I think I am trying to respond to two comments at once here, if not three. Hope I don't get everyone mixed up!
First, as I said, I think I've refined my understanding of the characters considerably since I wrote this nearly two years ago. Have you read my other essays? In them, I think I finally grasp who Snape is. I may be giving Rowling too much credit (that's *very* likely, and I, too, hate the whole concept of the life debt), but, as I read it, Severus Snape is indeed capable of true repentance, and true greatness. The clues are well hidden, but they are there.
First, what is repentance? Clearly it isn't just feeling sorry for what you have done - that is remorse. It's a part of what's required for repentance, but only a part. There are two others, at least as I understand it. You also need: (1) an act of will; a true desire to turn away from your evil actions and correct them. In other words, you have to want to change. Finally, you need (2) To *do* something concrete that shows your change of heart. It could be as simple as saying a prayer or making an apology; it could be as difficult and dangerous as turning spy for the other side. Do we see that in Snape? Absolutely! But more on that in my "Severus vs Sirius" essay.
Is Severus Snape a great man, and the person he could be, right now? No, of course not, and for exactly the reason you mention. In some ways, he doesn't seem to be a thinker at all (again, more on that in my "Severus vs Sirius" essay). He's a pragmatist and a doer. But (a hard thing for many readers to realize) he's also quite a young man, especially in Wizarding terms, but even for us Muggles. If he lives as long as Dumbledore, there's a good chance he might become as wise and genuinely good as Dumbledore. Precisely because he is truly repentant, Snape has shown that he can learn from his mistakes. It's anyone's guess if he will get the chance to learn and grow further, however.
This brings me to the comment about his having released the prophecy. It seems to me his whole life, since then, is an acknowledgement of his sin in doing that. What he *does* in response is more important than what he says. And - well, again, more on that in the other essay. But did any of us really expect him to apologize to Harry? When Harry isn't even supposed to know the prophecy existed? It's also pretty clear what Snape thinks of Harry by this time; he thinks he's sliding into evil, and from what I can see, he's right.
Oh - in his failure to reflect (as far as we can tell from the outside), Snape - again - strongly resembles Harry. By the end of HBP, I wanted to kick Harry for his failure to think! But maybe that's just me.
no subject
First, as I said, I think I've refined my understanding of the characters considerably since I wrote this nearly two years ago. Have you read my other essays? In them, I think I finally grasp who Snape is. I may be giving Rowling too much credit (that's *very* likely, and I, too, hate the whole concept of the life debt), but, as I read it, Severus Snape is indeed capable of true repentance, and true greatness. The clues are well hidden, but they are there.
First, what is repentance? Clearly it isn't just feeling sorry for what you have done - that is remorse. It's a part of what's required for repentance, but only a part. There are two others, at least as I understand it. You also need: (1) an act of will; a true desire to turn away from your evil actions and correct them. In other words, you have to want to change. Finally, you need (2) To *do* something concrete that shows your change of heart. It could be as simple as saying a prayer or making an apology; it could be as difficult and dangerous as turning spy for the other side. Do we see that in Snape? Absolutely! But more on that in my "Severus vs Sirius" essay.
Is Severus Snape a great man, and the person he could be, right now? No, of course not, and for exactly the reason you mention. In some ways, he doesn't seem to be a thinker at all (again, more on that in my "Severus vs Sirius" essay). He's a pragmatist and a doer. But (a hard thing for many readers to realize) he's also quite a young man, especially in Wizarding terms, but even for us Muggles. If he lives as long as Dumbledore, there's a good chance he might become as wise and genuinely good as Dumbledore. Precisely because he is truly repentant, Snape has shown that he can learn from his mistakes. It's anyone's guess if he will get the chance to learn and grow further, however.
This brings me to the comment about his having released the prophecy. It seems to me his whole life, since then, is an acknowledgement of his sin in doing that. What he *does* in response is more important than what he says. And - well, again, more on that in the other essay. But did any of us really expect him to apologize to Harry? When Harry isn't even supposed to know the prophecy existed? It's also pretty clear what Snape thinks of Harry by this time; he thinks he's sliding into evil, and from what I can see, he's right.
Oh - in his failure to reflect (as far as we can tell from the outside), Snape - again - strongly resembles Harry. By the end of HBP, I wanted to kick Harry for his failure to think! But maybe that's just me.
Thanks for reading, and for your comments.