SNAPE

[qafan]

Ok, so I want everyone's take on this. I've been reading some of the stories, and doing some research on the characters on my own, and I got to thinking this morning about Snape's character and his motivations behind his actions. Obviously, a lot of his motivations stem from his love for Lily, his need for acceptance and a place to belong.

But what

Comments

[luna_plath]

Can't say for sure, but I think Snape may have believed/been drawn into the propaganda in the beginning. Kind of like willful ignorance. He probably knew that it didn't make any sense deep down somewhere, but the desire to be accepted and attain power overcame any doubts. His own father, a muggle, was very cruel to him, and it's likely that he thought of Lily as an exception to the rule. It could be very easy for him to see her as an abnormality and not representative of most muggles or muggle-borns

[qafan]

Yea, this is sort of the way Snape always struck me. He certainly never acted as if he were a purist as an adult. (and I don't think, if you truly bought into all of it, that that sort of mindset just changes with time)

At-risk teenager is a good description of him.

[burnutica]

I don't think Snape joined the Death Eaters because he wholeheartedly believed in the movement and the propaganda. I think he joined for his love of Dark Arts, his want to gain power (especially gaining power over James (and probably the other Marauders + others but James was probably the king of all this because, well, you know), to show him what a "real man" was and to seek revenge) and to belong somewhere. I think he did have some sort of notion that Muggleborns were lower since harmful words don't accidentally spew out unless somewhere in you believes it, even a little. But of course, in general, Lily was the grand exception to this view. In any case, I don't think his motivation to join really had anything to do with blood purity exclusively, even if he slightly supported it as a teenager

[qafan]

Agreed on all accounts! :D

[duva]

Hi! Welcome to the comm! :D

While I'm glad to see you posting and others joining in, I do feel the need to point out that this kind of discussion about Snape (ie not directly related to Lily and/or James) is off topic and not really the focus of this group. Since you already have a discussion going, I'll let you carry on, but just keep it in mind for the future, please.

/mod

[qafan]

Sorry, the whole reason of posting was mainly for research purposed. If I write anything, I need to understand al the characters involved, Snape being one of them. Lily and Snape had a very integral relationship, which, by proxy, affected her relationship with James. SO, I want to be sure I understand him as much as Lily and James. Sorry if it doesn't seem to fit in with the community.

[anonymous]

I agree that what might have draw snape was the primarily the sense of acceptance, and the need of power, and I do belive that he belive int the propaganda in the begining, I think his abusive father had a lot to do with it, and that he saw lily as an exception, but as his involvement grew, he would have eventually having to make a decision, in which side he would belong to, which he ended up doing by the lake.

After lily and james death i think he stopped believing in the propaganda, but i think he did what he did, to protect harry, and being loyal to dumbledore, just out of guilty and remorse for what happened to lily, he always saw harry throught his hatred for james...

[lovelikechina]

I don't think he bought into the propaganda, per se, but I think that kind of hate is pervasive, and that his years spent in the Slytherin common room had to have an effect. For example: most people accept now that men and women are equal and shouldn't HAVE to be a certain way just because of gender roles... and yet they'll still make jokes about manliness, or about homosexuality, etc., even if they consider themselves to be open-minded and very comfortable with such things. I think Snape knew in the front of his mind that there wasn't really any difference, even if he did carry a bit of resentment for his Muggle father, because Lily was such a bright light of contradiction to that resentment; in the back of his mind, however, he probably carried a slight sense of superiority over Muggleborns, and a slight sense of inferiority when surrounded by people like Lucius Malfoy, who wore their blood purity like a crown and almost certainly let him know it