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Excellent post! I hope you don't mind a long-winded answer. ;-)
Please, be as long-winded as you like! ^_^
We are meant to see the difference in Lily's, Harry's and Snape's paths as an indication of something lacking in Snape, and that deficit means that Harry is not required to attempt any reconciliation.
This really makes me sad, but I suspect that you're right. I know that it's been mentioned many other times on this community, but I still don't understand how JKR managed to create such a complex, sympathetic, and 3-dimensional character when she appears to see him as shallow and unlikeable. But as you said, we've spent a lot of time doing very detailed analysis of the relatively limited "page time" Snape has. On the other hand, even the young kids in that Today show interview got that Snape was a hero.
Snape's actions are not praiseworthy in any way, they insist, because while Snape repeatedly saved Harry and sacrificed his existence for Harry, that is only as it should be and, in fact, Snape should be chastised for not "liking Harry" and being "nice" while he did it. It is a remarkably juvenile, harsh and -- dare I say it -- un-Christian attitude...
No argument here. It seems really contradictory to the message that the story promotes about love being so important. I think my definition of love and the Potter-universe definition are two very different things. The latter seems to be rather limited and small-minded.
Please, be as long-winded as you like! ^_^
We are meant to see the difference in Lily's, Harry's and Snape's paths as an indication of something lacking in Snape, and that deficit means that Harry is not required to attempt any reconciliation.
This really makes me sad, but I suspect that you're right. I know that it's been mentioned many other times on this community, but I still don't understand how JKR managed to create such a complex, sympathetic, and 3-dimensional character when she appears to see him as shallow and unlikeable. But as you said, we've spent a lot of time doing very detailed analysis of the relatively limited "page time" Snape has. On the other hand, even the young kids in that Today show interview got that Snape was a hero.
Snape's actions are not praiseworthy in any way, they insist, because while Snape repeatedly saved Harry and sacrificed his existence for Harry, that is only as it should be and, in fact, Snape should be chastised for not "liking Harry" and being "nice" while he did it. It is a remarkably juvenile, harsh and -- dare I say it -- un-Christian attitude...
No argument here. It seems really contradictory to the message that the story promotes about love being so important. I think my definition of love and the Potter-universe definition are two very different things. The latter seems to be rather limited and small-minded.