LID!Snape rides again (was: High Noon for OFH!Snape)

[Neri]

No: HPFGUIDX 149810

>
> Sydney wrote:
> > Sorry, what's the thematic content again of anklemonitor!Snape? 
> It's not symbolic of remorse, because remorse is a selfless feeling,
> and the ankle-monitor life debt is a profoundly selfish motivation. 
> <snip>
> 

> Carol:
> <snip>
> Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French remors, from Medieval
> Latin remorsus, from Late Latin, act of biting again, from Latin
> remordEre to bite again, from re- + mordEre to bite -- more at MORDANT
> 1 : a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs :
> SELF-REPROACH  
> 
> So maybe what Snape feels is Remorse that has not yet reached the
> stage of Penitence, which requires humility, and consequently his
> efforts to atone for his sins (reporting the Prophecy and joining the
> DEs in the first place) have not been entirely successful because
> without Penitence (humbly admitting that yes, he is at fault), he
> can't truly Repent and resolve to change. 


Neri:
Very good points, although there is one problem with your argument: if
Snape's Remorse is on the stage of anguish from guilt, and hadn't yet
reached the stage of Penitence, why does Dumbledore trust him so
completely? 

As we've seen in the Shrieking Shack and the Occlumency lessons,
Snape's anguish tends to be more destructive than helpful where Harry
and James are involved. Dumbledore himself admitted this in the end of
OotP. And yet it looks like Dumbledore was very sure that at the most
critical moment Snape's remorse would reach the stage of Penitence.
How come he was so sure?

Now, since I was accused of attaching shock bracelets to poor Snapie
<g>, lets see if I can explain why LID!Snape is thematic, and also
explain why Dumbledore was so sure. I think JKR's theme is that Evil
comes from the denial of parts of one's soul. Why does murder splits
the soul? And *what* part of the soul does it split? Surely the part
that is capable of feeling empathy for the victim's suffering. Why
would a repenting wrongdoer feel remorse as anguish? Because he is
still connected with the part of his soul that feels the pain of the
victim. True Evil, like that of Voldemort, depends on detaching
yourself completely from the victim's emotions, and from that part of
your soul that must empathize with them. 

Now, how does Dumbledore describe the Life Debt magic? When one wizard
saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain *bond* between them.
Dumbledore doesn't give us any details regarding the nature of this
bond, but if the Life Debt is magic "in its deepest, most
impenetrable", then naturally this would be a bond between the souls. 
If you owe a Life Debt to another wizard, this bond will force you to
feel his suffering as if it was yours, especially if you share
responsibility for that suffering. If this wizard dies, you would feel
the pain of dying, perhaps so strongly that you would die yourself.
What the Life Debt magic does is to bind you to that deep part of your
soul that empathizes with the other wizard. The Life Debt magic
doesn't force a magically conjured remorse on you, it prevents you
from denying your *own* remorse. 

Remember what JKR said when she was asked if Ginny has a Life Debt to
Harry:

**********************************************
http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2005/0705-tlc_mugglenet-anelli-3.htm

No, not really. Wormtail is different. You know, part of me would just
love to explain the whole thing to you, plot of book seven, you know,
I honestly would.
********************************************

But of course, Ginny wouldn't hurt Harry, or if she hurts him she
wouldn't fail to feel remorse about it. She has never detached herself
from the part of her soul that must feel Harry's pain. The Life Debt
magic is irrelevant to her.

Snape OTOH would generally be very good at detaching himself from his
deep emotions. He is a superb occlumen, after all. Here is what JKR
said about Occlumency:

*******************************************
http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2005/0705-tlc_mugglenet-anelli-2.htm

I think Draco would be very gifted in Occlumency, unlike Harry.
Harry's problem with it was always that his emotions were too near the
surface and that he is in some ways too damaged. But he's also very in
touch with his feelings about what's happened to him. He's not
repressed, he's quite honest about facing them, and he couldn't
suppress them, he couldn't suppress these memories. But I thought of
Draco as someone who is very capable of compartmentalizing his life
and his emotions, and always has done. So he's shut down his pity,
enabling him to bully effectively. He's shut down compassion — how
else would you become a Death Eater? So he suppresses virtually all of
the good side of himself. 
**************************************************

So young Severus, just like Draco, shuts down compassion – how else
would he become a Death Eater? He is happy to work for Voldemort and
supply him with critical information, because he is able to
efficiently suppress the part of his soul that knows somebody is going
to suffer because of that information. He had successfully
compartmentalized the part that can actually *feel* that theoretical
suffering. But a twist of fate (or rather of JKR) makes this somebody
the very wizard Snape owes a Life Debt to. Snape is still a superb
occlumen, but until he repays his Debt, there is one thing he is
unable to close his mind to, no matter how hard he tries – his own
remorse about James' death.


Neri