Thank you, Anne! I do like this! 'Sirius the dog' is actually starting to make sense of this character for me (finally . . .).
Yes, exactly! I find Sirius a great deal more tolerable when I think of him this way. ;)
I also really liked this comment of yours: I do sometimes wonder if JKR does not mean Sirius and Severus to be equal and opposite in this regard, and if, just as Sirius is brought down by his lack of concern for those he does not like, Severus's downfall might be his lack of warm-heartedness. And I'm afraid you may be right, although I didn't quite think of it that way. What struck me more is that, however grudgingly, Severus *acts* on behalf of his 'enemies', and he is one of very few people in canon who manages this. Most of the 'good guys' - Sirius included - never do. But I do think it is true that Severus would become much more the person God and the Universe meant him to be if he could only achieve some genuine empathy, particularly for Harry. While Sirius, who had all sorts of warm-heartedness, would have been greatly improved as a person if he were less callous and managed to *think* once in awhile.
Oh - didn't Sionna (or Red Hen, or somebody) point out that HAGRID doesn't accept without question that Snape is a murderer? Maybe that is a hopeful sign. Anyway, thanks for your comment, and I'm very glad you finally read the essay and that you liked it.
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Date: 2007-05-17 10:55 pm (UTC)Yes, exactly! I find Sirius a great deal more tolerable when I think of him this way. ;)
I also really liked this comment of yours: I do sometimes wonder if JKR does not mean Sirius and Severus to be equal and opposite in this regard, and if, just as Sirius is brought down by his lack of concern for those he does not like, Severus's downfall might be his lack of warm-heartedness. And I'm afraid you may be right, although I didn't quite think of it that way. What struck me more is that, however grudgingly, Severus *acts* on behalf of his 'enemies', and he is one of very few people in canon who manages this. Most of the 'good guys' - Sirius included - never do. But I do think it is true that Severus would become much more the person God and the Universe meant him to be if he could only achieve some genuine empathy, particularly for Harry. While Sirius, who had all sorts of warm-heartedness, would have been greatly improved as a person if he were less callous and managed to *think* once in awhile.
Oh - didn't Sionna (or Red Hen, or somebody) point out that HAGRID doesn't accept without question that Snape is a murderer? Maybe that is a hopeful sign. Anyway, thanks for your comment, and I'm very glad you finally read the essay and that you liked it.