Snape's role

[Angel Lima]

No: HPFGUIDX 176547

Snape's role

 

Ted:
I totally agree with that there are many ways to interpret many of
Snape's behaviors. It would be awfully hard to be kind to the son of
your most despised enemy. Even more so if the mother was the woman
you loved and lost. Harry's behavior toward Snape certainly didn't
make it any easier. Both Harry and Ron learned with Kreacher that
sometimes you reap what you sow when you treat people badly.

It is also certainly necessary for Snape to keep up his image with the
death eaters as well, but I never got the feeling that Snape truly got
past his own selfishness and bitterness toward James and Harry. 
That's what makes it hard for me to see Snape heroically. Still, I
agree with many of your points. I also think that Snape, more than
any other character, helps demonstrate the power of love in this story.

 

Angel

I agree with everything you've said Snape had done yet disagree with your
interpretation of the very same "acts".

 

Snape's heroism is all the more poignant BECAUSE of his prejudices.  In
spite of such terrible and deep scars he fought for Harry, he saved Harry,
risked life and limb for an ungrateful hateful Harry, who wore the face of
Snape's arch nemesis and the saw Snape through the eyes of unrequited
love/guilty conscience.  Whatever hate Snape bore towards Harry was fully
reciprocated despite having saved his life many times, Harry was not the
least grateful.

 

As for love, you can't possibly be arguing that sending the darkest
deadliest hateful yet stupidest wizard to off someone's husband and child so
you might have a chance with them could be construed as love could you???

 

Here is my view of Snape's role in the Potterworld.  Without Snape there
would not have been a Harry Potter.  Funnily enough I don't think Rowling
understands that yet, and it's interesting that there are plenty of other
authors with the same internal myopia.

 

In Snape's own words - (apologies no book at hand) When Snape came to enlist
Dumbledore's help in saving the original trio (James, Lily, Harry) he spoke
only about Lily and Dumbledore rebuffed that the prophecy spoke  not of a
woman.  Snape's reply was - "that's why he think's it's her", because it was
Snape who overheard the prophecy and Snape who delivered the faulted
prophecy and Snape who inadvertently casted a hero out of Harry and brought
about Voldemort's demise long before the initial rook was moved.

 

 



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