Seeing gray in a black and white book/Free passes to characters

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 165132

 
Alla wrote:

But what  I agree with you is that the amount of scrutiny of good guys 
is much  higher than the character you mentioned. And again, I deeply 
respect  everybody's rights to point out characters ethical mistakes, 
**every**  character mistake, but I do find it amusing when Snape is 
given free pass  for everything starting from his teaching tactics and 
ending up with  murder. IMO of course. Oh and I of course realize that 
I am making the  sweeping generalization, but this is the general 
impression I get ( not  everybody excuses Snape of course).
And that is again, their right, but it  is also my right to call it an 
excuse or justification and not a theory  supported by canon. For 
example, if one says that Harry and Snape are  **equally** responsible 
for the hatred they feel for each other, I am not  calling it anything 
else but **excuse**, because the text for me talks  about eleven year 
old thrown in the new world and his lovely teacher  attacks him on the 
very first lesson. Basically any justification of what  Snape does to 
Trio reads to me as an excuse.



Julie:
I also agree the amount of scrutiny the good guys get over their  actions
is much higher than the amount of scrutiny the bad (or "grey") guys  get
over the same or even worse actions. And there is a reason for that. 
The good guys are the better people, hence their assignation as  "good."
At least they're supposed to be better. Which is why I hold them  to a
HIGHER standard.
 
So, Marietta did a bad thing. And Hermione did a not quite as bad 
thing back. (I say not quite as bad because most posters have agreed
that she went too far, which means she did something that can't  really
be argued as good or neutral, even if her action was provoked.)
 
Equally, Draco did a bad thing in the bathroom, and Harry did a not
quite as bad thing back. (Again, most posters have agreed that Harry
was reckless to use a spell he didn't understand, thus his action was
not good or even neutral--as a lesser blocking spell or hex might  have
been.)
 
But here's the thing. As a reader I have certain expectations of my 
heroes. I do NOT have the same expectations of the bad, or grey
characters. Of course *they* are going to behave badly. So what?
I'm not interested in keeping them from falling into a pit, because
they've *already* taken that fall. But I AM interested in my  heroes
not falling into that slippery pit. Thus, I'm more critical of Harry's 
actions, and of Hermione's actions, than I am of Draco's, or  Marietta's,
or Snape's.
 
I believe it was the same thing with McGonagall. She lectured Harry
about the bathroom incident, and told him he could have been expelled
because *he* is the one whose character matters. What's it to her 
if Draco ruins his life? She might feel a passing twing of pity for  him,
but he's not her problem or her concern. For her it's not about  Draco,
it's about Harry. Let Draco drown kittens, but Harry better not look
crossways or she'll be all over him. 
 
It's like that old parental saying "I wouldn't do this if I  didn't care." I
wouldn't criticize Harry, and expect so much more of him, if I didn't
care ;-) 
 
So, with Harry and Snape, it doesn't really *matter* who is more at
fault. It doesn't matter if Snape is twenty, thirty or  fifty times more
at fault. What matters is who has the integrity, the maturity, and  the
strength of character to halt the hostilities. Maybe in the end Snape 
will recognize his own mistakes and misjudgements, or maybe he
won't. But Harry *must* recognize his. Because that's what makes 
him the Hero.
 
Julie, who hopes she explained her position  coherently.


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