Visitor Comments/Disputes
Many of you have taken the time to write to me and rebuke some of the statements I make. I am thankful for all of your comments. They are well-thought out and detailed, often revealing parts of a character that I may miss. This had happened so often in the past year that I feel I should not let such ideas stay only on my harddrive.
Individual comments are listed under specific bookmarks. If for some reason you do not want your comment posted on the site, or if you want me to remove your statement, then tell me, and I will honor your request.
If you DO however want to say something about my articles -- whether you disagree\agree with them, email me! The whole point of this site is to get others thinking and communicating thoughts about Snape. If they are well thought out, I'll put them on this page!
My original words in the article are in italics and silver.
Beyond Good and Evil
Chamber of Secrets Movie Review
Harry \ Snape relationship
Sarcastic Snape
"I've focused on the first 3 paragraphs (29, 40 & 41) and the disparity between what we are seeing in Snape and what might be JKR's intention.
The fundamentally independent man is "hidden" from the rest of humanity by, amongst other things, his inability/unwillingness to adopt the general panoply of beliefs and attitudes usually attributed to "nice" people. (To me this usually includes aw-shucks humilty, faith in the supernatural, infatuation with the silliness of small children, indiscriminate friendliness, a preference for kindness" over truth, an ability to "laugh at yourself", a willingness to sacrifice what is dear to him to the needs of others, and so on in that vein.) The man who refuses to walk that path is indeed lost in a labyrinth, for how are others to find him if his virtues
are unrecognizable to them? How are they to feel compassion for his suffering if the cause of his pain is invisible to them? If he is not a fool he is aware of this and of necessity adopts the mask because it is too painful to constantly expose what is most important to him to those wrongheaded, superficial interpretations.I think we see that in Snape, but is this what Rowling means to convey?
At this point in the narrative she has given us some conflicting signals, but in general her treatment of Snape has been hostile, focused on cosmetic flaws of form and personality, withholding insight into the soul of this man who has turned his back on evil but refused to display the conventional expressions of remorse --- humility, compassion, tenderness -- showing instead an iron pride, stubborn adherence to principle, stoic courage, and contempt for weakness. That last, expressed in his outburst to Harry about "fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves" and "wallow in sad memories" worries me in the sense that I suspect JKR intends to use it to "cut him down to size" sometime in the next 2 books. Unless she hands me a big, happy surprise, I don't see her acknowledging his uniqueness without punishing him for it. It seems bizarre that an author might create a character like this without understanding his true nature. If he were real and could understand this, what greater reason would there be to withdraw behind the mask?" -- Ravenslady.
"I think you've done well with this.
My only suggestion would be an addendum to the book 5 section.
I think what was important, and what we were also supposed to notice in Order of the Phoenix, is not only the change in Harry and Snape's relationship, but also how very alike they are (or how very similar Snape was to Harry, at Harry's age).
I would not mention this if the article was only about Snape - but it is about Harry as well, and I think adding this detail in would also serve as an example of why Snape is the way he is - by comparing Harry's current feelings to what we saw of Snape's memories, and what we know of Snape's school life.
If I sound confusing, I apologise. I'll try and explain it the way I initially discovered it:
The most symbolic two scenes that draw a similarity between the two supposed opposites are the scene at the beginning of the book where Harry is sitting in his 'dark' bedroom, and the scene in Snape's memory where Severus is sitting in a 'dark' bedroom.
It shows more then just Harry's discovery in the pensieve - which is what you mentioned/quoted from. The only difference being that - Harry's discovery in the pensieve was more for him, but this is more for us."--Cindy Eric
*****
"Sorceror's [Philosopher's] Stone
Both: Snape hates Harry.
"How do you know that. Snape never says, "Potter, I hate you." You've got to keep in mind that the whole series is told from Harry's POV. While I admit that there's great evidence that Snape dislikes Harry, he doesn't necessarily hate him. I know a lot of people I can't stand. But I don't hate them. They just annoy me, and every time I see them I want to hit them.
Also, I think that Snape is far too intelligent to hate Harry. He knows that Harry's just a little boy of eleven, and hasn't done anything to be hated. Just being someone's son doesn't qualify for being hated. Although, again I have to admit that his feelings might sometimes overwhelm him.
"Chamber of Secrets
Well, Snape is his teacher. He can't express his – you'd call it hatred (I'm not fond of the evil Snape who hates Harry, you see) – properly. If he tried, he'd loose house points and earn detention. It's just that Snape is more powerful in that respect. Plus, Harry's only 11 or 12 at that time. It takes some time to develop enough confidence to stand up to a teacher like that.
"Prisoner of Azkaban
Understandable, in my opinion. Prisoner of Azkaban is actually the first book where I'd say there are bigger hints at Snape's hating Harry. Before that, it wasn't nearly as clear. I think the things from Snape's past that are revealed give us more insight into his state of mind.
What comes to my mind right now (because I'm re-reading Philosopher's Stone at the moment) is that Dumbledore tells Harry that Snape hated James because he saved his live. Well, if you look at this with regard to the other books' information, you can say that this is not true. I don't think that Snape would have wanted to die that night. I can imagine him being furious with Dumbledore (because he let's Remus and Sirius stay) and with James (because he saw him in a terrifying situation – Snape hates being looked down upon, or pitied). And I think the fact that James didn't save him for Snape's sake, but for Sirius' sake (so that his friend wouldn't get expelled or accused of murder or whatever), is what really makes Snape go over the edge. He must hate Sirius very much. Er, well, I got a bit carried away. What I wanted to say with this is that Dumbledore knowingly makes it sound as if Snape hates him for other reasons. And Harry's picture of his noble father is built up (while Snape sinks lower and lower on his scale of 'most noble and likable persons'). Might be significant later on (because this happens a few times in the books).
I think you made it clear that it's not an ordinary relationship by any means. Actually, perception plays a big part in how we all see other people [and not to forgot the above mentioned perception that is kind of induced by others]. I mean, certain actions or things we say are mostly interpreted in a certain way. The problem is: What if the context makes it all mean something else, something we did not think of? And I think that is exactly Harry's problem (and Snape's, too). They don't know the other one good enough, or their lives, or their pasts, to judge on any of that.
"Goblet of Fire
Someone whom Harry depends on trusts Snape; this starts a section of doubting whether his first assessment of Snape was incorrect.
I always thought that it also had something to do with the rise of the Dark Lord. Before that, it was always something abstract. In PS, the Dark Lord wasn't real. He was still only a spirit. In CoS, it was Ginny (someone whom Harry trusts and likes, and knows didn't do it voluntarily) and the basilisk (an animal, also under control of the Dark Lord; it may be vicious, but it can't help itself). And then there's Tom Riddle from the diary. He's like a ghost, too. In PoA, the threat (Sirius Black) turns out to be not a threat at all, and Snape still is the 'evil and most hated wizard no 1'. For Harry.
I know that Harry couldn't really know that the Dark Lord would rise, but still it changes something. Lord Voldemort has a deep hatred for Potter. He wants to kill him (something Snape never really attempted). At the end of GoF, Harry realises that there are things far more evil than a cranky, biased and cruel Potions Master. And he has to face them. And besides: My enemy's enemy is my friend (or something like it). Snape clearly is the lesser evil here. The real thread comes from the Dark Lord, who openly attacks him. Snape, on the other hand, does actually help Harry and save him (not just in GoF, but in the whole series, even though he doesn't like Harry). And that Dumbledore trusts Severus only adds to that. Harry trusts Dumbledore, and thus consequently trusts Snape (to some extend).
Er, but mainly my point was that they have to put their differences somewhat aside because of a common enemy.
"Order of the Phoenix
But you left out the "Never come back here again, Potter" line from Snape. I don't think that Snape's attitude towards Harry changed much. In fact, I think it even got worse. And as you said, if it weren't for the Dark Lord's return, Harry and Snape would have never worked together. But to say any more on the Harry/Snape relationship in OotP, I'd have to read it again (I've only read it twice, not nearly enough to be sure about it…) However, I might be completely wrong about this, but doesn't Harry somehow blame Snape for Sirius' death."--Stephanie