Why did Snape call Lily a 'Mudblood'?/ Drama triangle

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 177658

> Potioncat:
> Might explain where Harry gets his "saving people thing."
>  
> Which would mean, if you're correct, Severus and Lily's friendship 
> was dysfunctional as well--that is, on both parts.
> 
> Where else do you see Snape involved in this type of triangle? 
Well, 
> Snape as rescuer of Harry---oooh that really fits! But do you see 
it 
> elsewhere?

lizzyben: 

With Snape, all *over* the place. For example, in the scene by the 
river w/Snape, Lily & Petunia: Snape & Lily are having a pleasent 
conversation, as he tells her about the wizarding world. He's 
playing Lily's rescuer there, a bit. Then Petunia enters, glares at 
Snape & insults his clothes (Persecutor). Snape becomes a victim, 
and then retaliates w/the branch. The roles switched - Now Petunia 
is the victim, Snape the persecutor. Lily becomes Petunia's rescuer, 
yells at Snape (persecutes)& stalks off. Snape is left looking 
miserable & confused (Victim). Lily accomplished the last switch in 
power w/o ever leaving her rescuer role.

Hogwarts train ride: Sirius & James, persecutors; Snape, victim; 
Lily, rescuer ("let's go Sev").

The Rescuer has mixed motives, because being a rescuer itself is a 
position of power. The rescuer gets to feel important & superior, 
while also acting morally good. They are "one-up" in power from 
the victim. Rescuers can also persecute victims by 
withdrawing their care-taking (article above). This is what Lily 
does when she leaves Snape by the river, when she leaves him to 
Sirius & James' bullying in SWM, and when she closes the door on him 
in the last memory. JKR says that Lily genuinely loved Snape, & I 
wish I could believe it, but I just don't see it. I think she had a 
need to be a Rescuer, which forced Snape to occupy the Victim role. 
Or maybe it's the other way around. But either way, yeah, it was 
dsyfunctional. And of course, in the end, Rescuer Lily ultimately 
switched her loyalties from Victim to Persecutor. That was Snape's 
Worst Memory, & I understand why.



Potioncat:
> Now, really getting into this game (pun) Could Lily have been 
> attracted to emotionally distant Sev because her father was such? 
and 
> how does Petunia fit in? Lily played the rescuer, what role did 
> Tooney play at home? 
>
> Potioncat, not at all sure she should get into this.....


lizzyben: 

Once you see the roles of this particular "mind game," you can get 
really into it, because it honestly seems to be one of the major 
dynamics of the Potterverse. 

I disagree that little Severus was emotionally distant - in the 
early memories, he seemed incredibly needy & almost desperate for 
love. He didn't seem to care where he got that approval & "love" 
from - Lily or Mulciber - as long as they accepted him. And he 
seemed to accept ill treatment almost as his due. After he lost his 
major protector (Lily), he probably went staight to another (Death 
Eaters). Probably the saddest thing about Snape was his unrequited 
love for both Lily & Dumbledore - both of whom seemed to in some 
ways combine the roles of Persecutor/Rescuer, both of whom Snape 
seemed to relate to from a "one-down" Victim position. It seems like 
Snape started out in the "Victim" role & slowly migrated to the more 
powerful "Persecutor" role w/o ever finding a way out of the 
triangle. 


lizzyben