Did you LIKE Snape?

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 183177

Mike:
We've had a recent thread that mourns the passing of Snape. I don't,
but that led to this query. In the interest of full disclosure, I am
a Marauder fan and Sirius Black is my favorite character. So I am
naturally biased towards despising one Severus Snape. OK, now on to
the show. ;-)

Alla:
Ooooo, coming back from vacation and I see this thread. It had been 
some time since I shared how much I loved Severus Snape, so yes, sure 
I think it is just about time to do that again.
When Snape died I was choosing which music from my favorite cartoon I 
should put on to celebrate that event and was afraid that Nagini 
would be poisoned from tasting all that venom in Snape. And of course 
I am Harry and Sirius fan. Enough said. 

Mike:
JKR admitted Snape was "a gift of a character", and I'll second that.
<SNIP>
Alla:
Absolutely.

 Mike:
In that respect, I too liked Severus Snape. I too wanted to know why
he was the way he was. I even color myself slightly disappointed that
his love for Lily was the *only* driving force that propelled him to
do what he did for Harry and the good side.
<SNIP>

Alla:

I was thrilled that I saw Snape tearing apart Lily's picture and 
crying that tears. See I said many times that JKR satisfied me with 
Snape's character's arc despite the fact that I did not get evil 
Snape and this is honest to goodness truth. BUT I am not sure if I 
ever mentioned that I was tiny bit nervous that Snape's character arc 
will end up in a way that will force me respect him.
What I am trying to say is that I know really well that usually Snape 
like characters are my favorite characters ever, if I get the type in 
the book I am reading and if character ends up the way I suspect 
Betsy and Magpie wanted him to end up, then I am not only respecting 
the character but empathize with him a great deal.

I think deep inside I felt that Snape did not deserve to end up that 
way, whether alive or dead after what he did to Harry. Heee, was I 
afraid that I will like Snape again at the end after all? Maybe. Not 
as character, I always liked him as character, but if he was "real 
person".
Thank goodness that his death scene was not the same as Urte de 
Miravall from Arbonne.
And before anybody asks yes sure I give Snape credit for all his 
heroism, on the intellectual level I get all this I really do.

But for me and for me only to see that Snape changed, really and 
truly changed I would need to see just that – him accepting Harry. 
Please keep in mind  that this is strictly in response to Mike's 
question whether I **like** Snape. I know how hard for Snape dear 
would be to accept Harry, etc, but if he would have acknowledged 
Harry as his own person, for me it would mean that I have to respect 
Snape, to know that he did the hardest thing ever, he looked at Harry 
with different eyes and saw his true self. THAT would mean that with 
gritted teeth my answer would be yes, I do like Snape.
All his heroic deeds in the name of Lily were of course heroic deeds 
and yes, I saw that he changed some ( saving Lupin, etc)
But to me Snape did not change in what matters, what truly matters 
for me. And not because I am Harry's fan, but because this was the 
conflict that played before my eyes, if that makes sense.

Mike:
<SNIP>
You see, I'm curious. I could never understand the attraction. I
guessed, as did practically all of us, that Snape was ultimately on
the good side. But there were too many things about him for me to get
past to like him. I didn't take Lupinlore's approach that his
teaching was child abuse, but I did agree with Alla that it was
abhorrent behavior. And though I laughed at some of his wittier
lines, that didn't supplant my dislike for the overall character.

Alla:

Thanks dear. Funnily as I mentioned before, I do understand 
attraction to Snape, after book 1 I was liking him myself, but well, 
that changed . I

Mike:
<SNIP>
 I have a particular revulsion for the Snape in PoA, in the Shreiking
Shack scene. I've expounded on that enough, I won't continue to bore
you. Funnily enough, I was most entertained by Snape in PoA, too.

Alla:
See, hurt-comfort again for me. I was  disgusted, but for quite some 
time I felt a great deal of pity for Snape in Shack.

Mike:
I get that some people identify with Snape, just like lots of people
identified with Harry and I identified with Sirius. Did that make you
like Severus, or understand him, or both?

Please, explain to me the attraction!
<SNIP>

Alla:
Heee, well as I said I cannot really explain the attraction, but I 
can understand some reasoning for it at least.
But I have a related thought here. I wonder what does it mean to 
identify with the character. Does it mean that reader feels that in 
the similar situation they would have acted the same way? I mean it 
is not the same as liking the character, right? To me at least it is 
so not. I adore Sirius' character, but I certainly would not have 
acted the same way in many instances as he would have. What does it 
mean for you to identify with your favorite character? Not just Snape 
or Sirius, anybody. If one feels that there are some things that 
reader would have done the same way  as character, does it counts as 
at least partial identification?
Like I think I would definitely do everything under the moon to 
protect a child that I love, but heee, I would think things over 
first.
It is very interesting. What about Harry for example? I love his 
character, but identify with him? I am not sure. I wished he would 
survive and be happy, but did I want to do all the things he did? Um, 
not really.  
JMO,
Alla