[HPforGrownups] Off-page Snape (Was: Character construction)

[k12listmomma]

No: HPFGUIDX 174896

Snipping a lot of good stuff before this:

Carol responds:
> And as for not seeing Harry forgive him, we don't need to. It happens
> without his conscious awareness as he moves through the memories. The
> contrast between his hatred of Snape before his death and his very
> public vindication of Snape afterwards speaks for itself, and the
> tribute in the epilogue shows that he still holds that view nineteen
> years later.
>
> Snape's courage and perseverance and devotion to duty and loyalty to a
> man who used him are just as evident as his love for Lily, which
> starts out selfish but does not remain so, as are Snape's many
> talents, which are there for anyone who reads the text to see.
>
> Carol, wondering if Snape could have saved himself from death with a
> healing spell if he had really wished to do so

Shelley:

It's this line that I take exception to: "And as for not seeing Harry 
forgive him, we don't need to."

Says who? Ok, for those that already had worked out a redemption plan in 
their heads for Snape long before reading this book, all they were looking 
for was a confirmation that their theory was correct. Those people weren't 
directly looking for all the backup and supporting details of such a 
conclusion probably didn't even notice that anything was missing. Why read 
the details in the book when your fan theory already has worked out all the 
details you will ever need?

But for those of us who wanted to know exactly WHY and HOW Snape gets 
redeemed, there's just something terribly wrong. We are reading this book 
expecting Rowling to tell us through Harry's eyes how Harry forgives Snape. 
As I and some others have pointed out, a few damn lines here or there would 
have done it- Harry, under the invisibility cloak, wanting to be alone- heck 
it would be one paragraph to have him stop and consider Snape and whether he 
had been wrong about him. A single line to say that "he now understood, and 
chose right there and then to forgive him.".  Then, the name Albus 
Dumbledore would have made sense.  Or Harry talking to Dumbledore, 
questioning the fact that he misunderstood Snape and Dumbledore wishing him 
to forgive Snape so that he could moving forward with his life, tying the 
idea of coming back to life with a clean slate, without the burden of hating 
Snape any longer. Both of those would have MOVED me, a solid "Snape is scum" 
believer, into the realm of forgiving Snape with Harry.

I strongly disagree that "I" personally didn't need to feel that 
forgiveness, that redemption, that turn around. I did, and because I didn't, 
when I read that Harry had named his son after Snape, it caused me to scream 
and yell at my book- I just couldn't believe that Harry had done that, and 
then later I realized that Harry wasn't the one at fault, it was all 
Rowling's for not helping me to see that transition more clearly.

Shelley