Hagrid and Snape: Was Snape, Apologies, and Redemption

[lanval1015]

No: HPFGUIDX 152825

> > Potioncat:

> > Snape is incredibly unpleasant, but he's shown that he'll come 
> > through when things get tough. Some nice people in the series 
have 
> > not been so loyal.
> 
> Leslie41:
> 
> Yes, exactly.  "Nice" is defined as "pleasant or pleasing or 
> agreeable in nature or appearance".  Snape's not "nice".  He's most 
> definitely unpleasant and disagreeable.  But the word "nice" has 
> little meaning in a moral sense.  One can be very "nice" and not be 
> good at all.        



Lanval:
Not trying to speak for Alla here, but I got the impression that she 
was talking about nice as in "kind", not as in "polite/pleasant". 
English isn't my first language, but 'nice' CAN mean both, right?

Leslie41:  
> For example:  I'm sure that if I met George Bush he'd be 
> very "nice".  Amiable, friendly, pleasant.  Etc. etc. etc.  But 
that 
> wouldn't convince me in the slightest that he's "good".  

Lanval:
Ha. We've never agreed more. :) 

Now, to get back to the general subject: is niceness really that 
negligible, that unimportant? Can doing what is right and/or good 
completely excuse all-encompassing, lifelong nastiness toward just 
about everyone? Superficial friendliness/politeness certainly can 
make life more agreeable (after all ,who likes to be snarled at by 
the supermarket cashier, just because she had a spat with her 
boyfriend that morning?), yet what about a co-worker who's all 
sweetness to your face, but talks nasty things behind your back? An 
honest show of dislike (within civilized limits, of course) would 
be preferred by most, I think.

Last night watching 'House, MD', there was an exchange between House 
and a "patient" (don't want to go into details here, with those in 
mind who haven't yet seen it, or those who aren't familiar with the 
show). And these lines made me think:

"People aren't tactful and polite just because it's nice. They do it 
because they've got an ounce of humility. Because they know they 
will make mistakes and they know that their actions have consequences.
And they know that those consequences are their fault."

I don't really agree with the last statement, but on the whole it 
makes a good case for being the right kind of 'nice'. 

And that, I think, is why Adult!Snape's Not-Niceness (I won't judge 
him as a child or teenager, that wouldn't be fair) bothers me so 
much. I don't see a shred of humility, or compassion, evident in the 
man. Not yet, I would add. We never get a glimpse inside his mind; we 
can only judge him by his actions, but when I picture 
Snape's mind, I see a churning black pool of resentment, self-pity, 
contempt, and anger. He has a chip on his shoulder roughly the size 
of Mt Everest, and contrary to those who to think that Snape suffers 
from low self-esteem, my impression actually is that he has a fairly 
large ego. How DARE people disagree with him! How DARE these brats 
talk back!

I wonder, sometimes, about the Snape-loved-Lily theory. And how 
Snape, if he was obsessed, or in love/lust with Lily, would have 
reacted if Lily 'dared' to reject him -- and then chose James, of all 
people. How the rage he felt at her may have played a part in taking 
the prophesy to LV. It would be another explanation for the huge 
amount of remorse DD speaks of -- if Snape indeed felt guilt and 
remorse. But until we get more details, that's all pure speculation. 
As usual.


Finally, to bring up Sirius once again:

Adult!Sirius is not always nice, though I personally find him a lot 
nicer than his reputation. 
Some say that he only joined the Order because a)James did, and b) it 
was a way to get back at his parents; his fighting LV had nothing to 
do with moral decisions, nor idealism; it was all for adventure, 
danger, rebellion.

But by joining the Order he did what many are convinced Snape is 
doing: fighting on the side of good. 

Does this, then, make Sirius "good"? Does it outweigh, in the end, 
all the ugly things he did (again, as an adult. Let's keep the 
schooldays out of it for once...)?