The Continuing Tragedy of Severus Snape: Reflections on Books 1-5

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 164582

Carol earlier: 
> > Carol, who thinks that Snape is made of sterner stuff than you
> > evidently do (but believes that he's currently suffering mental
> > anguish over the death of Dumbledore)
> >
wynnleaf responded: 
> I find I mostly agree with your views on Snape.  I did not agree
with your earlier post where you said that you didn't think he was
mortally afraid of Voldemort.  He may not be "mortally" afraid (wonder
what that really means?), but he's intelligent, therefore he *has* to
be afraid of Voldemort.  And since he's engaged in a seriously risky
endeavor, in which he can easily get tortured and killed at
Voldemort's hand or his command, it would make sense that he fear
Voldemort with a mortal fear.
> 
> Also, fear does not negate bravery.  In fact, Snape is *more* brave,
if while fearing Voldemort, he goes to him anyway as a spy.  Brave
people are not unafraid; they just go ahead with what they must do in
spite of their fear.  Snape would be a fool to not fear Voldemort.

Carol responds:
I guess we're dealing with semantics here because I read "mortally
afraid" as intensely afraid or terrified, as exemplified by Lily
Potter faced with a Voldemort about to AK her child. (The fact that
she offers her life for Harry's despite such abject terror does indeed
make her exceptionally brave.)

So while I agree that Snape must, as an intelligent man, be afraid of
Voldemort, quite aware that he walks a tightrope and the slightest
wrong move could kill him (or at least earn him a Crucio), I don't see
him a *mortally* afraid of Voldemort or he'd never be able to do his
job. He reminds me of Starbuck in "Moby Dick," who doesn't want a man
in his boat who's not afraid of a whale. As Starbuck says, a fearless
man is more dangerous than a coward. You have to know what you're
facing, what it can do to you, and face it anyway. That's what Snape
is doing when he leaves the hospital room to face Voldemort. He's
pale, his eyes are glittering, he knows he could die, and he does it
anyway, chooses to do it, because Dumbledore is relying on him:
 
"'Severus,' said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must
ask you to do. If you are ready . . .  If you are prepared . . ."

"'I am,' said Snape.
 
"He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold black eyes
glittered strangely" (GoF Am. ed. 713).

Dumbledore watches apprehensively as Snape sweeps out the door,
remaining silent for minutes afterwards. Both he and Snape know
exactly what he's facing. 

It's very much like Harry going down the corridor in SS/PS: 

"The other two stared at him. His face was pale and his eyes were
glittering. 'I'm going out of her tonight and I'm going to try to get
to the stone first.'

"'You're mad!' said Ron.

"'You can't!'" said Hermione. . . .

"'SO WHAT?' Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold
of the stone, Voldemort's coming back. . . ." (SS Am. ed. 270).

Harry is wrong about Snape, of course, but he, too, is facing a Dark
wizard who could kill him (Quirrellmort, as it turns out) because he
feels he must.

As you say, there are several kinds of courage. There's the overcoming
of sheer terror, like Ron facing the spiders in the Forbidden Forest.
There's the reckless kind of courage, if it can be called that, the
fearless risk-taking of WPP running with a werewolf on a full moon
night. And there's something in between, neither fearless nor
overcoming abject terror, the willingness to confront danger or evil
because it's right. Snape and Harry are both afraid, but neither is
mortally afraid. Both are courageous but neither is fearless. Call it
intelligent courage if that works for you.

I was comparing Snape with the cowards Karkaroff and Wormtail, both of
whom are mortally afraid of Voldemort, one of whom fears to face him
and the other to defy him. Snape, IMO, fears to do neither.

wynnleaf:
<snip> 
> I read a lot of Cassy's website and notice that she believes Snape
> will die and Harry will forgive Snape as he dies.
> 
> I disagree with this because I believe that JKR has set Harry up to
do 3 things in regards to Snape.
> 
> 1.  JKR has made a big point of Harry's hatred of Snape growing more
> and more personal.  Therefore, Harry must overcome his hatred of
> Snape.  And JKR won't let him destroy Voldemort with his power the
> dark lord knows not of -- love -- until he overcomes that hatred.
> 
> 2.  JKR has had Harry think that he will "never" forgive Snape. 
> Therefore Harry will forgive Snape.
> 
> 3.  JKR has had Harry time and again reject Dumbledore's trust in
> Snape.  Therefore Harry, as DDM!Harry, will come to trust DDM!Snape.

Carol:
I agree on all counts. "He would never forgive Snape. Never!" jumps
out at me as the unreliable narrator being right about Harry's state
of mind but wrong, wrong, wrong as to his prediction.
> 
wynnleaf:
> Harry can forgive Snape in a dying!Snape scene.  But it takes time
to build trust.  So I think that Harry will have some time over the
> course of DH to overcome his hatred, forgive Snape, *and* learn to
> trust him.  So no forgiveness while Snape is dying -- it's too quick.
> 
> But that doesn't mean Snape will live.
> 
> I am very curious as to what those of you who agree with DDM!Snape
> think.  Will Snape live or die and why?
> 
> wynnleaf
>
Carol:
Like zgirnius upthread, I had a terrible foreboding when I read the
scene with those hellish ropes of fire binding Snape's wand arm in the
final moments of "Spinner's End." But I'm hoping that what was
foreshadowed was his unwilling murder of Dumbledore, not his own
death. How is Snape to tell his own story, to answer all our
questions, if he dies saving Harry or one of his friends?

We've read the hero-villain or villain-hero dying repentant and
redeemed too many times. It's highly unlikely that JKR can top
Boromir's death scene, and Harry is no Aragorn to bless him and grant
him absolution. I want Snape to be not only forgiven but understood,
and no quick death scene can give us that. I want him to *live*
redeemed and accomplish something important with his brilliant mind
and many talents. I don't know how JKR can manage it, but I can
certainly see Snape, still sarcastic and intolerant of dunderheads,
conducting research in Potions and/or DADA for the MoM or St. Mungo's.
Why give him Healing skills in HBP if he's not going to use them in
DH, at least in the epilogue?

I know you asked for what we think rather than what we want, so I'll
just say that I think he's been set up for redemption since Book 1,
and I think he's the character to whom she granted a reprieve in Book
7. I hope, however, that's it's a long reprieve, not just a postponement.

JKR prides herself on not giving us what we expect to find. Many if
not most readers expect Snape to die. That being the case, I predict
that he won't. And if he goes to Azkaban, it will be a short sentence,
no more than five years.

Carol, who, like zgirnius, will have a box of tissues handy and hope
they're used for someone other than Snape (or Harry)