JKR's description of Snape

[evangelina839]

No: HPFGUIDX 70182

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "adamjmarcantel" <adamjmarcantel at y...> 
wrote:
> Here is another direction to take the Snape discussion (oh yeah, 
> they will keep going if I have anything to do with it!): JKR 
> describes Snape as a "sadistic and cruel teacher who abuses his 
> power."  Putting aside your own personal feelings on Snape (love 
> him, hate him, indifferent), do you think JKR does a good job of 
> developing Snape as "sadistic and cruel?"  The only reason I bring 
> this up is because apparently everybody but me has read this 
> interview (I only started reading the series a month and a half 
> ago...I know, I'm fashionably late) and yet we all seem to have 
> different takes on Snape's character.  I purposefully left out 
> the "abuses his power" part because there really is little 
> disagreement about that.  Ok, so -- Snape as sadistic and 
> cruel: "well done JKR!", "E for Effort", or "I don't see it"  My 
> vote: E for effort.  Now that I know she was going for sadistic and 
> cruel, I can somewhat see it.  But I think there is way too much 
> gray area and semi-justification for Snape's attitudes (not 
> necessarily his actions) to say that she has done a good job to this 
> point in making Snape sadistic and cruel.  She proves that she can 
> make someone sadistic and cruel (Umbitch), so I don't see why she 
> couldn't have done something similar with Snape.  Ok, now it is your 
> turn.  I'm curious to see where this discussion (if anyone cares) 
> will lead.
> 
> Adam, who hopes he is not going to be burned at the stake as a 
> blasphemer for criticizing JKR

I'm torn. The sadistic and cruel tendencies are rather obvious, but on the other hand 
Snape is also shown (although that's been discussed) as having at least a partly 
painful childhood. I guess Snape's current behaviour is related to his previous 
experiences (and I always feel the deepest sympathies for anyone in that situation), 
but I'm still wondering what JKR really feel about Snape; is she as concerned about 
him as some of us here seem to be, or does she just think of him as "sadistic and 
cruel"? Either she is showing us what could make a person "sadistic and cruel", or 
she's trying to make us doubt him because he'll turn out allright in the end (hm?), or 
maybe she was just commenting on one aspect of Snape.... well, my final judgement 
would be that I see the sadistic and cruel tendencies, but I just can't hate Snape for it 
after she threw in glimpses of what at least I interpret as inner torment, and if she 
intended Snape to be all about sadism and cruelty, I would consider the result a 
failure. (Poor compromises, I know ;))
Slightly unrelated to this topic, I read in numerous places that JKR has said that Snape 
will do something bad in book 6. Would like to add that to the discussion because 
before that I was 100% certain that Snape would redeem himself in the end... Okay so 
it's not an impossibility now, but I began to wonder what JKR might want from the 
character. It's up to her, after all *surrenderous sigh*
evangelina, who will whole-heartedly assist Adam in keeping the Snape discussion 
going :)