Snape's canon opposite/ Proving loyalty (Re: Hearing from the Great Middle)

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 140171

> Jen: Or canon interpreted differently? 
> 
> If JKR wants readers to view Snape as pure evil, she has shot 
> herself in the foot by introducing his opposite into canon. A nice 
> person, a non-greasy, well-mannered boy who is trusted by students 
> and teachers (oh, except for Dumbledore), a *responsible* student 
> who doesn't appear to be mucking around in the dark arts. So when a 
> deeply horrible, not-nice, unliked boy who is 'up to his eyeballs 
in 
> dark arts' appears AND he's trusted *only* by Dumbledore, well, 
> forgive me if I have to wonder about him.

Alla:

Oh, Jen I wonder about Snape al the time :-). So, here is what I am 
wondering at the moment. Are you sure that Tom is  Snape's canon 
opposite? Couldn't it be that those two just represent the different 
faces the Evil can assume?

Keep in mind that I am not sure that Snape is Evil of the same 
caliber as Tom and if I were to bet, I would probably bet on OFH!
Snape with some kind of redemptive act appear at the end, but it is a 
possibility too, no?

I would also LOVE for Snape to be Evil at the end, if he is the 
villain, then IMO JKR did the superb job with him, because I cannot 
keep my mind away from Snape/Harry interactions. He is the real 
obstacle on the path of the Hero, something which Harry would have to 
work really hard to overcome, but of course I am not sure  what is 
going to happen. :-)



Jen:

> When JKR tells me Snape is a deeply horrible person, abuses his 
> power, is culpable in a way Voldemort is not, isn't 'too nice', 
> well, I get it: He's a Very Mean Person. He was not even capable of 
> *acting* nice like Voldemort, instead, he waved it around like a 
> flag of honor--'look, Deeply Horrible Person over here.'

Alla:


LOL! You see I can call such person not just "very mean", but "evil", 
maybe not the same caliber, but definitely evil, so with me, it is 
just JKR showed us one more act of such evil person.


Jen: 
> All I'm saying is JKR has done a considerable job of shaping Snape 
> into a person who has very few redeeming qualities in his 
> *personality*. If indeed she is striving to tell us through text 
and 
> interviews that Snape is evil, well yes, I'm guilty of missing 
> her 'anvil size clues' on this one. 

Alla:

I don't think it is necessarily true, but I think it is a 
possibility, since again I keep thinking more and more that quite 
often simple answer is the right one. :-)

But again if I were to bet, I would bet that Snape may do something 
to help Harry at the end. Not because he is good, but because Harry 
would show him mercy prior to that.

Although with JKR betting is truly a dangerous thing. :-)

JMO,

Alla