[HPforGrownups] Harry and Snape's redemption

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 150909

Don wrote:
Harry, now with the lives of Snape, Dumbledore and Lily on his conscience,
will need some redemption himself, which I believe will only occur by
forgiving Snape before he dies.  Harry will forgive and acknowledge Snape as
a hero.  Snape like Gollum, Edmond and in many ways Harry are tragic,
misunderstood, heros and their motivation for redemption determine the
outcome of their respective stories. Snape will pay the ultimate price for
redemption but Harry will live to mourn him as a true hero.



Sherry now:

Welcome to the group, Don.  Great first post.  I say that, even as I am
going to disagree with you on all counts.  smile.

I have a very hard time with the idea that Harry has the deaths of Lily,
Snape and Dumbledore on his conscience.  He was a baby when his mother,
*and* his father were murdered.  As far as I can see, Harry isn't going
around burdened with unreasonable and foolish guilt over what happened to
his parents at 15 months old.  And as for the death of Dumbledore, how on
earth can he be guilty of that?  He was shocked and horrified, frozen in
place and unable to take action.  But he's not guilty, and I got no sense
that he is feeling that way either.  He knows exactly where the guilt
belongs, on the shoulders of Snape.  Harry is not the one in need of
redemption in this story.  It might be Snape, though I truly hope not, but
I'm thinking it will be Draco, because the kids are the heroes of this
story, and the adults are merely the supporting cast.

As for Snape being a poor misunderstood hero, in the manner of Gollum:

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LOTR spoilers ahead

Gollum is no misunderstood tragic hero.  When we learn his background, the
first thing we learn is that he murdered his best friend in order to get the
ring, the very first time he saw the ring.  It didn't have time to work its
slow evil on him in the manner it does with Frodo who is innocent at the
beginning of his association with it.  Gollum was not a nice kid.  He
committed murder at his first glimpse of the ring.  The movies make Gollum
more sympathetic than he is in the books, I think.  Yes, Gandalf and Frodo
both feel pity for him, but pity doesn't excuse his actions or make him a
tragically misunderstood hero of any kind.

I do not believe Harry will kill Voldemort in some way, whip out his wand
and shout the killing curse or something.  But I do definitely believe that
it will be Harry, and Harry alone in the end, who does defeat him in some
way.  That is not to say Harry won't be helped along the way by his friends,
as he always has been.  But in the end, I believe he will do whatever it is
on his own, with no Snape there to do it for him and take away Harry's role
as hero.  If that turns out to be the case, if Snape is the one who kills
Voldemort and becomes the hero of the wizarding world, I would deeply regret
and even resent the years I've spent reading, discussing and caring about
Harry Potter, and the book names should all be changed to Severus Snape and
the ... I happen to like Harry and want to see him succeed in his quest, not
be overshadowed by some other miserably unkind and hateful person.

All just my own opinion, naturally.  and welcome again!

Sherry