Cultural standards for Snape abusiveness/Speculations about forgiveness

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 144420

> Magpie:
<SNIP>
> I think maybe that's where the disagreement comes in. I don't think 
> Harry would have to be doing anything nice for Snape by forgiving 
> him.  Snape wouldn't even have to know that Harry forgave him.  
> Perhaps Snape might not even be alive.  He might have been executed 
> for killing Dumbledore by that point, let's say.  Forgiving Snape 
> would just mean Harry untying himself from Snape.  If Harry doesn't 
> forgive Snape (whether or not Snape asks for it or is punished) 
> he'll be tied to all this for the rest of his life. 

Alla:

Actually, I do not disagree with you here or so I think today :-). I 
absolutely think that moving past Snape would be a healthy thing to 
do for Harry.

So, if you are saying that Harry wil forgive Snape for himself 
without ever saying it to Snape face - ABSOLUTELY, it is a good thing 
to do,IMO. Say, if Harry thinks - this poor miserable git had a such 
a tough life, he really had not know any better than to do all those 
awful things to me, he deserves my pity, sure why not, as long as 
Snape does not know about it, but is it really forgiveness or is it 
simply Harry moving on?

I speculate that Remus moved on from being angry at person who bitten 
him, does it mean that he really forgave the one who gave him such an 
awful disease?

Neville forgave Snape? Could be, but at the same time we STILL don't 
see his new Boggart.

Having said all that, I do think that telling it to Snape's face 
equals absolution of Snape's sins AND for that type of forgiveness I 
think that Snape should ask for , because IMO it IS a very nice thing 
for Snape to know that the person whom he helped to become an orphan 
and tormented for a long time in essense tells him you are forgiven.


Magpie:
<SNIP>
 JKR might like to torture people like Umbridge 
> (James liked to torment people like Snape) but if Harry doesn't 
> forgive Snape Snape will be tormenting him the rest of his life, 
> just as Snape is still tormented by the Marauders even though all 
> things considered he had a better life than any of them!  


Alla:

Are you analogising Umbridge and Snape?
We know that Umbridge deserved to be punished, are you saying that 
Snape also deserved to be punished by James? I won't be really 
suprised, you know. :-)

I do disagree though that if Harry never forgives Snape, it means 
that Snape will be tormenting him all his life. I also think that 
there is another very healthy thing in order for Harry to be free of 
Snape to see that Snape is punished - it is IMO just as healthy way 
to move past your nemesis, knowing that he got his dues.

To sum up - I actually agree with Joe, Snape can never make up for 
some things he did and I would much prefer him to suffer A LOT, but 
since I also have a strong hunch that JKR moves towards forgiveness 
angle at the end, I would like to see at least some suffering , even 
if it followed by forgiveness. Something, anything, please JKR?

JMO of course,

Alla