Harry's Vision and Snape (Re: Would Harry forgiving Snape be character...)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 164337

Carol responds:
> Let me first clear up what I think is a misconception of my views or
> intentions. I confess to being Snapecentric, and to pointing out
> that Harry's glasses may symbolize a figurative as well as literal
> myopia, but I'm not *blaming* him for seeing Snape as he does. 
> <snip> As I pointed out in another post, Snape's treatment of him 
> fits his preconceptions.  Appearance, coincidence, and Snape's very
> real animosity reinforce Harry's preconceptions. 

Jen:  Thanks for clarifying the point about blame.  It's easy to view 
debates as casting blame on either Harry or Snape, how one being 
right naturally makes the other wrong.  I truly don't read HP as that 
kind of story nor JKR as that kind of author.  A story about 
good/evil is unfolding, but all the characters save Voldemort live in 
the space between those two extremes (and I would argue young Riddle 
wasn't meant to be seen as irrdeemably evil even if Voldemort is).

Carol:
> Harry has never been a very good judge of character, but he's
> learning not to judge based on appearances. It's just a whole lot
> harder with Snape than it is with other characters because he knows
> that Snape not only hates him but hated his "filthy father." 

Jen:  The story doesn't work well if Harry is an overall poor judge 
of character, then the reader ends up not trusting Harry's judgment 
about any of the characters:  "Is Ron really a good guy, or should I 
look for signs of betrayl and instead realize Harry was wildly 
innacurate about Draco?"  If Harry is wrong about the majority of the 
people he's interacting with, then his flawed judgement is the path 
to the real story instead of a sense of security that *most* 
characters are who they appear to be.  The mystery element of the 
series is the cause for so many versions of ESE on our list in my 
opinion, not Harry's poor judgement. My impression is JKR is 
portraying accurate moral development of an 11-17 year old rather 
than implying seriously flawed judgement. 

Harry hasn't been able to accurately judge people who are ambiguous 
or outright duplicitous, but he certainly isn't alone there.  Even 
Dumbledore was taken in by Quirrell and Fake Moody, and Dumbledore 
believed Sirius capable of betraying the Potters.  And by the time 
Umbridge enters the story, and Slughorn, Harry is starting to get the 
idea people don't fall neatly into the categories of good and evil.   

I'd say Harry's main flaw is judging too harshly at times and not 
giving people who disappoint him or make mistakes a second chance, 
especially those he doesn't like.  That fits in better with 
Dumbledore's story and what the mentor is teaching the student about 
mercy and second chances.

Carol:
> <snip> How, *how* can their preconceptions and misreadings of each
> other, particularly Harry's view of Snape as an evil, murderous 
> traitor, be corrected? I can think of a few ways, among them Snape
> saving Harry's life or that of one of Harry's friends through those
> intriguing healing powers he demonstrated in HBP. 

Jen: I guess it's hard for Snape fans and Harry fans to agree on 
everything <g>.  Harry has seen or heard about Snape performing right 
actions many times and they've failed to move him.  If Snape is loyal 
and Harry must see his loyalty, then there needs to be a scenario 
which jolts Harry out of the usual pattern.  For instance, seeing 
present-day Snape in a circumstance where Snape is being manipulated 
or controlled by someone else (LV most likely) would mirror helpless 
young Snape in the screaming man memory or being bullied in the 
Pensieve scene.  Any scenario where Snape is weak or out of control 
could shake up Harry's present view.

Carol:
> Another possibility is memories of conversations between Snape and 
> Dumbledore viewed in a Pensieve (maybe DD has bottled a few and
> willed them to Harry just in case).  Maybe someone more logical
> than Harry (Hermione or Lupin) will begin to see that the pieces of
> Harry's story don't quite fit together, and Harry is either missing
> something or trying to create the wrong picture from them.

Jen: I do expect both of these scenes to take place in some form, or 
Hermione urging Harry to use the Pensieve to view his own memory of 
the tower.

Carol: 
> I don't think the missing link will be Lily <snip> I think it's
> more likely to be Regulus. 

Jen: How would Regulus be a primary link between Snape and Harry?  I 
understand the two men may have known each other and had in common 
Slytherin, DE's and eventually working against Voldemort, but how 
could Regulus influence Harry to see a different side of Snape more 
than him finally knowing Lily?  Harry will learn in DH that he is his 
mother's son and shares her traits of courage, conviction and a 
willingness to die to save others.  Presumably she also had a crucial 
trait he needs to learn in order to release his resentment of Snape, 
be it compassion, mercy and/or the power of forgiveness.  I don't 
think there had to be a connection between Lily and Snape for all 
this to occur, but given Snape's remorse it sure sounds like a 
possibility.