Snape Survey, Snapeity, Dumbledore's sacrifice

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 149159

> Magpie wrote:
<snip>
> If she thinks Voldemort is so central why does she make Snape more
> central to the story? <snip> And then with Snape, well, there's
> her goldmine of a character.  Voldemort's  whole story can be just
> told flat out in a couple of Pensieve trips--<snip> There's no 
> conflict for him in his story, he just grew worse and worse.
 
> Snape's story on the other hand--whoa.  He's far more central than
> Voldemort.  And every book he becomes more so.  

> Carol responds:
> And, of course, in HBP, Snape is doubly central as the Half-Blood
> Prince and as the man Harry thinks is aiding Draco in his
> Voldemort-assigned mission.
<snipped list of Snape's role in HBP, see upthread > 
> So, yes, Snape is at the center of the story, much more so than
> Voldemort. And the complexities and apparent contradictions that
> we've seen throughout the books intensify in what amounts to
> Snape's book, HBP. 

Jen: I'm not counting out Voldemort to move into the forefront in 
book 7, and for the sun to set on Snape's role. Along with Snape's 
legitimate part in the plot of all the books, he's also served as a 
diversion for Harry from the much more onerous and amorphous task of 
dealing with Voldemort. Since Harry won't be able to continue to 
divert attention from Voldemort and the horcruxes, Snape could 
easily follow Sirius as having a grand plot moment, followed by a 
few more pivotal scenes in the grand finale and the curtain call. 

Just the act of how to include him in book 7 from Harry's POV will 
limit his page time. Harry may hear news about him from others, and 
there will likely be a Pensive scene or other means to learn about 
the Prank. I think most of Snape's story will happen off-stage and 
will be much more about Harry coming to terms with him, the tower, 
etc., than Snape in the present.
 
My reading of HBP was there was a treasure trove of possibilities in 
the story of Voldemort for how Harry will both find and destroy the 
horcruxes and defeat Voldemort in the end. Maybe I'm taking a page 
out of Sherry Gomes book here to say I think the end will be about 
the kids and if there's a conflicted role for Harry to deal with now 
it will likely be Malfoy and perhaps Slytherins as a whole. Much as 
I hate to think of it, the Marauder story is coming to a close. We 
need to know a few more puzzle pieces for the past to fall into 
place, and likely Godric's Hollow will be the biggest dramatic 
moment. Lily will finally get her day and perhaps her story does 
involve Snape to a certain extent, although likely he was not a 
focal point of her life.

justcarol:
> As Sydney so usefully points out, Snape is not the villain but
> Harry's chief antagonist, and his destruction, unlike Voldemort's,
> is not necessary to the plot. JKR has something very important up 
> her sleeve for him, and I for one interpret the interview in which
> she claimed to be "stunned" (by what I take to be a reader's 
> question partially read by the interviewer) to mean that what's in 
> store for Snape in Book 7 is redemption. 

Jen: Well, I thought he *was* redeemed when he turned back to 
Dumbledore. Do you mean public redemtption or redemption in the eyes 
of Harry after the tower? I wonder if Snape didn't sacrifice that 
possibility and that's his real story. It would be a huge deal for 
him, wouldn't it, to live out his life in infamy or die an 
inglorious death rather than get the recognition he craved? To me 
that would be a real change if Snape chose to do something which 
didn't allow him to slither out of action and also closed the door 
on public glory. He could finally be redeemed to himself, seems like.

Jen R.