(no subject)
No real theories, just a few Snape-related comments.
I have this great book called "The Book of Questions" which contains thought-provoking questions and can create some very interesting discussions at parties, especially after everyone has had a few beers. One of those questions was, "If you had to choose between having a great love with the man or woman of your dreams but never be able to tell a soul, or be with someone who everyone thought you were the perfect couple and you connected on every level but you will never so much as kiss, which would you choose?"
I generally choose the first, myself, but there was something about Deathly Hallows that reminded me of this book. I can't cite exactly where in the book this was (as I rushed through the first reading to get to the end and only now a third through the second time, going much more slowly) but someone in another community said Snape, much like Harry, was given a choice between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
It would seem crystal clear the two men took different paths, but did they, really? Toward the end of Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore says (I want to say it was to Snape, actually) something to the effect of, "Sometimes I think we Sort our students too soon."
It was only when I read The Prince's Tale a few times that I realized what kind of penance Snape paid for his crime against the woman he loved. Sixteen years an outcast from the greater wizarding community for his status as a Death Eater. Trusted by virtually no one but Dumbledore. Both sides believed he had double crossed them. Remember the scene where we were properly introduced to Bellatrix in Spinner's End? And yet, we come to find out at the very end of the story, Dumbledore put his faith in the right man, a man who spent the rest of his life paying for a mistake that cost the life of the only woman he had ever loved. It is my belief Snape would have never knowingly betrayed Lily. When Snape overheard the prophesy, he had no idea it had anything to do with Lily. If he had, I believe he would have never told Voldemort what he heard, Wormtail wouldn't have a reason to betray their safehouse, and none of this mess would have ever happened. But Snape didn't, Wormtail did, and we have a great series of books to tell the story of how that great big mess played out.
Snape's penance wasn't just being ostracized and mistrusted by everyone on both sides. He spent every day for six years having to look into the eyes that were "the exact shape and color of Lily's eyes". I'll pay more attention to this detail when I re-read the series again, but to my memory, Snape never looks directly into Harry's eyes. Why? Dumbledore did (before book six), Lupin, Mad Eye, and countless other characters did, but never Snape. He was afraid of those eyes, the eyes of the woman he loved, the woman he betrayed, who indirectly died at his hand. To look in those eyes would have been like seeing a ghost, I think, for Snape, and he couldn't bear the thought he had caused her death. He had to live with himself for sixteen years. I think Snape took some of it out on Harry, who he could feel comfortable hating because he was so like James (who he also hated) and there wasn't enough of his mother in him (that Snape could see, anyway) to lessen the hatered. Except those eyes. And I think, more than anything, it would have made Snape's grief over the loss of Lily even worse.
Dumbledore (and JKR) hid the best of Snape from Harry, from us, because if his true nature was revealed, he'd have been dead faster than Regulus Black. I can't quote it verbatim so bear with me, but there is a quote that goes something to the effect of, "Slytherins will (almost?) always choose to save their own necks." Not even for Lily Evans could Snape be the Gryffindor that was truly inside him (my guess was out of fear), he chose to save his own neck, he chose to go into Slytherin house (symbolically here), he chose to be cowardly instead of brave, and I believe it was his greatest regret.
Then, of course, Snape starts doing his sixteen years penance for his crimes against Lily, a cross he would have to bear, silently, for the rest of his life. It was at that moment I think he became who he truly was. Instead of reverting to old ways, he chose what was right over what was easy. He chose to defend the son of the man he hated, to die for the son of the man he hated, in the name of the woman he loved. For me, that was the moment, as Dumbledore says, our choices show who we truly are. What Snape did was arguably the greatest act of bravery in the entire series and became the brave and noble Gryffindor he could have been.
Every character has bits of all the house traits. Harry is brave, but he is also cunning like Slytherin, clever like Ravenclaw, and kind as Hufflepuff. I think you are sorted by your true nature, and Harry's true nature was bravery. Snape's true nature was bravery as well (which became abundantly clear in The Prince's Tale), but he chose a different path for reasons I don't think we'll know.
I had a lot of tearful moments in the book (Hedwig's sudden and horrible demise, Harry manually burying Dobby, and Lupin's death hit me particularly hard for some reason...I loved him almost as much as I loved Sirius) but the one that made me cry for days was when Harry told his son, "Albus Severus, you were named for two great Headmasters at Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and the bravest man I ever knew." Harry could finally look passed the old hatred of Snape he had inherited from his father and Sirius (as mentioned by who I really want to say was Lupin in Order of the Phoenix) and see what we know now to be one of the bravest people in the entire series. He's got a lot of nerve, that Severus Snape.
I think Dumbledore was absolutely right when he said they sorted the students too soon and while Snape was most assuredly interested in saving his neck, he ultimately cared more about Lily than himself.
All that being said, here is how I am absolutely convinced in my own little head how the scene by the lake went down.
We know Snape was by the lake, but how did he get the sword? I am convinced (in my own little Potter-addled head) he took the Sorting Hat along with him and pulled it out much like Harry did in Chamber of Secrets. He had indeed committed great acts of bravery and was, I think, a true Gryffindor, which is how he was able to get the sword out of the hat.
That's just my own little Potter-addled head talking. Feel free to argue. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for Snape right now.
I have this great book called "The Book of Questions" which contains thought-provoking questions and can create some very interesting discussions at parties, especially after everyone has had a few beers. One of those questions was, "If you had to choose between having a great love with the man or woman of your dreams but never be able to tell a soul, or be with someone who everyone thought you were the perfect couple and you connected on every level but you will never so much as kiss, which would you choose?"
I generally choose the first, myself, but there was something about Deathly Hallows that reminded me of this book. I can't cite exactly where in the book this was (as I rushed through the first reading to get to the end and only now a third through the second time, going much more slowly) but someone in another community said Snape, much like Harry, was given a choice between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
It would seem crystal clear the two men took different paths, but did they, really? Toward the end of Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore says (I want to say it was to Snape, actually) something to the effect of, "Sometimes I think we Sort our students too soon."
It was only when I read The Prince's Tale a few times that I realized what kind of penance Snape paid for his crime against the woman he loved. Sixteen years an outcast from the greater wizarding community for his status as a Death Eater. Trusted by virtually no one but Dumbledore. Both sides believed he had double crossed them. Remember the scene where we were properly introduced to Bellatrix in Spinner's End? And yet, we come to find out at the very end of the story, Dumbledore put his faith in the right man, a man who spent the rest of his life paying for a mistake that cost the life of the only woman he had ever loved. It is my belief Snape would have never knowingly betrayed Lily. When Snape overheard the prophesy, he had no idea it had anything to do with Lily. If he had, I believe he would have never told Voldemort what he heard, Wormtail wouldn't have a reason to betray their safehouse, and none of this mess would have ever happened. But Snape didn't, Wormtail did, and we have a great series of books to tell the story of how that great big mess played out.
Snape's penance wasn't just being ostracized and mistrusted by everyone on both sides. He spent every day for six years having to look into the eyes that were "the exact shape and color of Lily's eyes". I'll pay more attention to this detail when I re-read the series again, but to my memory, Snape never looks directly into Harry's eyes. Why? Dumbledore did (before book six), Lupin, Mad Eye, and countless other characters did, but never Snape. He was afraid of those eyes, the eyes of the woman he loved, the woman he betrayed, who indirectly died at his hand. To look in those eyes would have been like seeing a ghost, I think, for Snape, and he couldn't bear the thought he had caused her death. He had to live with himself for sixteen years. I think Snape took some of it out on Harry, who he could feel comfortable hating because he was so like James (who he also hated) and there wasn't enough of his mother in him (that Snape could see, anyway) to lessen the hatered. Except those eyes. And I think, more than anything, it would have made Snape's grief over the loss of Lily even worse.
Dumbledore (and JKR) hid the best of Snape from Harry, from us, because if his true nature was revealed, he'd have been dead faster than Regulus Black. I can't quote it verbatim so bear with me, but there is a quote that goes something to the effect of, "Slytherins will (almost?) always choose to save their own necks." Not even for Lily Evans could Snape be the Gryffindor that was truly inside him (my guess was out of fear), he chose to save his own neck, he chose to go into Slytherin house (symbolically here), he chose to be cowardly instead of brave, and I believe it was his greatest regret.
Then, of course, Snape starts doing his sixteen years penance for his crimes against Lily, a cross he would have to bear, silently, for the rest of his life. It was at that moment I think he became who he truly was. Instead of reverting to old ways, he chose what was right over what was easy. He chose to defend the son of the man he hated, to die for the son of the man he hated, in the name of the woman he loved. For me, that was the moment, as Dumbledore says, our choices show who we truly are. What Snape did was arguably the greatest act of bravery in the entire series and became the brave and noble Gryffindor he could have been.
Every character has bits of all the house traits. Harry is brave, but he is also cunning like Slytherin, clever like Ravenclaw, and kind as Hufflepuff. I think you are sorted by your true nature, and Harry's true nature was bravery. Snape's true nature was bravery as well (which became abundantly clear in The Prince's Tale), but he chose a different path for reasons I don't think we'll know.
I had a lot of tearful moments in the book (Hedwig's sudden and horrible demise, Harry manually burying Dobby, and Lupin's death hit me particularly hard for some reason...I loved him almost as much as I loved Sirius) but the one that made me cry for days was when Harry told his son, "Albus Severus, you were named for two great Headmasters at Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and the bravest man I ever knew." Harry could finally look passed the old hatred of Snape he had inherited from his father and Sirius (as mentioned by who I really want to say was Lupin in Order of the Phoenix) and see what we know now to be one of the bravest people in the entire series. He's got a lot of nerve, that Severus Snape.
I think Dumbledore was absolutely right when he said they sorted the students too soon and while Snape was most assuredly interested in saving his neck, he ultimately cared more about Lily than himself.
All that being said, here is how I am absolutely convinced in my own little head how the scene by the lake went down.
We know Snape was by the lake, but how did he get the sword? I am convinced (in my own little Potter-addled head) he took the Sorting Hat along with him and pulled it out much like Harry did in Chamber of Secrets. He had indeed committed great acts of bravery and was, I think, a true Gryffindor, which is how he was able to get the sword out of the hat.
That's just my own little Potter-addled head talking. Feel free to argue. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for Snape right now.