The Good and Evil of Snape (was: Harry ... act like ...)

[sbursztynski]

No: HPFGUIDX 99706

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "celticangel1976"
<celticangel at m...> wrote:
> bboy_mn:
> > > > 
>> 
> First, Snape, as far as the DE's are concerned, is supposed to be
on 
> their side.  I think it's fair to say that Draco thinks Snape is 
> part of the DE, along with Lucius, and no doubt there are lots of 
> other DE children in Slytherin as well.  So if Snape were being
nice 
> to Harry at all, word would undoubtedly get back to Voldemort.  I 
> think Snape is also trying to toughen Harry up.  Most everyone else 
> seems to coddle Harry and he's always getting away with breaking
the 
> rules. Even Dumbledore has admitted he's tried to protect Harry too 
> much.  I think Snape is just telling it like it is.  Not pulling 
> punches so to speak.  Snape was in Voldemort's services for a
while, 
> he knows what to expect and I think that by being hard on Harry
he's 
> hoping to toughen him up for the final battle.  Of course, not all 
> of Snape's behaviour can be accounted for by this.  Some of it is 
> undoubtedly immature transfering of old hate to James' son.  And 
> Snape probably is, by nature, a hard, snappish person.  But Snape 
> does nothing without reason, so I think to just say "Oh Snape's
just 
> a mean, nasty guy" is totally off base.
> 
> As for DD vouching for Snape, here's my take on that.  I think that 
> as far as LV and the DE's are concerned, Snape is their spy at 
> Hogwarts.  They fully expect DD to vouch for him and say he trusts 
> him because that's what Snape would have to make him think if he
was 
> going to be able to spy for LV.  Of course, the real fact is that 
> Snape is DD's spy.  So for DD to vouch for Snape at the trial, that 
> was all in LV's plan and wouldn't cause suspision.
> 

Sue now:

Sorry to leave most of this lengthy post in, but it's an interesting
one.  I also think that 
being nice to Harry would make the Malfoys and other DEs suspicious,
but that there is 
definitely resentment from his teen experiences - and don't forget,
Harry looks like his father! Imagine having to see that face which had tormented you years 
ago in your class every day.  Don't forget, though, that it isn't just Harry he picks on. He's 
not very nice to the Gryffindors in general and anyone who is likely to be an easy target, 
such as Neville, in particular. I suspect the twins do fine in his class. They're tough and 
given their joke-shop products, probably damned good at Potions. He couldn't pick on 
them, even if he wanted to.

But my personal take on it is that if JKR says he's meant to be a
horrible person, he is. He's 
her character, after all, and we have to respect her vision. However,
as a good writer, she 
couldn't make him two-dimensional, and whatever she intended at the
beginning, he has 
ended up a fascinating, complex character, far more interesting than
the "good guys". 
Probably a case of the character getting away from the writer! :-)
Think, say, Shylock in 
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - I am pretty sure he was meant to be the
villain, but 
Shakespeare being Shakespeare, couldn't make him two-dimensional,
whatever he 
intended. So, like him or not, he's far more interesting than the
characters who win, and 
more human.