whose redemption will aid the hero?

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 144528

>From One Jen to another:

This is exactly, exactly what makes Snape a tragic figure. The 
choices he made! He did go into the dark arts full force. He did 
ally with the Dark Lord! He made big mistakes and they are mistakes 
he'll pay for the rest of his life. The redemption of Snape will be 
a bigger story than any of the others threads if this works out the 
way it seems to be going. Imagine, a misunderstood, abused child 
grows up into a dark and brooding man, looking for a place to fit. 
Makes the wrong choices but somehow gets back on a better path. 
Still messed up and bearing tremendous scars but he's put his trust 
in someone capable of seeing the good in him. This is a very 
powerful mythic level story. We are all broken, cracked, damaged 
goods and all hoping to redeem ourselves at some level.
JenD
>


Sherry responds:

Now that would definitely take the story out of the realm of Harry Potter's
story.  It would become Sevvy and the ... redemption?  Harry is the hero;
the books are named for him, and the author actually likes him.  Too much
back story for Snape, too much heroism and redemption for him, and it would
take the focus off Harry.  If Snape is to be redeemed, it's got to be in a
way that benefits the hero some way, not in a way that turns Snape into the
hero.  Like it or not, it's still Harry's story.  Harry is the only one who
can vanquish the dark lord.  i've become pretty firmly convinced, that if
Harry receives help on his way, it will be his friends, or even his enemies
from his own age group, who will be the greatest sources of help, not the
adults, not even Snape.  It's why both Sirius and Dumbledore had to die.  If
there's a redemption story that will aid Harry, I expect it will be Draco,
not Snape.  i think JKR began to lay the ground work for that on the tower
in HBP.  Both Sane and Malfoy would be way too much redemption for one book!

Sherry