Severus Snape Saga: Do Motives Define the Action?

Mellissa G. Brown
13 October 2009
Severus Snape Saga: Do Motives Define the Action?
In my first paper, I compared Severus Snape to other classic heroes throughout mythology, history, and literature. Severus Snape definitely possesses some characteristics of a hero, but many Harry Potter fans have issues calling Snape, a character we have learned to hate, a hero. He is painted as such a monstrous person throughout the first six novels, that fans cannot let go of the grudges they hold against him. There is no reason that there cannot be more than one hero in the series, because many would say that Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore are all heroes in the series. So why would Snape not be a hero in the series? In this paper, I will be exploring whether or not the motives behind Snape’s actions make what he does in the end any less heroic and whether or not fans can let go of how evil Snape is to Harry throughout the series.
There are many questions we have to ask ourselves when we try to determine whether or not Snape is a hero. “Would James and Lily be alive now if not for him? Would Harry be dead now if not for him? Did he ever care about Harry, or only Lily?” (Caffrey). It seems like the answers to these questions contradict one another. I would argue that James and Lily would be alive if Severus had not told Voldemort the prophecy that he overheard. However, I would also say that the only reason Harry survived throughout the seventh novel was because of all the help he had from Snape. So can we as fans forgive Snape for essentially killing James and Lily, because he saved Harry? This is one of those questions that make Snape such a controversial character because there is no right answer.
Throughout the series, we do not learn very much about Snape until the end. However, right from the first book we learn to hate Snape. He mistreats Harry, singles him out, and blatantly goes out of his way to punish Harry. How could we as readers like such a character? “J.K.R. said it plainly herself shortly after DH [Deathly Hallows] was released---‘Snape is vindictive. He’s cruel. He’s not a big man’ [JKR-MTV].” (Schoen 106). In the sixth book, we get a little peek into Snape’s past that helps the readers sympathize with Snape. When Harry is getting Occlumency lessons, he sneaks into the pensive and sees a memory of Snape when he was attending Hogwarts. James and his friends are hanging Snape upside down in the schoolyard and yelling names at him. This is the first time in the series where we actually start to feel sympathetic toward Snape as a character. The next time we learn anything about Snape is the very end of the seventh book, where we learn Snape’s entire story.
We learn that everything he did throughout the series he did to protect and help Harry, because he had loved Lily Evans his entire life. The reason behind the actions to save Harry was because he loved Lily, not necessarily because he liked or felt the need to protect Harry. Another reason that is revealed is that Snape feels responsible for the deaths of the Potter’s and this is another reason he protects Harry. Snape does not necessarily want to help Harry and he struggles with what he has to do throughout the series, but he does so because of the guilt he feels over his actions. However, Snape did have the option of walking away from the responsibility of watching over Harry entirely. “It would have been easy for Snape to walk away from that responsibility. Harry isn’t his son and only reminds Snape of everything he has missed out on in life since James married Lily, but Snape is tough and heroically takes a much harder path and stays at Hogwarts” (Schoen 106). Therefore, we know as readers that Snape took the difficult route in life in order to help Lily Evan’s son defeat the Dark Lord.
Do the motivations behind Snape’s actions make what he does any less heroic? Snape agreed to kill Dumbledore in the sixth book, so that Malfoy would not have to do it. He gave the ultimate sacrifice so that Harry could succeed in defeating the Dark Lord. Does the fact that he truly did not want to do these things change the fact that these acts were heroic? However, you could also argue that his main motive was his love for Lily Evans or his guilt over his role in her death. This brings about the question to be a true hero; do a person’s actions have to be altruistic? “According to Freud, the unconscious is the source of our motivations… However, we are often driven to deny or resist becoming conscious of these motives, and they are often available to us only in disguised form” (Postill 4). According to Freud, Snape’s motivations are unconscious.
I would like to come to the conclusion that Snape is a hero in the series even if his motives or mindset is not in the right place. I think that Snape and Harry’s motives are very similar, because they both in a way are motivated by love. Snape’s motives are questionable, but in the end he did what was necessary to defeat Voldemort and help Harry do it. An interesting article I read made a distinction between Severus and Snape. Whenever J.K Rowling calls him Severus, she is referring to him as an ally and whenever she uses the name Snape, she is referring to him as a foe. I think this is a very interesting conclusion with which I completely agree. After all this speculation, throughout two papers, I am going to take a side and say that Snape is a hero, that deserves to be celebrated in the end.



http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=121381&page=55

http://www.mugglespace.com/
Works Cited
Caffrey, Kristian. "Severus Vs. Snape." MuggleNet.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .

Postill, David. "Sigmund Freud." Sigmund Freud. N.p., 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .

Spartz, Emerson, and Ben Schoen. Harry Potter Should Have Died. Berkeley: Ulysses Press, 2009. Print.

Severus Snape Saga: What is a Hero?

Mellissa G. Brown

15 September 2009

Severus Snape Saga: What is a Hero?

Harry Potter names one of his sons Albus Severus Potter. This name is a derivation of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Harry explains the importance of his name in the epilogue of book seven. “You were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew” (Rowling 758). Even though Harry thinks so highly of Snape at the end of the series and describes him as the bravest man he ever knew, is Snape truly a hero in the series?

Clearly, Harry thinks that Snape is a hero by honoring his name and giving the name Severus to his son. Also, Dumbledore trusts Snape with his life and always trusts his judgment. It is safe to infer that Dumbledore would be convinced that Snape was in fact a hero of the series. Before I can determine whether or not Snape is or is not a hero, it is necessary to compare qualities that Snape possesses with other heroes such as Achilles, Atticus Finch, and Hercules.

One hero from Greek Mythology is Achilles. “He was the mightiest of the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War, and was the hero of Homer’s Iliad” (Hunter 1). Achilles was a hero who fought to the death, even though he knew he was going to die. We very frequently refer to Achilles as a hero because of his sacrifice in fighting in the Trojan Wars. Snape could be considered in this same manner a hero. Snape fights throughout the series, even though we do not know it, for Harry to be able to succeed. Snape also ends up giving the ultimate sacrifice of his life for the greater good just in the same manner as Achilles falls fighting.

Along these same lines, Achilles did have an obsession that may devalue his heroic acts. “Achilles reflects a paradigm of the hero that has fallen in deep love with honor and glory. Behind every action or decision of Achilles lies his thirst for everlasting honor and reputation” (Metsovitis 1). In this sense, Snape is very similar to Achilles because of how he acts out of his love and loss of Lily Evans. For arguments sake, I would like to say if Achilles is still considered a hero with this obsession, than we cannot rule out the idea of Snape being a hero also.

Another hero similar to Achilles is Hercules. In Greek mythology it is important to remember that although Greek heroes often did amazing things with their talents, they were not always selfless. Hercules is required to do the twelve tasks as punishment for killing his wife and children. Even though this is a great feat that shows amazing strength, he does not do it for selfless reasons. In this sense, Snape is very much like the Greek hero Hercules. Snape is very selfish in his reasons for wanting to protect Harry. Another important detail to note is that Greek heroes always die. “The precise moment when everything comes together for the hero is the moment of death” (Harvard 4). This is both true for Hercules and for Snape. When Snape’s final task is done and he delivers the memories to Harry is his moment of death. As everything comes together, it is his time to die.

A famous literary hero that must be addressed is Atticus Finch. Atticus is the hero in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird that demonstrates all the ideal values of a hero. Atticus Finch is moral, virtuous, and acts on behalf of the innocent. Atticus does the right thing no matter what the cost was to him and in doing so shows his courage to take on fight even though it was clear he was going to lose his case. In acting, he did something risky and disagreeable, but he did it because it was the right thing to do. I think Snape, even if the readers sometimes disagree, is a lot like Atticus Finch. Snape puts himself at risk to protect Harry and spy on the Death Eaters. He takes the initiative to spy on the Death Eaters and he plays a very dangerous role in protect Harry and providing information to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Snape is different from Atticus in a sense that Atticus is very clear to his intentions and his actions, whereas Snape is very secretive about what he is doing and whose side he is truly protecting.

Throughout all these comparisons my main point is that Snape shares many similarities and differences from classic historical and literary heroes. He is very qualified to be considered a hero yet there are many other factors that must be considered before determining the answer to that question. All these characteristics and similarities with other heroes does not mean that Snape is a hero because there are other factors that must be considered. Since Harry Potter is the hero of the series, can there be more than one hero in these stories? Do Snape’s motives need to be considered before demining him worthy or unworthy of being a hero? These are questions that I would like to examine in other papers as I continue to determine if Snape is or is not a hero. “Is Snape just a coward who serves two masters? Or is Snape a true hero who protects Harry for the noblest reasons?” (Schoen 107). The Severus Snape Saga will continue to decode and determine the answers to these questions.

Works Cited

Harvard. "The Concept of Hero." Harvard University. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. .

Hunter, James. "Achilles." Encyclopedia Mythica. N.p., 3 Mar. 1997. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. .

Metsovitis, Stathis. "Is Really Achilles a Hero?" MIT. N.p., 10 Oct. 2005. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. .

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2007. Print.

Spartz, Emerson, and Ben Schoen. Harry Potter Should Have Died. Berkeley: Ulysses Press, 2009. Print.