Who Will Save Severus Snape's Soul?
Mar. 20th, 2002 01:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miko2In J.K. Rowling's series of books starring Harry Potter, Professor Snape is one of the major heavies. In each book, at some point you are led to believe that he's the major villian or in league with the villian.
However, despite being a thoroughly malicious and unpleasant fellow who dislikes Harry Potter very much, Snape has ultimately always proven loyal to Dumbledore, the head of Hogwart's, who is unquestionably on the side of good.
By the end of the 4th book you even know that Snape was once on the side of evil. However, he had a change of heart and has been given a second chance by Dumbledore. The head wizard trusts Snape, although not enough to hand him the Defense Against the Dark Arts post that he craves.
And yet, as Rowling's series builds towards a great confrontation between good and evil, one can't help but sense that, in the end, Snape will betray Dumbledore's trust. It seems inevitable that he will turn again to the darkside, and inevitably be not just a thorn in Harry Potter's side, but one of his greatest enemies.
I hope I'm wrong about that. Not that I really like Snape. Who would? He's portrayed as a nasty, petty man at nearly every turn. But I like the idea of a thoroughly unpleasant and villianous character who ultimately comes through for the side of good.
In a lot of fantasy, evil is evil and good is good, and never the twain shall meet. Maybe some people try to be neutral, but in the end, the evil character can't change his or her nature, and usually doesn't even think to try. It's not so uncommon to see heros tempted by evil (for example, Saruman and Boromir in Lord of the Rings), but you rarely see an evil person redeemed, to join the side of good.
In one comic series I read, The Cellestial Zone, we've had two cases now where women who are decidedly on the side of evil fall in love with men who are on the side of good (which may be natural -- many (but not all) of the evil guys are ugly, in a demonic sort of way ^_^). One of these two women has already died protecting her love -- a very convenient way of dodging the complex question of whether she might have tried to turn to the side of good, or would have been able to do so. The second woman has already betrayed her side at least once for her love, and it looks like she may leave the evil camp entirely -- but can she learn to fight for good, or will she just become another tragic character?
Naturally, the guy she loves can't love her back. She's evil, after all.
Maybe we just like to demonize our enemies. Maybe we don't like to believe that they're human too, and may regret what they did, or may even have good reasons for their actions. Maybe we don't want to admit that we've been in the wrong as well. But personally, I like stories that allow for good people to make bad decisions, and for bad people to realize the errors of their ways. It's more human. Maybe it's a tricky thing to do that in a world of "true evil" and "true good", but certainly not impossible.
In Rowling's case, although she works very hard to disguise who the real villians are in each book, and sometimes tries to convince you that certain good characters are somehow villianous... in the end, the bad guys are bad and always have been bad, while the good guys have always been good. Snape is one of the lone examples of someone who seems to have changed, in some small way, but it's probably an illusion. I expect that, when all is said and done, he will turn out to be an agent of evil.
Which is much too predictable. It would remove a certain depth of character. It would make all of the characters in her series a little more shallow and two-dimensional. That's why I hope I'm wrong.
I'd say I'm expecting too much of a children's book, but I can name many examples of books where the bad guys learn to change and grow -- and the good guys too for that matter.
So while I don't like the guy much, I'm hoping for the redemption of Severus Snape. ^_^
However, despite being a thoroughly malicious and unpleasant fellow who dislikes Harry Potter very much, Snape has ultimately always proven loyal to Dumbledore, the head of Hogwart's, who is unquestionably on the side of good.
By the end of the 4th book you even know that Snape was once on the side of evil. However, he had a change of heart and has been given a second chance by Dumbledore. The head wizard trusts Snape, although not enough to hand him the Defense Against the Dark Arts post that he craves.
And yet, as Rowling's series builds towards a great confrontation between good and evil, one can't help but sense that, in the end, Snape will betray Dumbledore's trust. It seems inevitable that he will turn again to the darkside, and inevitably be not just a thorn in Harry Potter's side, but one of his greatest enemies.
I hope I'm wrong about that. Not that I really like Snape. Who would? He's portrayed as a nasty, petty man at nearly every turn. But I like the idea of a thoroughly unpleasant and villianous character who ultimately comes through for the side of good.
In a lot of fantasy, evil is evil and good is good, and never the twain shall meet. Maybe some people try to be neutral, but in the end, the evil character can't change his or her nature, and usually doesn't even think to try. It's not so uncommon to see heros tempted by evil (for example, Saruman and Boromir in Lord of the Rings), but you rarely see an evil person redeemed, to join the side of good.
In one comic series I read, The Cellestial Zone, we've had two cases now where women who are decidedly on the side of evil fall in love with men who are on the side of good (which may be natural -- many (but not all) of the evil guys are ugly, in a demonic sort of way ^_^). One of these two women has already died protecting her love -- a very convenient way of dodging the complex question of whether she might have tried to turn to the side of good, or would have been able to do so. The second woman has already betrayed her side at least once for her love, and it looks like she may leave the evil camp entirely -- but can she learn to fight for good, or will she just become another tragic character?
Naturally, the guy she loves can't love her back. She's evil, after all.
Maybe we just like to demonize our enemies. Maybe we don't like to believe that they're human too, and may regret what they did, or may even have good reasons for their actions. Maybe we don't want to admit that we've been in the wrong as well. But personally, I like stories that allow for good people to make bad decisions, and for bad people to realize the errors of their ways. It's more human. Maybe it's a tricky thing to do that in a world of "true evil" and "true good", but certainly not impossible.
In Rowling's case, although she works very hard to disguise who the real villians are in each book, and sometimes tries to convince you that certain good characters are somehow villianous... in the end, the bad guys are bad and always have been bad, while the good guys have always been good. Snape is one of the lone examples of someone who seems to have changed, in some small way, but it's probably an illusion. I expect that, when all is said and done, he will turn out to be an agent of evil.
Which is much too predictable. It would remove a certain depth of character. It would make all of the characters in her series a little more shallow and two-dimensional. That's why I hope I'm wrong.
I'd say I'm expecting too much of a children's book, but I can name many examples of books where the bad guys learn to change and grow -- and the good guys too for that matter.
So while I don't like the guy much, I'm hoping for the redemption of Severus Snape. ^_^
