Sirius and Snape parallels again

[jkoney65]

No: HPFGUIDX 185009

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lizzyben04" <lizzyben04 at ...> 
wrote:
> lizzyben:
> 
> I have a somewhat-predictable take on the matter: Blame Dumbledore.
> Both Sirius & Snape are put into a kind of prison by Dumbledore,
> physical and mental, which they cannot leave. Sirius is forced to 
stay
> by his loyalty to the Order & James, & Snape by his guilt & love for
> Lily. DD uses these emotions to manipulate both to accomplish his
> purposes.
> 
> And there's no question that Azkaban is worse than Hogwarts. But I
> think it's interesting that Sirius actually came out of Azkaban 
pretty
> well, all things considered. He was sharp, funny, goal-oriented &
> energetic, even when eating rats in a cave. It was only after being
> imprisioned by DD in GP that Sirius begins to deteriorate rapidly
> mentally. 
> 
> Because Azkaban is a physical prison, but DD puts Sirius into a 
mental
> prison & that's what he could not take. Sirius functions well w/an
> enemy to fight (and hate), which kept him going in Azkaban. But once
> imprisoned in GH, Sirius was left w/o an enemy to fight, or a 
purpose
> in life, surrounded by all the psychic trauma of his youth. DD 
placed
> him in a position where goal-oriented, energetic Sirius had no 
goals,
> no job & no activity. So Sirius is imprisoned mentally w/only his 
own
> memories, griefs, hatreds & regrets. There's a number of parallels
> between Snape & Sirius's prisons - both were emotionally damaged
> people, who depended upon DD & were imprisoned by DD in the home of
> their youth. And there's an uncanny ability of DD's to imprison them
> in the very memories of the past that will destroy their ability to
> escape or find an independent future.

jkoney
While I agree with the first part I don't believe that DD imprisoned 
them in the home of their youth. 

Physically Snape stays at Spinners End, but he seems to have adjusted 
to the place quite well. As for being locked in the memory of Lilly 
that was his own free will. He decided to do it after some coaxing 
from DD. What it also did was give him a reason to live. 
Unfortunately for Snape he didn't really grow from that point until 
the very end.

For Sirius the house was also a place where he was free from being 
chased or killed. He might not be able to leave, but he was able to 
work on the plans for the Order. He was able to receive messages, 
etc. from members and contribute in some way. Unfortunately for 
Sirius he was an active person and staying in the same place wasn't 
the best use of his abilities. But it did keep him safe.


lizzyben
> And what was DD's first reaction when asked to protect James & Lily?
> "Hmmm... Well, why don't we put them into a prison?" There's an 
orphan
> child that needs DD's care... why don't we put him in a home where
> he'll be imprisoned under the stairs? There's a emotionally 
disturbed
> boy attending Hogwarts... why don't we let him return to 
imprisonment
> in the orphanage? This can only end well.
> 

jkoney
That's an awful lot to lay on DD. He figured out a way to keep the 
Potter's safe from Voldemort and even offered to be the secret 
keeper. If he had been, then they would have been safe as long as 
they stayed hidden.

He knew that Harry might not be loved as much, but it's a large step 
to believe that he would be mistreated at the hands of his relatives. 
And Harry was safe from harm.

DD had no control over Tom. Dippet was the one who sent him back not 
DD.