The dynamic Snape (was: Twist JKR? (was:Re: Dumbledore's pleading...)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 141719

> >>Lupinlore:
> > EXACTLY!  And there is where so many of the DDM!Snape theories  
> > fall down.  It IS Harry's story, NOT Snape's.
> > <snip>
 
> >>Pippin:
> Allow me to ride in on Nora's favorite steed, Excluded Middle. Some
> have said that if Harry does it all on his own, that will just be 
> a tired re-iteration of the hero's journey. And above you point    
> out that if Harry has nothing to do but what Snape and Dumbledore 
> have planned for him, he won't be much of a hero. 
> But surely there can be a middle path, where Snape and Harry       
> himself go beyond whatever roles Dumbledore envisioned for them.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I'll add that, while it is Harry's story, Snape plays an important 
part, I think.  Harry believes he has Snape all figured out.  He 
thinks he knows all there is to know and he's reacting accordingly.  
But Harry has been too comfortable, I think, with his views of 
Snape.  They keep him warm at night, but there are so many missing 
pieces (and frankly, mis-information) that I think it's a false 
comfort.  I think Harry will need to let go of that false comfort, 
the luxury of hate, in order to defeat Voldemort (and become a man).

> >>Lupinlore:
> As to why Snape's theories should allow for change ... well, that
> gives JKR an opportunity to show off her writing skills by showing 
> a realistic and dynamic character. Character, after all, is the   
> very soul of literature.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
This, along with your comment earlier that Snape is a one-note 
character, boring and predictable, is interesting to me.  Snape is 
my favorite Potterverse character, and one of JKR's more well-
rounded, fully fleshed creations, I think.  The sheer amount of time 
and effort spent in discussing the man, his motivations, etc., are 
indicitive of *something* I think.

So is Snape a one note job and completely predictable?  Not at all.  
On the contrary, I'd say Snape is quite dynamic.  He doesn't need to 
change horse mid-stream to give a false sense of depth.  He's deep 
enough already.  As far as I've been reading him, anyway.

He's a remarkably smart and logical man, but also deeply emotional 
(his potion riddle in PS/SS; the Shack in PoA).  He's skilled in 
both dealing death and saving life (his Dark Arts skills and his 
healing skills in HBP).  On a more symbolic level he is an expert in 
the feminine art of potions and the masculine art of wand play. (I 
think we've discussed the fairly overt symbolism of the cauldron and 
the wand before.)  He's friends with those obsessed with magical 
blood, but chooses to live in a muggle neighborhood.  And his house 
is in what sounds like a dying, dingy, industrial area but is filled 
to overflowing with books.

And that's just dealing with what we know for a fact.  If we enter 
the area of speculation we have a half-blood child of a pure-blooded 
mother who, for some reason, chose to join the Death Eaters.  An 
ugly, strange, anti-social little boy who grew into a confident, 
witty man, well respected by his colleagues. And we have a man that 
set a world of hurt in motion against someone he hated and was 
filled with such remorse he left his friends to join with his 
enemies to try and prevent that hurt from happening.  A man who left 
the winning side to try and help the losers.  A man who is at the 
very least a double agent, possibly working against a man (a skilled 
mind-reader, no less) who is so terrifying people dare not say his 
name.  

I think that's enough depth for anyone.  As to predictability, Snape 
has been mis-read from the very first book.  He wasn't the villain, 
he was the hero, in PS/SS.  He didn't chortle with glee when Ginny 
was taken in CoS, on the contrary he seemed rather upset.  He was 
scarily close to being right about Lupin in PoA.  In GoF, he again 
failed to fulfill the role of villain and insisted on behaving 
heroically.  In OotP, he was right and again helped save the day.  
And then in HBP, to shake it all up, just when the reader started to 
get comfortable with Snape being a hero, he turned around and played 
the villain.  

There's a reason Snape is placed on a pedestal and burned in effigy 
by so many fans.  Snape is many things and can be described in many 
ways.  Bland cardboard is not one of them.  Or at least, not in my 
opinion. <g> 

Betsy Hp, who's suddenly really hungery for a fry-up with a bit of 
tomato - thank you Pippin <g>