Tur-bans or Too-Much (was Re: Ask the Question)

[mschelleau]

No: HPFGUIDX 84747

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at y...> wrote:
> 
> > I said: 
> > To begin with, I want to know what she [Rowling] meant by saying
> > (in answer to
> > why she made Quirrell rather than Snape the villain in SS/PS), "I 
> > know all about Snape and he'd never put on a turban." (Huh? Does 
> > that mean he'd never let another person manipulate his will by
> > getting literally or figuratively inside his head? If not, what
> > the heck does it mean?)

<snip for my reply dealing primarily with headwear to which Carol 
replied>

> Well, okay. But my point is that "Snape wouldn't wear a turban" is a
> strange response to "Why did you make Quirrell the villain (in
> SS/PS) instead of Snape?" I think she wanted to get around the
> question so we wouldn't know whether Snape is a villain or not
> (he's clearly not THE
> villain in SS or any of the five books we've read so far, but he's
> still very mysterious and she seems to want it that way). But aside
> from personal tastes in clothing (haberdashery), what does "Snape
> wouldn't wear a turban" really mean? That Snape wouldn't allow
> someone/something inside his head that necessitated the wearing of a
> turban? I understand why she wouldn't just come out and say "because
> Snape isn't a villain," but why not just say, "I needed an
> expendable villain who won't reenter the story. Snape is a key
> character who can't be eliminated from the plot"? The turban has
> nothing to do with the question as far as I can see.
> 
> Carol, who thinks Rowling's answer was very Snapey (mysterious and
> elusive)

I'll admit I was looking at the content of the answer more than it's 
value as a response to a question. I'll rectify that now.

I think JKR is well aware the ambiguity of Snape is his most powerful 
attribute as a character and she would be very, very careful to 
protect his ambivalence so his usefulness in the plot is not lost. A 
direct answer, or even a vaguely-direct one that is taken awry, to 
what seems a value laden question such as the above (where it is 
assumed Snape is unquentionably a villian, just not the villian of 
SS) would remove narrative tension around his character. Like many, I 
feel the question of Snape's loyalty will be integral to how the 
whole story is finalised and won't be resolved until almost the final 
page, assuming it is ever resolved.

Also, this was in an interview situation and I'm assuming her 
response time was limited and so if she felt some concern (valid or 
no) that answering it may impact on future plot lines she would have 
gone for an amusing answer as opposed to a serious one. With 
reflection she may well have given a response such as you've given 
(which doesn't confirm or deny Snape's villiany) but in the short 
time she had to consider a reply she took the easy path of humour.

Not sure if that will help you either.

Take care

Mschelle in Au