Cedric, Snape and carma was re: Chapter Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban

[Margaret Fenney]

No: HPFGUIDX 190608

> Librasmile:
> I don't want to get into a long back and forth because clearly
> folks are just taking their position and sticking to it. But I'm
> a complete absolute Snape fan. I don't see him as flawless. But 
> it still puzzles me that people can see him being harassed for 
> years and then NOT see that incident in the Shack as an attempt
> to kill him. If there wasn't a werewolf involved AND if Sirius 
> and crew hadn't been harassing him for YEARS with NO restraint 
> from school authority, then yes I would say it was just an 
> impulsive act. But from where I'm sitting hostile intent had been 
> established for years before this latest incident and that 
> hostility naturally leads to an attempt to kill Severus. As far 
> as I'm concerned Sirius intended to kill, didn't give a rat's ass 
> what would have happened to Lupin ( until after the fact when he 
> realized that LUPIN could have been killed ), and James was only 
> saving the Marauders' a**'s when he saved Snape. <snip>
>
> But no, no, let's all just go with the thought of Severus being
> thoughtlessly evil. Cause he'll be so much safer once he's out of
> school...of course he will be...


Bookcrazzzy:

I don't think of Snape as being thoughtlessly evil by any means, nor do I
think him the purely innocent victim that you seem to consider him to be.
Consider that while a student, he developed the Levicorpus spell that was
used by James against him.  How, may I ask, did it become known among the
students unless Snape used it against someone at some point and would you
think his intent when developing it was "innocent"?  He also developed
Sectumsempra specifically, as he noted in his potions book, "for enemies."
Sectumsempra is without question a lethal curse and I don't think there is
much question that the Marauders were included in Snape's "enemies".  By
comparison, the Marauders developed the Map which was clearly for mischief
making, became animagi to support a friend, and did not do anything at any
point that supports a theory of lethal intent except for the Shrieking Shack
incident.  I don't see the Marauders as innocent either but I believe them
to be immature boys, not evil incarnate and I believe Sirius to be the most
impulsive, thoughtless and least mature of the group but not a murderer.

I believe JKR gave her prominent characters strengths and weaknesses which
is part of what makes them believable.  We all have our failings.

I will also note that Snape harassed Harry (and per my previous post, I
believe he did not hate Harry but thought he was acting in "the boy's best
interest" when he did so), for years and from a position of considerable
authority over Harry but Harry never attempted to murder him.

> Librasmile:
> I've lurked for a while and it's been fascinating reading the
> discussions of Snape's character, culpability, etc. It's
> fascinating also to see how people's biases determine their
> conclusions about him. I've read the entire series and having
> had time to digest it and read some other essays around the web,
> I've come to the conclusion that the morality Rowling portrays
> among her characters is seriously skewed and it's endlessly
> fascinating to see who picks up on that and who doesn't. =^)

Bookcrazzzy:

I agree that personal biases come into play in how people feel about Snape,
Sirius and other characters but I don't think you explained how that leads
you to conclude that "the morality Rowling portrays among her characters is
seriously skewed".