Snape's Worst Memory (and the purpose thereof) (Was: Hyperbolic Chapter Titles...)

[feetmadeofclay]

No: HPFGUIDX 81417

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, hannahwonder at a... wrote:
=]
> This is what I think makes Snape such a great character: one can't 
target him 
> as a good guy or a bad guy -- we (or, rather, Harry) don't know 
which he is 
> yet, or if he ever can be classified as either. He does act rather 
like a jerk, 
> as Golly said, to Harry and Neville and can be really horrible to 
them, but 
> he is in the Order, Dumbledore does trust him, he did save Harry's 
life in 

Which is why he's a jerk who happens to think that letting a deranged 
evil war-mongering lunatic take over the British (and perhaps 
foreign) wizarding world is not the best idea.  

Dumbeldore trusts him.  Which makes him trustworthy.  He's still a 
jerk.  He's just a jerk on the side of right.  

He's cruel not only to Harry (Ok so he's irrational about Harry..  
could be isolated personality quirk but it isn't.) He's also mean to 
Neville.  He mocks the boy in class in front of other students.  What 
did Neville do to him?  Why beat up on poor Neville who tries really 
hard and obviously struggles to do his best.  Neville is terrified of 
the man for good reason.  

I certainly wouldn't want Snape as my teacher.  But just because he's 
a jerk doesn't make him spawn of the devil or a racist.  He's just an 
ordinary nasty person.  Lots of ordinary people are not evil war 
mongering neo nazis without actually being nice people.  

I like him a lot.  He's a great character.  I even sympathize with 
the man.  I imagine teaching is not something he was destined to do.  
It probably doesn't bring out his best side. I still think he's a 
jerk.  But my is he funny. 

Golly