The Symbolism of Severus Snape (Part 1)

Severus Snape is often considered by many as one of the greatest characters in English literature. Appreciated for the depth of character which comes to fruition towards the end of the final arc of the Harry Potter series, he is a man no amount of words can fully describe.

Herein lies the genius of the Harry Potter series, for we get to pick a side, and so, this is the case for Severus Snape, Potion master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Before Hogwarts 

The pathos that surrounds the character is truly mind-boggling. You'd think you understand him, but you're opening a Pandora's box and the worst part is you don't even realize it. 

We begin with the onset of the man's life.

To say 'Snape did not live an easy childhood' is a rather convenient way to trivialize the most glaring reasons for his greatest vices. Describing his childhood by calling it what it is not does nothing to describe it, only to desecrate its existence while never really getting into the weeds of understanding his psychology.

Snape braved what no child should ever - unruly and cruel parenting which entailed abuse, both physical and mental coupled with squalor and poverty. He was fundamentally introverted, stubborn, unhappy, timorous, and lacked self-esteem.

His poor self-esteem, that took a mortal blow each time he wore his mother's blouse or mismatched clothes that barely fit, in front of his peers. Snape is and always was, a forsaken child. Self-love in his case is a cruel joke.

This daily routine of grim events has no consequences, you think?

When Snape saw Lily, he was enchanted. During that cringe-fest of an ambush in the garden, many called him a stalker. Can you imagine? Degrading a barely looked after child to a stalker! He was totally resented by the sisters, that day, and his plight as a little boy was mocked.

During his formative years, Snape's mind was conditioned to bitterness and joy was an unrecognizable feeling. Parental negligence left much negativity in him to fester into immaturity and vindictiveness. His upbringing is terrifying by its very nature - the overwhelming amount of unhappiness, poverty, and negativity without anyone to guide him in his darkest days, or point to a crevice of hope. In the comfort of our homes, we forget the tragedies of those who were not given a sliver of that parental care we find ourselves exasperated with on a daily basis. Those who are deprived of something so sacrosanct will always be in my prayers.

After Hogwarts

Anyone who felt abandoned by the world was at home in Hogwarts be it Tom Riddle, Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom. Hogwarts was a savior in disguise for all those who were dejected by society, family, or both. Snape was yet again an outlier.

Right from the get-go, the conversation with Sirius and James on the train left a lasting impression on him, like a dark cloud looming over his first day at Hogwarts. After this, of course, was the scarring bullying that changed Snape forever.

Sirius and James can never be justified for their indefensible wrongs. Then what perhaps could explain the touching amount of support that exists within the masses for them (mostly Sirius)? 

The fact that Sirius suffered a childhood of pain and tragedy helps people understand where he came from. He was unruly, stubborn, and even childish on some occasions, but he is recognized by the Fandom as a noble man, and he was. No one can alter that facet of Sirius' life. However, that is precisely the point, because it's that simple to understand - He was subjected to a tumultuous childhood and found a pal at school he could be himself around. He wanted to have some fun and randomly left students dangling by their ankles and enjoyed his time at school. The end.

What is so interesting is how the same cannot be said about Snape. People feel ashamed to admit to their sympathy for him.

According to The Guardian, in a 2011 article, Snape was voted as the most popular character. Almost 10 years later, the picture is very much not the same. The Fandom has matured into 'realizing' that bullying a student is wrong. Snape is identified mostly for is bravery. His ability to counter the Dark Lord's powers in Occlumency is admired as well. But in the grand scheme of things, he is loved and hated for all the wrong reasons and this is a facet of Snape's life that no one can change. It's just true. 

The part that gets me, is the sheer numbers that repeat this 'bravery' line over and over. Once again, the blasé that surrounds why Snape is liked is a cornerstone of the complexity of his behavioral peculiarities. At the heels of a seven-year-long isolation from society (in Hogwarts), Snape actually found it comforting to hang out with Death Eaters. How is this not regarded as an unveiling of the sickening ignorance of our society? How are more people not talking about how society was an enabler for Snape to make bad decisions? How many people will be excused of their faults because Snape is an adult and should be responsible for his actions? When will we stop blaming Snape for everything and where's the discourse on mental health that should precede the 'debate' on Snape's mannerisms?

On one hand, you have the perverse influence society had on Snape in an imaginary world, and on the other, a real society which clutches close to its chest the same brand of ignorance! It is this juxtaposition that should spark a conversation (and not a debate) on the multiple Snapes that could be in the making, right now or in the near future because of that ignorance. 

In Snape's worst memories, we see how he was attacked without provocation by James and Sirius simply because they were bored. He was made to dangle by his ankle, taking bullying in the corridors of this school, to new lows. How his 'graying underwear' was then left for the entire school to ridicule, after which he was made to choke on soap. 

It was physical pain and a lifetime of humiliation he endured as well as betrayal, in that moment, as he caught a glimpse of Lily's split-second smile as she watched him gag. What followed was, of course, history.

Snape safely extracted these memories out of his mind before beginning Occlumency lessons with Harry (in addition to top-secret memories pertaining to the double agent stuff he'd been up to) so that Harry never finds out how he, Snape, was so helpless under the cruelty of two voyeuristic boys, one of them being Harry's father. So that Harry never sees him through the lens of reality. Petty some would call him and petty he is.

Snape understood exactly what drove him to make the choices he made and he is reminded of it every time he looked at Harry. Teetering over the edge of doing something unbecoming, the duo, with a smirk on their faces, pushed him off the ledge and the readers couldn't catch it.

He did not hate James and Sirius only because they brutally abused him, but because he blamed them for the entirety of his sorry state of affairs. He realizes it was because of them, he called Lily the shameful word "mudblood", thereby pushing away, forever, the one person who saw him for him, regardless. He realized that if it wasn't for them, he would have never become a Death Eater. He would've still been Lily's friend. A different life. A blessed one. A break from the emotional baggage he has been carrying for so long.

No one excuses him for the language he used, but at the same time, no one likes to recall how he berated Phineas for calling Hermione a mudblood, evidence that he learned his lesson and that he was capable to learn from his mistakes. He always had it in him and no one had noticed. We want to ignore that ever happened because it impedes our freedom to self-righteously call out his wrongdoings, without guilt or remorse. Typical, isn't it? We have more of a lust to condemn mindlessly than the desire to improve.

|| this blog has been split into two parts, you have read only the first part ||

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