Snape/Lily love or obsession

[Dana]

No: HPFGUIDX 173492

> Carol responds:
> I'm glad you asked that question. The "Harry filter" doesn't lift.
> We're still seeing it from his point of view. We've still got a
> hird-person-limited narrator. How do we, then, that the narrator is
> reliable on this point when he wasn't before?
> 
> Part of it is plot structure. We've reached the end of the book. 
> Aside from the new mystery of Dumbledore's past (and the Deathly 
> Hallows complication), DH is the denouement of the series. JKR is 
> trying to give us the answers, to tie up the major loose ends. And, 
> of course, the biggest loose end of all is Snape. (Not will Harry 
> live. Surely that was a given despite misdirection to make us think 
> otherwise.)
<big snip>

Dana:
Thanks Carol, I agree with your explanation so sorry to snip the rest 
of it. 

I do think JKR gave more to the reader to observe then what Harry 
actually got (understood/ needed) from these memories and that was 
basically my point. I tried to explain this in a different post then 
the one you are replying to. I was not specifically arguing if 
Snape's love was obsessive or not that is left to the readers 
interpretation or opinion of what they consider to be healthy love 
but more that reading the memories ourselves as objective observers 
(because the memories are objective) doesn't mean that Harry per 
definition would have come to the same conclusion as we the reader do 
about how to classify Snape's love for Lily other then Snape being 
loyal to his mother and because of it working against LV. (well and 
recognizing that he had certain elements in common with Snape, as you 
pointed out)

So basically what I was trying to question is if the earlier argument 
(before DH) was that Harry's viewpoint is unreliable (in his 
conclusion for most) then it should still considered as such even 
post-DH and it therefore is not Harry's viewpoint that can be taken 
as an indication that Snape's love for Lily *wasn't* obsessive (still 
without trying to argue if it actually was or not). 

As you said in the part I snipped Harry by viewing the memory 
concludes that Snape is not his enemy as he thought he was and that 
even though he easily could have been Harry's biggest enemy because 
Snape sincerely hated him, the love Snape had for his mother 
prevented Snape from actually working against him but instead helped 
him in his battle against LV by working with DD. That is basically 
what Harry concludes and what he respects and tributes Snape for.  He 
is not having a deep philosophical debate with himself if the love 
Snape had for is mother should be considered healthy or not, as it is 
of no further interest to Harry. 

I'm still tossing around varies ideas to see what fits best in to how 
to classify certain aspects of Snape and his reason's for giving 
these specific memories to Harry. Of course they are plot related in 
the sense of revealing the motivations of Snape's character but I 
also wonder if the memories were supposed to enforce a different plot 
line JKR set out through this book -> shedding doubt on the 
trustworthiness and the true motivations of DD's character. That is 
of course a different discussion altogether so I will leave it at 
that. 

JMHO

Dana