Secrets (Long) OLD POST REPOST

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 186399

Shelley:
I think it is the first- it's not necessarily the KEY to his maturity, but
certainly Harry had to know and understand what had happened "to him" or
about him so that he could understand his purpose in life- to be the one to
end Voldemort, and so yes, that mission was part of his maturity. But to
know and understand everything of the motives and actions of "others"
(namely Dumbledore and Snape), I think part of Harry's maturity is to accept
that he doesn't know, and doesn't always need to know, all the juicy details
of the lives of others. <SNIP>

Alla:

Right, I just think it is interesting how the switch from desire to know to faith (IMO) comes in Harry's character. Personally I found it sort of cool.

Shelley:
<SNIP>
I think I would
have respected Harry a lot more if he forgave Snape out of the pure motive
of that forgiveness is the right thing to do, rather than to have Harry
forgive Snape simply because he didn't know all the rest of the story
before, and that he had been wrong about Snape. I think I would have liked
the story better if we had Harry mature, forgive Snape, and then have a
delay "will" of Snape be delivered to Harry in the form of Snape's memories
so that Harry comes to understand that his forgiveness really did match up
with what he should have done.

But, for the record, I think Harry is wrong to forgive Snape, or rather, if
I were in Harry's shoes, I wouldn't have forgiven Snape to the degree that
Harry does. For me, I may have understood Snape's motives, but that in no
way would have made me see him the way that Harry does, to forgive him so
completely that he rewrites all of what Snape does as a "hero" and have
admiration to the degree of naming my child after this loser, and to seek to
repaint his picture for the rest of the WW that he was really a double-spy
working for Dumbledore. I just can't see myself doing any of those things
that Harry did, but this is Rowling's story she's telling and not mine.

Alla:

Ah, but while I agree with both paragraphs that you wrote here, I think it all makes sense to me, in a way I think JKR may think the same way. Let me try to clarify, yes of course in the general moral sense forgiveness is worth more when it comes just because, not for any particular reason.

But MAYBE, maybe because she also thinks that it is wrong to forgive Snape without knowing his motives, maybe that is why she did it that way?

Does it make sense to you? What I am trying to say is that of course I would not have ever forgiven Snape to the degree Harry does or at all, but it felt to me that the way Snape treated Harry was not ever mentioned as something he forgives him for and only his war deeds were mentioned and he was forgiven as a war hero and not  Harry's teacher?

However, yes, Harry naming his child after Snape
 oy,oy, oy. I mean, in light of me seeing Harry as Christ figure (as the term of literary criticism) I find it okay and do not start laughing loudly, but if Harry was not shown (to me) as such, I would have.

JMO,

Alla