p***@dodgeit.com
2006-08-10 03:26:44 UTC
I have to say, most people are going about this whole Snape thing
wrong. I hear "Snape will really turn out to be good," or "I can't
believe Snape turned out to be evil" everywhere I go.
Snape is neither good NOR evil. He is simply human.
The answer lies, and has always lain, with the hints and parallels in
the Harry Potter series to the Chronicles of Narnia series, which in
turn drew its parallels with the Jesus/Judas story of the Christian
Bible. Rowling has publically admitted her great influcence by Lewis's
series, and it's apparent that Lewis's "Deep Magic" is Rowling's "Old
Magic." I.E., the sacrifice of a willing victim in order to protect
another is the strongest magic of all.
To solve the mystery of Snape and why he did what he did in Half-Blood
Prince, take a look at the parallels to Judas and Jesus in Christianity
(converted by Lewis to "Edmund and Aslan", converted to "Snape and
Dumbledore" in Harry Potter.)
Admittedly, both Jesus and Judas had suspicions of what was to happen
before the betrayal, but does that mean that Judas was never Jesus's
friend? No. He was just seduced by evil in the end. Does that mean that
Jesus didn't willingly set Judas up a bit by keeping him as his right
hand man when he had suspicions? Perhaps... but Judas had free will.
He *could* have turned from the path set for him at any point in the
way. So could Snape. Dumbledore purposefully tempted Snape with the
Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He knew the job was jinxed. These
are ingredients you cannot ignore in the potion which has been mixed.
Snape chose not to resist evil in the end, as did Judas.
It' not really a shocker, if you think about it. Jesus forsaw his
own betrayal and death, and to some little extent, we can guess that
Dumbledore saw his own as well. Jesus had a dream of what would happen
as a baby, and he also addressed Judas on the subject during the Last
Supper. He knew Judas would be the one to betray, but he still give
Judas the benefit of the doubt.... and that benefit of the doubt is
what counts. It is what makes good stronger than evil. Mercy is not a
weakness, it is a strength- and Dumbledore's death does not matter
nearly so much as the fact that he was willing to give Snape the
benefit of the doubt.
However, here's where many people go wrong:
Jesus did not ASK Judas to kill him. Neither did Dumbledore ask
Snape. He couldn't. If he did, it would be technically a suicide, and
in order for the 'deep magic' to work, Jesus (and Dumbledore) both had
to be a willing sacrifices.
When people first read Half-Blood Prince, they often think, "oh,
Snape's still good, he's probably just killed Dumbledore at his own
request." But that is belying the underlying theme of the entire
series- that of willing self-sacrifice, and not needless and willing
suicide.
Yes, Snape has been tempted back to the dark side. Was he always a
part of the dark side? No. He's human. He was genuinely dismayed at how
he assisted the betrayal and murder of Harry's parents, and genuinely
did ask Dumbledore for forgiveness. But someone who has strayed once is
not immune from straying again.....
The character of Snape is a highly confused one, full of little
self-esteem and self-loathing. Yet it's telling that most people who
read the books genuinely like Snape- they like something about his
character, can see something to identify with. Maybe we identify with
Judas a little more than Jesus. Perhaps we all feel at times like pawns
of fate. Yet we all still have free will. Whether we turn towards evil
or good, no matter how tempted we are, is of our own choice.
Yes, Dumbledore was suspecting something like what happened on the
tower, but like Jesus, he did not know exactly how it would occur, or
when. He suspected the one who would betray him, and gave him a second
chance, pleading with Snape not to commit his act. Just as Jesus
addressed Judas at the last supper, the sacrifice is always greater if
it is freely given.
wrong. I hear "Snape will really turn out to be good," or "I can't
believe Snape turned out to be evil" everywhere I go.
Snape is neither good NOR evil. He is simply human.
The answer lies, and has always lain, with the hints and parallels in
the Harry Potter series to the Chronicles of Narnia series, which in
turn drew its parallels with the Jesus/Judas story of the Christian
Bible. Rowling has publically admitted her great influcence by Lewis's
series, and it's apparent that Lewis's "Deep Magic" is Rowling's "Old
Magic." I.E., the sacrifice of a willing victim in order to protect
another is the strongest magic of all.
To solve the mystery of Snape and why he did what he did in Half-Blood
Prince, take a look at the parallels to Judas and Jesus in Christianity
(converted by Lewis to "Edmund and Aslan", converted to "Snape and
Dumbledore" in Harry Potter.)
Admittedly, both Jesus and Judas had suspicions of what was to happen
before the betrayal, but does that mean that Judas was never Jesus's
friend? No. He was just seduced by evil in the end. Does that mean that
Jesus didn't willingly set Judas up a bit by keeping him as his right
hand man when he had suspicions? Perhaps... but Judas had free will.
He *could* have turned from the path set for him at any point in the
way. So could Snape. Dumbledore purposefully tempted Snape with the
Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He knew the job was jinxed. These
are ingredients you cannot ignore in the potion which has been mixed.
Snape chose not to resist evil in the end, as did Judas.
It' not really a shocker, if you think about it. Jesus forsaw his
own betrayal and death, and to some little extent, we can guess that
Dumbledore saw his own as well. Jesus had a dream of what would happen
as a baby, and he also addressed Judas on the subject during the Last
Supper. He knew Judas would be the one to betray, but he still give
Judas the benefit of the doubt.... and that benefit of the doubt is
what counts. It is what makes good stronger than evil. Mercy is not a
weakness, it is a strength- and Dumbledore's death does not matter
nearly so much as the fact that he was willing to give Snape the
benefit of the doubt.
However, here's where many people go wrong:
Jesus did not ASK Judas to kill him. Neither did Dumbledore ask
Snape. He couldn't. If he did, it would be technically a suicide, and
in order for the 'deep magic' to work, Jesus (and Dumbledore) both had
to be a willing sacrifices.
When people first read Half-Blood Prince, they often think, "oh,
Snape's still good, he's probably just killed Dumbledore at his own
request." But that is belying the underlying theme of the entire
series- that of willing self-sacrifice, and not needless and willing
suicide.
Yes, Snape has been tempted back to the dark side. Was he always a
part of the dark side? No. He's human. He was genuinely dismayed at how
he assisted the betrayal and murder of Harry's parents, and genuinely
did ask Dumbledore for forgiveness. But someone who has strayed once is
not immune from straying again.....
The character of Snape is a highly confused one, full of little
self-esteem and self-loathing. Yet it's telling that most people who
read the books genuinely like Snape- they like something about his
character, can see something to identify with. Maybe we identify with
Judas a little more than Jesus. Perhaps we all feel at times like pawns
of fate. Yet we all still have free will. Whether we turn towards evil
or good, no matter how tempted we are, is of our own choice.
Yes, Dumbledore was suspecting something like what happened on the
tower, but like Jesus, he did not know exactly how it would occur, or
when. He suspected the one who would betray him, and gave him a second
chance, pleading with Snape not to commit his act. Just as Jesus
addressed Judas at the last supper, the sacrifice is always greater if
it is freely given.