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deathtocapslock(I've been lurking in this community for a couple of days now, reading posts from way back and enjoying the discussion [and snark]. I know this topic has been done before numerous times, but I hope it's okay for me to offer my thoughts as well.)
It is over a decade later and I am still disenchanted with how Severus Snape was flattened as a character in DH by having everything connect to Lily. I rarely encounter fans of Snape on Tumblr who feel the same way, so I decided to post this here to find other people who can empathize.
From books 1-6, I found Snape to be a fascinating character. He was a mean teacher and a bitter man, but also (seemingly) on the side of the good guys with his own mysterious agenda. Despite his cruel nature, he was presented as capable of protecting and helping those whom he loathed or did not care for. He had a sense of right and wrong when it counted, even while remaining bitter. This unpleasant man left a group of prejudiced and dangerous criminals because even unpleasant people are capable of stepping away from evil. All of this made him an intriguing character full of potential, and I hoped that JKR wouldn’t waste that potential by making everything he’s done be for the Love of a Good Woman that Got Away.
But then she did, and I ended up disappointed. Snape’s character was demolished for me. No longer was he a complex man capable of both good and bad, but a man reduced to a static lovesick figure who never changed at all. Defecting from the Death Eaters, protecting innocents, working for the good guys, striving to win the war, risking his life… all for Lily. All for an ongoing obsession that made him look pitiful. He had no sliver of light or goodness of his own merit as a person; everything was for and about Lily.
It didn’t help matters that Lily was nothing more than a cardboard cutout of a character. She had no flaws. She was an angel that every (male) character was meant to adore. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Snape were all presented as men who made mistakes. But Lily? Everybody loves her because she’s always right and a symbol of Purity and Goodness for every man in the vicinity!
And you mean to tell me that Snape, a man known for holding grudges and festering in his vindictive anger, would continue to love a woman who chose his tormentor, popular and privileged Gryffindor bully James Potter, over him? Really? Another way Lily was presented as perfect and exceptional; even Snape couldn’t dislike or hate her. How convenient (and, in my opinion, out of character).
Snape, the lower-class, ugly, greasy, mean, miserable, and unhealthy mess of a man wasn’t allowed any redeeming qualities of his own volition. No, it all had to come back to Lily, the middle-class, beautiful, popular, kind, pleasant, and perfect mother and wife. Who needs character development, growth, and depth when you’ve got the “power” of Loving the Good Woman?
I never expected Snape to become a selfless and nice saint. Of course not. What I did expect and hope for was the lesson that "good" is not always pretty and pleasant, just as "evil" is not always ugly and mean. That bravery can be found in the unlikeliest and darkest of people; that even the people you hate can still be heroic and do the right thing. I thought that was the lesson readers (and Harry himself) had to learn through Snape, whether he survived the war or not.
But I was wrong. It wasn’t meant to be complex and profound. It all came down to Loving the Good Woman. Lily was the linchpin for everything. Instead of finding it interesting or meaningful, I found it insulting, trite, and boring. Snape went from being a character full of potential to another shallow example of a brooding, broken man following the whims of obsessive love as a stand-in for morality. I couldn’t agree with other Snape fans who liked his reasoning for turning ex-Death Eater, but I couldn’t stand with people who hated every aspect of his character either. I was torn (and still am).
My ideal ending for Snape would’ve been him surviving the war and walking away from everything. With no masters, no obligations, and no need for atonement, he would have the freedom to finally control his life. He would have to question his purpose in the new world. Death is the easy way out for a complicated messy character; it’s easy to honor Snape when he’s dead, but how to deal with him alive? How would Harry see Snape if Snape had survived and remained unpleasant as ever, despite his bravery and loyalty? What would have their final interaction been like?
But that would’ve been too difficult for JKR to deal with, so let’s kill Snape off in a lame way and let’s give him the power of Loving the Good Woman to wrap everything up quick and easy. How painfully lazy.
I have long speculated that JKR never wanted her major Slytherin characters to have any depth or redeeming qualities of their own because it would overshadow the heroic Gryffindors or send the "wrong" message. Slytherins are regulated to two roles: evil (e.g. Voldemort, the Death Eaters, Umbridge, etc.) or pitiful (e.g. Snape and the Malfoys). Snape couldn't make his own choices, have his own motivations, or live his life on his terms; it had to revolve around Lily to give him the worth he didn't "deserve" for being a Slytherin.
Anyways, if anyone has read this long overdue rant of mine, thank you for taking the time. I had to let it out after re-reading the series and experiencing great frustration all over again.
Edit: Fixed some mistakes and changed to a different layout. Forgive me, I'm rusty with LJ.
It is over a decade later and I am still disenchanted with how Severus Snape was flattened as a character in DH by having everything connect to Lily. I rarely encounter fans of Snape on Tumblr who feel the same way, so I decided to post this here to find other people who can empathize.
From books 1-6, I found Snape to be a fascinating character. He was a mean teacher and a bitter man, but also (seemingly) on the side of the good guys with his own mysterious agenda. Despite his cruel nature, he was presented as capable of protecting and helping those whom he loathed or did not care for. He had a sense of right and wrong when it counted, even while remaining bitter. This unpleasant man left a group of prejudiced and dangerous criminals because even unpleasant people are capable of stepping away from evil. All of this made him an intriguing character full of potential, and I hoped that JKR wouldn’t waste that potential by making everything he’s done be for the Love of a Good Woman that Got Away.
But then she did, and I ended up disappointed. Snape’s character was demolished for me. No longer was he a complex man capable of both good and bad, but a man reduced to a static lovesick figure who never changed at all. Defecting from the Death Eaters, protecting innocents, working for the good guys, striving to win the war, risking his life… all for Lily. All for an ongoing obsession that made him look pitiful. He had no sliver of light or goodness of his own merit as a person; everything was for and about Lily.
It didn’t help matters that Lily was nothing more than a cardboard cutout of a character. She had no flaws. She was an angel that every (male) character was meant to adore. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Snape were all presented as men who made mistakes. But Lily? Everybody loves her because she’s always right and a symbol of Purity and Goodness for every man in the vicinity!
And you mean to tell me that Snape, a man known for holding grudges and festering in his vindictive anger, would continue to love a woman who chose his tormentor, popular and privileged Gryffindor bully James Potter, over him? Really? Another way Lily was presented as perfect and exceptional; even Snape couldn’t dislike or hate her. How convenient (and, in my opinion, out of character).
Snape, the lower-class, ugly, greasy, mean, miserable, and unhealthy mess of a man wasn’t allowed any redeeming qualities of his own volition. No, it all had to come back to Lily, the middle-class, beautiful, popular, kind, pleasant, and perfect mother and wife. Who needs character development, growth, and depth when you’ve got the “power” of Loving the Good Woman?
I never expected Snape to become a selfless and nice saint. Of course not. What I did expect and hope for was the lesson that "good" is not always pretty and pleasant, just as "evil" is not always ugly and mean. That bravery can be found in the unlikeliest and darkest of people; that even the people you hate can still be heroic and do the right thing. I thought that was the lesson readers (and Harry himself) had to learn through Snape, whether he survived the war or not.
But I was wrong. It wasn’t meant to be complex and profound. It all came down to Loving the Good Woman. Lily was the linchpin for everything. Instead of finding it interesting or meaningful, I found it insulting, trite, and boring. Snape went from being a character full of potential to another shallow example of a brooding, broken man following the whims of obsessive love as a stand-in for morality. I couldn’t agree with other Snape fans who liked his reasoning for turning ex-Death Eater, but I couldn’t stand with people who hated every aspect of his character either. I was torn (and still am).
My ideal ending for Snape would’ve been him surviving the war and walking away from everything. With no masters, no obligations, and no need for atonement, he would have the freedom to finally control his life. He would have to question his purpose in the new world. Death is the easy way out for a complicated messy character; it’s easy to honor Snape when he’s dead, but how to deal with him alive? How would Harry see Snape if Snape had survived and remained unpleasant as ever, despite his bravery and loyalty? What would have their final interaction been like?
But that would’ve been too difficult for JKR to deal with, so let’s kill Snape off in a lame way and let’s give him the power of Loving the Good Woman to wrap everything up quick and easy. How painfully lazy.
I have long speculated that JKR never wanted her major Slytherin characters to have any depth or redeeming qualities of their own because it would overshadow the heroic Gryffindors or send the "wrong" message. Slytherins are regulated to two roles: evil (e.g. Voldemort, the Death Eaters, Umbridge, etc.) or pitiful (e.g. Snape and the Malfoys). Snape couldn't make his own choices, have his own motivations, or live his life on his terms; it had to revolve around Lily to give him the worth he didn't "deserve" for being a Slytherin.
Anyways, if anyone has read this long overdue rant of mine, thank you for taking the time. I had to let it out after re-reading the series and experiencing great frustration all over again.
Edit: Fixed some mistakes and changed to a different layout. Forgive me, I'm rusty with LJ.
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no subject
Date: 2019-01-12 01:27 pm (UTC)Even with thematic writing Rowling isn't all that great. It seemed that Harry and Hermione was going to be a thing. Rowling instead pairs her up with Ron Weasely. Why? Because of Rowling's real life wish fulfillment. Ron represented some real life guy she had wanted. Which might have worked if Harry, Hermione, and Ron weren't already developed characters.
I didn't like Lily either. Or James. For all the reasons often stated by others. I would have liked Ginny if she were her own character, not grafted onto Harry in the vacuum of Hermione being grafted onto Ron.
I'm glad I never let myself get invested in the characters in the series. I saw early on the direction the story was going and kept disengaged.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-12 10:58 pm (UTC)I liked Harry/Hermione when I was younger, but by GoF, it became obvious Ron/Hermione was going to be endgame. I was okay with it, even though I found R/Hr's bickering to be annoying rather than entertaining. All their "sexual tension" felt forced to me. They seemed more like an older sister and younger brother sniping at each other with Harry in the middle.
I know people often criticize Harry/Hermione as being too cliche because of the whole "hero gets the girl" trope. But I find it hypocritical because Ron/Hermione is ALSO a cliche! A guy and a girl who argue all the time but secretly, deep down, love each other? How is that not cliche? Belligerent Sexual Tension is a classic trope found in many romance stories. Not to mention the "funny average guy" paired up with the "studious over-achieving girl" is beyond predictable....
I will give JKR credit for building up Ron and Hermione's relationship over 7 books, so at least they didn't come out of nowhere and spent a great amount of time together. Which brings me to how Harry/Ginny is one of the worst romances I've ever had the displeasure of reading....
On second thought, I'm not going to rant about that. I've ranted all over the place here and it'll take all day for me to be bitter about the awfulness of Harry/Ginny's "romance."
But yes, the female characters get subsumed by their relationships to the men in their lives. Hermione with Ron, Ginny with Harry, Lily with James and Snape.... I would also add Bellatrix with Voldemort, and Narcissa with her son Draco. Not to mention the atrocious way JKR handled other female characters like Cho, Lavender, Fleur, and Pansy. Reading the books as a girl and only having Hermione and Luna as two solid female characters to enjoy made me wonder if JKR had something against flawed yet complex women. But her male characters stay just as stagnant and two-dimensional as well. With the exception of Neville, none of the characters evolve as people.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-13 11:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-17 12:21 am (UTC)I've seen other comments that JKR is great observer of people. The people she describes really captivate our imaginations. But her weakness is in understanding their motivations. When she tries to get into their heads is where it doesn't work.
So often find myself thinking, but that does not make sense for the person you decribed to be thinking or feeling that way!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-17 04:00 am (UTC)Some of the characters JKR created appear charming and/or interesting on the surface. For the first few books, where JKR was primarily writing a story about a naive boy experiencing the wonders and dangers of a magical boarding school world, her characterization was adequate enough.
However, by the time OOTP was written, it was obvious she wanted to take her story on a "deeper" level. Voldemort was back, Cedric was dead, shades of grey were introduced, and new dangers in the bigger and darker world arose. Harry needed to grow up. Her characters needed to mature along with the world she was attempting to broaden. But they didn't.
She forced her characters to stay on their predestined paths. Snape especially was treated more like a plot device in DH. It made me realize that JKR has the characters act a certain way to move the plot forward, instead of writing them as believable people with understandable thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
JKR wanted to have her cake and eat it too; she wanted the cozy and easy morality of her magical boarding school adventures in the earlier books. But she also wanted the praise of being a Serious Adult Writer by introducing heavy themes in OOTP. She failed on both accounts. The easy wonderment was gone and the shades of grey she teased in the later books ended up staunchly black and white - simple and straightforward like her characters.