Snape's Worst Memory (and the purpose thereof)

[fourjays22]

No: HPFGUIDX 81560

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, hannahwonder at a... wrote:
> Golly said:
> <<Dumbeldore trusts him.  Which makes him trustworthy.  He's still 
> a jerk.  He's just a jerk on the side of right. 
> (snip) 
> 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.  >>

Very good point.  One of my favorite lines in OoP is when Harry is 
complaining to Sirius and Sirius tells him (paraphrasing).  "The 
world isn't divided into good people and death eaters."   This line 
really stood out to me -- I thought it was very important for Harry 
to realize there are unpleasant, mean or misguided people in the WW 
who aren't necessarily servants of Lord Voldemort.   Also, Harry 
learned in OoP that people he idolized (his dad, Dumbledore) are 
capable of mistakes or even very mean-spirited behavior.  I felt with 
this line, JKR was cautioning Harry (and the reader) not to look at 
the books or the characters as clear cut representations of "good" 
and "evil."  

Julie