Snape-centric Observations
Much has been said about the injustice and senselessness of Snape's death in Book 7. More than the reasons for his death, however, I'm REALLY bothered by the discovery of and reaction to his innocence.
Many fans had hoped and/or imagined that Snape would sacrifice himself for the defeat of Voldemort, with Harry as a witness, teaching him about the ambiguity of good and bad, and that nasty gits can also be good people.
Everything about Harry's discovery of Snape's past seemed contrived:
- Why did the memories leak from his dying body, if none of the other deaths that we'd witnessed had produced such memory "leaks"?
- Hermoine randomlly conjures up a flask to hold the memories, WTF?
- The specific content of the memories, arranged in neat chronological order, all having to do with Snape's motives and behind-the-scenes actions that proved his allegiance.
- Harry has an hour before his final face-off with Voldemort, and he just decides to take a dip into his hated headmaster's memory? No-one instructed him to do so in order to help his cause
- A whole chapter of blatant exposition, Rowling? WTF, would be a lot better if Harry found out in some Roundabout way, maybe even much later (but you needed a way for him to find out that he had to die, right?)
He should have felt some compassion for Dumbledore's betrayal of Snape, compassion, Snape's pleas to be trusted, Snape's frustration when Dumbledore withheld information from him, and yet asked him to risk his life.
All of a sudden he's ready to proclaim Snape as a hero? What about seven years of antagonism?
Snape KILLED DUMBLEDORE. Even if Dumbledore ordered it, would it not be an instinctive reaction to not want to immediately forgive him, even when faced with evidence to the contrary?
So he just found out that the man who he hated and who tormented him and who seemingly was the model death eater, was in love with his mother. And he's just FINE with this? Just assimilates it in less than an hour?
Content to treat him as a hero without considering the complexities of his own attitude towards Snape
Naming his son after him doesn't mean anything; the Epilogue only shows that, 19 years later, house divisions and prejudices are still in place.
HARRY LEARNED NOTHING FROM THIS. JK ROWLING IGNORED ALL THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS.
His reward is Harry's admiration? Harry never acknowledges any grief or compassion for Snape. Snape's true pathos is that he will NEVER see the reward for his actions during his lifetime. And it's enough for Harry to name his son after Severus? (along with James, Lily, and Albus? Please)
Feeble advice to his son, empty words. First time he speaks of that to his children -- doing nothing to honor the memory of Severus Snape and to LEARN FROM THOSE MISTAKES.
Dumbledore was always going on about the power of love -- but Snape was the one who loved most of all, who made the most sacrifices for his love. Isn't the bravery of continuing to live, even in misery and an impossible dead-end situation, not even for your love but for your love's son by another man, a greater expression of love? Shouldn't this realization be much much more impacting to Harry?
Went from hate and suspicion to awe way too quickly.
WHEN DID DUMBLEDORE EVER EXPRESS LOVE TOWARDS SEVERUS? He used him right until the end. He showed care and compassion for Harry, but he looked down at Snape with disdain, and manipulated him always.