[HPforGrownups] Re: Requiescat in Pace: Unforgivables

[Lee Kaiwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 174793

lizzyben04 blessed us with this gem On 08/08/2007 12:21:

lizzyben:

> I agree that *Harry* forgives Snape, but my problem is that the novel
> does not. We never get to see the scene of reconciliation, never get
> to see Harry's reaction to Snape's memories. We never see Harry faced
> w/the shock of revising his initial opinion of Snape. Harry's
> forgiveness happens totally off-scene, in the 19 years between the
> ending & the epilogue.

Thank you! For most of books 3 - 6, right up until Snape AKs Dumbledore, 
I was desparately hoping Snape turned out to be a Good Guy specifically 
so that Harry could learn a lesson about his arrogance and 
self-righteousness, and emerge a little wiser.

Well, be careful what you wish for.  I got what I was hoping for, but in 
the end it was accomplished in such a way as to rob it of all meaning. 
We never got to see Harry introspect, we never got to see him grow. All 
we got was a little throw-away in the epilogue to show that forgiveness 
HAD happened -- off-page. But I wasn't hoping for forgiveness, I was 
hoping for growth and wisdom, and I don't see that either one ever 
happened. Disappointing.

> What we *see* is Harry exacting revenge against his enemies, 

Hmm.  I wasn't convinced by your arguments at first, but the more I 
reflect, I think, the more I see in them. I'm still not convinced that 
revenge was *the* Message of the series -- mostly because I think the 
core problem with the series is that there WAS no Message. Or too many 
Messages, which is to say the same thing.

Lee Kaiwen, Taiwan