Hi. I don't think it's a question of "blame." No one lives or dies based on a novelist's choices with the plot of a kid's book. The author is trying to assess the artistic and literary coherence of the work....that's not 'blaming an author for not writing the book you wanted her to write.'
It's true that the conflict between Severus and Harry is a crucial tension in the work, and it's also true that their antagonism is not resolved by the end of the plot. Severus dies protecting Harry/Draco/the school, but Harry does not understand this at the time and has no opportunity to forgive the man before he dies. In that sense, there is little 'closure' to their relationship arc.
Whether this lack of resolution makes the story emotionally unsatisfying is a question of reader perception and interpretation. That said:
Most readers expected the HP series to conform to a set of genre conventions and patterns commonly found in bildungsroman. Beyond that, there is a broader set of expectations which readers bring to bear on a text such as this related to literary theory, theory of the novel etc. If the ending is supposed to be tragic and cathartic, then we need a setup that includes a driving flaw or insecurity, moral and formal pressures, and so forth. If it's comic, then there are other requirements. The whole story seems to drive towards Harry's sacrifice of his life in the forest - a tragic ending. But wait! It then turns out Harry gets to bounce back to life after all, much like a cartoon character that has temporarily suffered a car crash only to reemerge gently smiling. What has he learned? More importantly, what have we?
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re: Harry and Snape
Date: 2016-11-15 03:45 am (UTC)It's true that the conflict between Severus and Harry is a crucial tension in the work, and it's also true that their antagonism is not resolved by the end of the plot. Severus dies protecting Harry/Draco/the school, but Harry does not understand this at the time and has no opportunity to forgive the man before he dies. In that sense, there is little 'closure' to their relationship arc.
Whether this lack of resolution makes the story emotionally unsatisfying is a question of reader perception and interpretation. That said:
Most readers expected the HP series to conform to a set of genre conventions and patterns commonly found in bildungsroman. Beyond that, there is a broader set of expectations which readers bring to bear on a text such as this related to literary theory, theory of the novel etc. If the ending is supposed to be tragic and cathartic, then we need a setup that includes a driving flaw or insecurity, moral and formal pressures, and so forth. If it's comic, then there are other requirements. The whole story seems to drive towards Harry's sacrifice of his life in the forest - a tragic ending. But wait! It then turns out Harry gets to bounce back to life after all, much like a cartoon character that has temporarily suffered a car crash only to reemerge gently smiling. What has he learned? More importantly, what have we?