can't have an unambiguous Snape, a Snape who is 
clearly and unequivocably both on the right side and seen to be on the right 
side. That's never been his function in the books and I can't see it 
happening now.

"While we're on the subject of Snape, I was rootling about in the archives 
today and came across that discussion we had about Snape and the philosophy 
of virtue, you know, the one where quite a few people came up with the same 
conclusion, that Snape is a very Kantian character. I'd just like to quote 
from this one,"

And she drew from inside her robes a faded, yellow parchment and began to 
read:

"No.: 35868
From: "vilaphile" 
Subject: Re: Snape and the philosophy of virtue
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 16:27:05 -0000

<>
I would say Kant is the 'Snapiest' philosopher. Kant says people must 
act virtuously, regardless of their inclinations otherwise, that 
rationality is all-important, and that the most important imperative 
is not to treat other people as means to ends, but to respect them as 
ends in themselves. 

I think this last point is quite a crucial one for Snape, he may not 
*like* other people, and he may think they are rather stupid, but he 
has an underlying principle, which won't let him use them as mere 
toys or tools, regardless of inclinations otherwise, which is what 
separates him from the DEs.

Alison

"And this, I contend", said Eloise, drawing her PASHMINAS tightly around her, 
"is precisely why neither he nor Dumbledore would stoop to killing Karkaroff 
to further their ends."

Eloise