Conspiracies and re-assessments

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 112388

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Magda Grantwich 
<mgrantwich at y...> wrote:
> I think what Snape picked up on was the same thing that has struck
> most readers: Lily wasn't defending Snape as much as she was raking
> James over the coals because he was acting like a jerk.  Notice that
> she doesn't even mention Sirius?  The only person she pays attention
> to was James - any girl who can reel off the detailed criticisms she
> has of him is not a girl who is indifferent to a guy.  And of course
> James misses it by a mile - typical guy.



Alla:

I have no problem acknowledging that Lily did pay attention to 
everything James did,

BUT are you saying that "Leave him alone" (I don't have a book right 
now) does not show that she was also defeinding Snape?

I don't really care that she may had secondary motivation, when she 
interfered. It is enough for me that ONE of her motivations was to 
defend Snape.

She does not mention Sirius. True. But James is the primary attacker 
at the moment.

 
Magda:
 
> I think some people think that to empathize with teen!Snape is
> somehow to excuse his actions or his comment about Lily.  Not at 
all.
>  If Harry hadn't empathized with Snape, it would have indicated a
> moral deficiency in HARRY, not in Snape.  


Alla:

Not me. I most certainly emphasise with the kid, being attacked by 
two others.

But JKR definitely prevented me from considering James to be EVIL 
becuase of such action (I find his ACTION to be cruel, I think that 
there are reasons why he felt that way towards Snape).
That was the original question, I think.

I think JKR hints quite clearly at racist mindset, Snape had at time.
I will never think that Snape deserved to be picked on, but I alsot 
hink that him calling Lily "that name" prevents me from, I guess, 
full empathy with him. 
Am I being clear or am I confusing everybody?

Magda: 
On other forum I subscribe to someone asked a brilliant question:
> does our knowledge of what Voldemort is prevent us from condemning
> the actions of Tom Riddle Sr. when he abandoned his pregnant wife
> because she was a witch and condemned his newborn son to live in an
> orphanage?  After all, Tom Riddle Jr. grew up to be Voldemort so 
what
> does it matter what his father did?  
> 
> I think it does matter.  
 

Alla: 

I agree. It does matter.