Victory for TEWWW EWWW

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 173171

Alla:

> Because I believe that Snape is not a hero, because 
> even at the end of the book he is spiteful bully, 
> because he never made an effort to see Lily's child 
> for loyal, selfless, courageous person he is, to get 
> to know him at least.
> [...]
> I said it on another list, but did not finish discussing 
> there ;). I think that JKR really places a lot on being 
> a **nice** person as in being genuinely nice to others 
> and Hagrid being nice is deemed more worthwhile to live 
> than Snape, even though I find Hagrid as character to be 
> rather blah, as I also mentioned.

houyhnhnm:

So Snape is not good in spite of "all that brave deeds 
in the name of Lily Potter and saving the world" because 
he was not *nice* to Harry.  Even I wouldn't accuse 
Rowling of being that banal.

On the other hand, if HP is a Christian allegory with 
Harry standing in for Christ, then it all makes a kind 
of sense.  Severus Snape accepted Dumbledore's 
condemnation without argument and without complaint, 
without bargaining, without excuses.  He promised 
"anything" and that "anything" was no light penance.  
He remained faithful to his promise for seventeen 
years, even to his death.  His fidelity was essential 
to Harry's victory over Voldemort, yet the state of 
his soul remains in doubt because he did not acknowledge 
his Savior.  Then the contact between the green eyes and 
the black eyes takes on a whole other significance.  
Maybe in that last split second he was saved.

I'm sorry but as someone who was raised 
Unitarian/Universalist this is completely unpalatable 
to me.  I'm not knocking Rowling's story or the people 
for whom it is meaningful, but it's not for me.  I think 
I need to find a twelve step program and a new hobby.