The Possibilities of Grey Snape (was Re: What would a successful AK mean?)

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 143006

> 
> Betsy Hp:
> The BANG of Snape killing Dumbledore is an important part of that 
> particular structural model.  The person the protaganist distrusts 
> *must* do something to cement that distrust right at the moment the 
> protaganist will need them most.  That's what pulls the tension to 
a 
> really nice near-breaking point so that the climax is that much 
more 
> satisfying.  Before the Tower only Harry distrusted Snape, now no 
> one does.  Which will make the moment where Harry has to make a 
> choice (to trust or not to trust) that much more difficult and 
> therefore compelling.
> 
>



Or that much more cheesy and unbelievable, which describes most of 
DDM!Snape.  Actually, I agree with Nora that nobody needs more Joseph 
Campbell.  The patterns he identifies are no longer transparent, and 
by becoming predictable and expected (indeed driven into the ground) 
they have lost most of their power and are merely annoying.

As I've said before, Snape will need to be punished regardless of 
whose side he's on, unless JKR is a very poor writer indeed.  But let 
us move beyond both trust and power.  Perhaps the chief theme is 
adulthood?

What makes an adult?  Is it controlling your emotions?  I certainly 
don't think so, but perhaps JKR does.  If so, maybe this is a strong 
theme -- controlling your emotions, along with a willingness to 
accept the consequences of your actions and not search for emotional 
justifications.

Now, if so, both characters could be set up to undergo transformative 
arcs.  In a coming of age story, this is inevitable for the child 
character.  But what about the so-called adult?  If controlling your 
emotions is a qualification for adulthood, then Snape most certainly 
does not qualify.  He has ample room to grow in this area.  As he 
does in accepting and undergoing punishment for his actions.


Lupinlore