Snape and McGonagall Re: Snape and Lupin's Character Arcs

[javalorum]

No: HPFGUIDX 119604


> Lupinlore wrote:
> Welcome, Java.  Don't worry, a little bluntness often helps around 
> here.  We have a way of going round and round like a dog chasing 
> its tail.

Thanks for being so kind!

> I agree that Sirius is a very sad character.  I don't think there 
> was quite as much time as you suppose, only 2-3 years.  I'm also 
> not so sure his experiences after school would be all that great.  
> A lot of people who have a great time at school because of looks 
> and charisma find that the "real" world isn't so amenable.  It may
> well be that Sirius was disappointed in what he found after Hogwarts
> and was already developing a tendancy to try and hang on to the good 
> old days, even before going to Azkaban.

Something related but slightly off-topic. Sometimes I wonder why 
almost all wizard-wizard couples in HP books were Hogwarts 
schoolmates. It just makes wiards look kind of plain (if not ultra 
conservative): you go to school, meet your sweetheart and then marry 
him/her right after graduation. Must be a really small social circle 
for wizards.

About hanging on to good times, I guess everybody is different. For 
myself, high school was a blast. The time after that, college etc, 
was nowhere near that fun level, and the people I like the most, to 
this day, are still my high school friends. Nonetheless, now looking 
back, I see myself learning more from this period, thinking more 
maturely, and the way I see the world now just relate more to this 
period than high school. High school was simply fun and enjoyment, 
but life goes on after that. Sirius fought in a real war after 
school, even if it was only 2-3 years, shouldn't that give him a bit 
of maturity?

But then, we could also argue that Sirius said when he was in prison, 
he could only cling onto school days to stay positive. Maybe he just 
got too much into it. I guess that's the sad part.

> I agree that Snape is an over-the-top character who just isn't very 
> believable at times.  As you say, it's hard to imagine that someone 
> who's lived 20+ years after Hogwarts and gone on to be a Death 
> Eater wouldn't have greater scars than a rivalry with a school jock.
> Of course wounds inflicted in childhood tend to be the worst and 
> longest lasting, but still.  

I was more surprised that he didn't choose the time when his parents 
were arguing in front of him as his worst memory. I always thought 
childhood memories, especially the ones involving parents, have 
stronger effect than some silly schoolmates (then again, everybody is 
different). I can see why the author wants to move Snape's "worst 
memory" to a later chapter, so that she could build up the situation 
to make it more significant (because to Harry, after all that 
questioning and daring, it'll be quite disappointing to see Snape's 
worst memory has nothing to do with him. In this book, almost all of 
the character's interaction is about Harry.)

And that's probably why I wasn't very impressed with OotP. Too many 
paragraphs were wasted setting up things that turned out to be unfit, 
or insignificant. A significant part of the chapters doesn't build up 
characters, push the plot forward at all. (Does Harry's every dream 
regarding the department of mysteries have to be described in detail -
- while most of them are the same? Does Hagrid's scar and strange 
behavior has to be recorded every time he shows up, to such details 
that we already knew? A good writer should be able be concise while 
remain effective.) And on top of that, I guess Harry being so self-
involved didn't help either. 

> I also agree that Snape serves as a "moral device."  We have five 
> characters now with terrible (or at least challenging) childhoods:  
> Harry, Snape, Sirius, Lupin, and Voldemort/Riddle.  Four of them 
> have never managed to overcome those childhoods.  Sirius perhaps 
> didn't have a fair chance, but nevertheless he tried to remain the 
> reckless jock he was at Hogwarts.  Riddle becomes evil.  Snape 
> poisons his soul with so much bitterness and anger that he becomes
> a twisted emotional cripple.  Lupin develops an unhealthy desire to 
> please people and be liked.  Each of these represents a path that 
> Harry should avoid.

This, I completely agree. (Maybe except for the Lupin part. I always 
thought he was kinda wise like a buddist, and has risen above his 
childhood already.)

Thanks for your attention, again!

Amy