2. Now, the second question. Mike Smith insists that Severus Snape is weak because he did everything for Lily, who did not love him after his insult to her. He's not alone in thinking so; even some Snape fans are saying that DH Severus is a weaker character than they had imagined. Mr. Smith also said he agrees with Rowling, and that Severus is a worse person than Voldemort for betraying his beloved - because he was loved, and Voldemort never was.
I had to go back and read what I wrote (http://mike-smith.livejournal.com/164722.html) to see if this was what I actually said. In hindsight, I think the only clear point I made was that the Dinobots are super-awesome, and should have been included in the book.
To rebut, Snape is not Batman. I've even said this exact statement somewhere in the Book VI review. Rowling wants you to think he's like Batman, except Snape doesn't have the sense of perspective that Batman does.
The Batman is an experiment. Bruce Wayne would be avenging his dead parents one way or another, but he only chose to dress up like a giant bat because he felt it would be the most effective methodology. He constantly tweaks his tactics and weapons to improve his war on crime. While his parents inspired him to do all the things that he does, he knows that ultimately nothing will bring them back, and his crusade against crime is bigger than his own personal loss. So basically, he used that loss to become a better person, crafting an emotional, yet practical means to make the world a better place.
On the flip-side, Snape never worked past any of his problems. Lily blows him off, then dies, and he spends the rest of his life regretting his past mistakes. There's no master plan on his part to make things right. He just does whatever Dumbledore tells him, and acts like a giant dick whenever it doesn't conflict with following Dumbledore's lead. The only net improvement I can think of is that he eventually stopped using the term "Mudblood", about twenty years after it would have done him any good.
I forget the exact circumstances of Snape's role in the Potters' death, but he was working for Lily's murderer right up until she was slated to be murdered. I'd call that a betrayal, wouldn't you? Even if he had no idea she was targeted for death, he knew what Voldemort wanted to do to Muggle-borns, and he didn't seem particularly concerned with how Lily might end up.
The main thing I took away from whatever chapter that was, was that Teen Snape would throw around anti-Muggleborn slurs like it was no big deal, and then be genuinely confused when Lily took personal offense. That's what I mean by lack of perspective. In his mind, the world was him and a small number of people and things that made him happy, and he never bothered to understand how those things interrelated outside of him. That's why he couldn't figure out how to deal with Lily's sister, because he couldn't understand why Lily would care about someone he himself wasn't concerned about.
Compare to Batman, who only fights crime because he extrapolated the horror of his parents' murder to that of any murder. To him, any innocent life is sacred, and must be protected with equal vigor. Snape can't do that. He only cares about Harry because of his connection to Lily. Yeah, he "saves" the damn weinerkids in Book 3, big deal.
And that's what makes him weak, because in the midst of all that goes on, his focus is squarely on himself. That's why he sought Lily's approval while simultaneously striving for greater power via the Dark Arts. It doesn't matter what they are or how they work. The point is that Lily hates the Dark Arts and Snape can't (or won't) understand that he can't have both. A stronger character would have learned to see beyond his own wants and needs and appreciate the bigger picture. Instead, Snape's still whining about Harry's dad decades later, and taking out his frustrations on whoever's convenient.
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I had to go back and read what I wrote (http://mike-smith.livejournal.com/164722.html) to see if this was what I actually said. In hindsight, I think the only clear point I made was that the Dinobots are super-awesome, and should have been included in the book.
To rebut, Snape is not Batman. I've even said this exact statement somewhere in the Book VI review. Rowling wants you to think he's like Batman, except Snape doesn't have the sense of perspective that Batman does.
The Batman is an experiment. Bruce Wayne would be avenging his dead parents one way or another, but he only chose to dress up like a giant bat because he felt it would be the most effective methodology. He constantly tweaks his tactics and weapons to improve his war on crime. While his parents inspired him to do all the things that he does, he knows that ultimately nothing will bring them back, and his crusade against crime is bigger than his own personal loss. So basically, he used that loss to become a better person, crafting an emotional, yet practical means to make the world a better place.
On the flip-side, Snape never worked past any of his problems. Lily blows him off, then dies, and he spends the rest of his life regretting his past mistakes. There's no master plan on his part to make things right. He just does whatever Dumbledore tells him, and acts like a giant dick whenever it doesn't conflict with following Dumbledore's lead. The only net improvement I can think of is that he eventually stopped using the term "Mudblood", about twenty years after it would have done him any good.
I forget the exact circumstances of Snape's role in the Potters' death, but he was working for Lily's murderer right up until she was slated to be murdered. I'd call that a betrayal, wouldn't you? Even if he had no idea she was targeted for death, he knew what Voldemort wanted to do to Muggle-borns, and he didn't seem particularly concerned with how Lily might end up.
The main thing I took away from whatever chapter that was, was that Teen Snape would throw around anti-Muggleborn slurs like it was no big deal, and then be genuinely confused when Lily took personal offense. That's what I mean by lack of perspective. In his mind, the world was him and a small number of people and things that made him happy, and he never bothered to understand how those things interrelated outside of him. That's why he couldn't figure out how to deal with Lily's sister, because he couldn't understand why Lily would care about someone he himself wasn't concerned about.
Compare to Batman, who only fights crime because he extrapolated the horror of his parents' murder to that of any murder. To him, any innocent life is sacred, and must be protected with equal vigor. Snape can't do that. He only cares about Harry because of his connection to Lily. Yeah, he "saves" the damn weinerkids in Book 3, big deal.
And that's what makes him weak, because in the midst of all that goes on, his focus is squarely on himself. That's why he sought Lily's approval while simultaneously striving for greater power via the Dark Arts. It doesn't matter what they are or how they work. The point is that Lily hates the Dark Arts and Snape can't (or won't) understand that he can't have both. A stronger character would have learned to see beyond his own wants and needs and appreciate the bigger picture. Instead, Snape's still whining about Harry's dad decades later, and taking out his frustrations on whoever's convenient.