Snape Reduced (was: Re: Villain!Dumbledore...

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 177745

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > <snip>
> > Snape was reduced to (or turned out to be, since the Snape I     
> > imagined wasn't the canon Snape at all, unfortunately) a rather   
> > pathetic little man, blindly following the instructions of a     
> > portait, while obsessing over a dead woman. 
> > <snip>

> >>Carol responds:
> "Blindly following the instructions of a portrait"? Funnily enough,
> the last thing we see him do is to tell that portrait not to worry,
> that *he* has a plan. So the whole doe Patronus/Sword in the well   
> plan is Snape's.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
But it was still Snape operating under the watchful (though 
dead ::shudder::) eye of Dumbledore, IMO.  I'd been eagerly 
anticipating Snape acting on his own, and was disappointed.  (I'd 
been eagerly anticipating Harry acting on his own, for that matter.  
Another disappointment.)

And where I thought we'd learn that Snape's redemption came about 
because of his own inner principles, instead, he was motivated by a 
(IMO) bizarre, sad, and incredibly unhealthy fixation on a random 
girl.  It was a huge let down for me. 

> >>Carol:
> Had he not asked (not begged) Voldemort to save Lily, probably     
> wording the request as a reward for his services (he could harly    
> let LV know that he loved any woman, much less a "Mudblood"),
> Lily would not have had the choice to live which activated the     
> ancient magic without which Harry would be dead and Voldemort would 
> not have created his own enemy.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Like the butterfly that flaps his wings in Brazil and causes rainfall 
in China?  Sure, Snape was an important cog in the machine of JKR's 
plot.  But it's hard for me to admire a cog or a random butterfly.  I 
was looking to Snape to be a man.  An independent, thinking, fully 
fleshed man.  Instead we get a guy whose random passion puts a ball 
in motion competely by accident.  I don't admire Harry for tripping 
over a rake and landing in a big pile of win, and so I don't admire 
Snape for accidently setting Harry's fall into motion.  (Especially 
since Snape's accident started from such a selfish motivation in the 
first place, IMO.)

> >>Carol:
> <snip>
> And love for JKR is the most powerful and admirable of motives...
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
This is almost a side issue, but frankly, I don't like JKR's version 
of love as put forth by the Potter series.  It's creepy, self-
involved, possesive, and incredibly judgemental.  Honestly, I don't 
think I'd call it love at all.

> >>Carol:
> <snip>
> After years of helping and protecting Harry and risking his life   
> lying and spying for DD, he does what only he can do--kills DD at   
> DD's own request, saving Draco's life and soul into the bargain.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Yes, Snape did those things.  And it was very brave.  And then, in 
DH, he did nothing with Draco.  Why'd he even save the boy (life and 
soul) in the first place?  I'd thought it was because he cared for 
both Draco and his family.  But DH showed that to be a lie.  
Honestly, I think saving Draco was a side-effect of Dumbledore's 
little war.  Snape's motivations didn't matter.  He just did as he 
was told.  Bravely, but (IMO) blindly, without reasoning out the whys 
and wherefores for himself.

> >>Carol:
> <snip>
> His role is so important that the book is inconceivable without it.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
As a cog.  Not as a man.  I don't care about what moves the plot 
forward when I'm looking at a character.  I care about what makes 
them tick, and for Snape, unfortunately, we learn it wasn't anything 
much good.

> >>Carol:
> You seem to want to ignore the Snape who has gone before...
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
On the contrary, I weep for the Snape who came before and the man he 
almost was.  Unfortunately, it was all whimsy and may-have-beens.  
And we're stuck with a plot cog with questionable motives.

> >>Carol:
> In DH, Snape is necessarily off-page most of the time...
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
It wasn't necessary for Snape to be off-page.  It was a writing 
choice JKR made.  And yes, this is a bit of a quibble, but that Snape 
suddenly disappeared from the book, only to randomly show up to creak 
the plot forward at the end struck me as weak story-telling (bad 
choice to ignore your protagonist's shadow like that, IMO).  To 
reduce Snape's role from Harry's shadow to a plot cog was... well, it 
was weird, IMO.  It sucked the soul out of the series for me.  
Suddenly it was just a shoot-em-up between Voldemort and Harry.  And 
since I don't think writing battle scenes is one of JKR's strengths, 
it was an odd place for her to go, IMO.

> >>Carol:
> To see Snape clearly and see him whole, we must look at the whole
> picture... <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I have done, Carol.  And, since we cannot ignore DH, I see Snape as 
much reduced. From risking his life and soul for a student (Draco) 
and dominating the attacking DE's with a glance (HBP), Snape as 
headmaster cannot keep his charges from being permanently scarred.  
Cannot control a rather stupid (as per the books, anyway) pair of 
DE's.  And does nothing to help a family I thought were his friends.

It's tragic really.  In a very bleak sort of way.

Betsy Hp