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This was my response to the challenge. It was buried in the comments to Sylvanawood's original question, so I decided to post it separately, for those who haven't seen it. Please note that this was what I'd imagined between HBP and DH; after HBP, especially, I simply couldn't see Severus as an anti-Muggle racist. Now it's clear that we're supposed to see him as exactly that - but I can't buy it. It contradicts the picture built up in the first 6 books, IMHO. Here goes:
(and how do you do a cut in IJ? Is it?)
In my personal canon, Severus had a pretty miserable time at his Muggle primary school, was considered a freak and ignored by most of the other kids, and had a Muggle Dad who walked out on the family for a couple of years. So he was disposed to be prejudiced against Muggles. But:
1. In that same primary school, he had a teacher who showed him the periodic table of elements.
2. And he used to hang out at the library sometimes. It was a safe haven and he felt welcome there. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some Muggle literature he actually enjoyed, though he mostly read (and reads) nonfiction.
3. Most of all, he had his slightly older cousin Jimmy Snape and Jim's friend Tim Fawkes. The three boys all loved the Clash and the Sex Pistols and thought - summers - about starting a punk band, making their fortune, and getting the heck out of their hometown. Unfortunately, they were stymied by lack of time and space to rehearse, lack of equipment, and lack of talent, Severus being the only musical one among them. Jimmy eventually joined the army and, on discharge, emigrated to Canada. Tim has a garage in the town he and Sev were born in, and Sev - well. He became convinced that Muggles were murderous and dangerous by 12, (He made exceptions only for Lily's parents and the Fawkes family) pulled away from the Muggle world entirely by 17, and only got reacquainted with Tim in the mid-90s. But the band is quite definitely dead.
All the same, Severus does like Muggle music, of several varieties. He still has a weakness for punk, as well as The Who, but he also enjoys Christmas carols sung by his local Church choir, and knows several folk songs as well. He (rightly) considers Wizarding music entirely derivative and boring.
And, though he would rather die than admit it, he always thought Maggie Fawkes's flower garden was beautiful!
(and how do you do a cut in IJ? Is it
In my personal canon, Severus had a pretty miserable time at his Muggle primary school, was considered a freak and ignored by most of the other kids, and had a Muggle Dad who walked out on the family for a couple of years. So he was disposed to be prejudiced against Muggles. But:
1. In that same primary school, he had a teacher who showed him the periodic table of elements.
2. And he used to hang out at the library sometimes. It was a safe haven and he felt welcome there. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some Muggle literature he actually enjoyed, though he mostly read (and reads) nonfiction.
3. Most of all, he had his slightly older cousin Jimmy Snape and Jim's friend Tim Fawkes. The three boys all loved the Clash and the Sex Pistols and thought - summers - about starting a punk band, making their fortune, and getting the heck out of their hometown. Unfortunately, they were stymied by lack of time and space to rehearse, lack of equipment, and lack of talent, Severus being the only musical one among them. Jimmy eventually joined the army and, on discharge, emigrated to Canada. Tim has a garage in the town he and Sev were born in, and Sev - well. He became convinced that Muggles were murderous and dangerous by 12, (He made exceptions only for Lily's parents and the Fawkes family) pulled away from the Muggle world entirely by 17, and only got reacquainted with Tim in the mid-90s. But the band is quite definitely dead.
All the same, Severus does like Muggle music, of several varieties. He still has a weakness for punk, as well as The Who, but he also enjoys Christmas carols sung by his local Church choir, and knows several folk songs as well. He (rightly) considers Wizarding music entirely derivative and boring.
And, though he would rather die than admit it, he always thought Maggie Fawkes's flower garden was beautiful!
amused
I know that is the author’s intent and I don’t buy that either. I interpret canon differently.
”In my personal canon, Severus had a pretty miserable time at his Muggle primary school, was considered a freak and ignored by most of the other kids, and had a Muggle Dad who walked out on the family for a couple of years. So he was disposed to be prejudiced against Muggles.”
I think this is also supported in canon when Petunia refers to Severus as “that’s Snape boy” and he is also alone when the girls first meet him. I think this shows that he had a reputation in the neighbor hood. I would think that he would have done some underage magic that would have freaked out the neighbors and he would have experienced some prejudice from muggle neighbors. I think author’s intent was to think he was avoided because he was poor, but I would think there would be others in the same situation.
Snape being half blood he would experience prejudices from both worlds, and more than likely from his own father. I see teenage Snape trying to figure out where he belongs. I don’t think Hogwarts was a very nurturing environment and I don’t think Dumbledore did a good job. He was too busy fighting a war instead of helping the students. He should have taken the job as minister instead of headmaster. The children should have been mixed more, required to take muggle studies and when a child used the word “mud blood” it should have been addressed. I don’t think Dumbledore addressed any of these issues in the speech he gave the first day of school.
I am still trying to figure out much of the political environment in the wizarding world. I believe that JKR thinks it’s a clear cut about pure bloods being prejudice, but it just doesn’t seem so simple to me. JKR did put the wizarding world in this world, so they would have our history. That means that there is a history of muggles persecuting witches and the fear the magical people have that they would be discovered. Would muggles do to them? Hunt them as they did in the past and still do? Abuse them for their magic?
Here is story about witchunting that takes place today.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/afric
So I don’t buy that whole Snape is a racist thing either. It is not so simple and I can’t seem to make the wizarding world. Right now I’m thinking about the world of the X-men and the prejudice on both sides to give me some clues about the wizarding world.
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after HBP, especially, I simply couldn't see Severus as an anti-Muggle racist. Now it's clear that we're supposed to see him as exactly that - but I can't buy it.
Are we supposed to see that? At least all through his life? Or are you saying that we are supposed to see him as an anti-Muggle racist in his youth, and that was why Lily broke their friendship, and why he wanted to join the Death Eaters? I guess I'm with you: I just don't see it.
I see him having inherited the prejudice, and wrestling to reconcile it from the moment he meets Lily. Sure, he views her as special because she's a witch, not a Muggle. But she is Muggle-born, and that is something he tries to selectively filter out of his perception, and something he keeps getting reminded of, and what we see during his school years is an effort to reconcile the prejudice with the experience of loving someone who doesn't fit the prejudice, and with the experience of getting his strongest support and hope of recognition and opportunity from the most vocal advocates of the prejudice.
I'm not completely convinced that canon-Snape was really a racist. Possibly he might have joined the Death Eater crowd more for power and protection, but maybe I'll take that up in my own essay. Assuming that he really was an anti-Muggle racist, I like how your Snape makes exceptions for the Evans and Fawkes families. I think that's pretty realistic--human beings can be quite contrary, and I know that many real-life bigots hve a few friends, coworkers, or family members that they consider "exceptions" to the rule. It's easy to hate a nebulous group of Muggles or gays or people of a certain race, but when you get to know someone well on a personal basis, it's a little harder to apply that label to them. (Although sadly, of course, some people still do.)