The Symbolism of Severus Snape (Part 2)

Snape lived like a prisoner, sentenced without grounds, being humiliated on a daily basis not just in Hogwarts but also, going back home to be subjected to a unique set of abuse and violation that would come to have serious psychological repercussions. The net result of this abuse from all aspects undoubtedly left a tear in his mental fabric, a tear that highlights Snape's fallen standards for acceptance and fulfillment.

This was an unplumbed depth of rock bottom for Snape and his self-control was walking on a tightrope, each day. There was no solace, no peace or purpose and he gradually grew a thick-skin and turned indifferent to emotion. It's not like there was much other than misery and desperation to feel, anyway. After a while, being immune to feeling became his comfort zone. 

The Fandom rarely delves into these moments in Snape's life because it is a herculean task to empathize with him, but a cathartic experience, nonetheless. We readily pass our judgments on Snape with the bullying he unleashed upon unsuspecting students. That is within your freedom and I respect that. However, it is your responsibility to pass these judgments after having heard his explanation and not only making armchair critique, all under the sun.

No one is inherently bad or cruel, but the way we have collectively denounced his existence feels like we have presumed the contrary. Just like Snape, we are products of our environment, struggling under the innumerable pressures of expectations, the baggage of our past mistakes, the aversion towards a future where those you love or depend on, leave your hand, and perhaps leave you, forever. The fact that Snape was a product of his, gives some vague idea of the kind of toxic environment he was in.

Rarely do we ask, what we would do if we were thrust into the circumstances Snape was in. Would we not be as caustic and unwelcoming as he was? If we were as introverted as him, would we have as many friends? There is either hypocrisy or ringing silence that follows these questions.

We systematically gloss over what matters more than just reiterating our 'disgust' towards people like Snape and skip trying to understanding the why behind those hideous misdeeds he committed. 

Snape summoned walls around him, walls no one could jump over. Out of desperation, he felt endlessly sorry for himself and that innate self-destructive capacity that every human has, evoked harmful 'last resort' measures we saw Snape take. Wallowing in self-pity, Snape surrounded himself with people who went on to become Death Eaters in school performing black magic. Snape on his own volition picked the Death Eaters as his friends because he finally felt accepted. He didn't feel happy doing dark magic, but it came with the territory and so he did it. 

He saw in those murderers, a family who wouldn't trouble his existence. No boundaries, rules, constraints. It's a free world for a man in his situation. He began overcompensating and fully turned to the dark arts losing his only friend in doing so. Snape could have turned on the light Dumbledore spoke of, but he was blind. However, even with a helping hand, the light would never penetrate those dead eyes. Only those people who have been through this crippling process will understand just how consequential that could be.

We are told that hope is there even if we refuse to accept it exists. But Snape never saw it, because for the longest time, he was his only sympathizer and he refused to believe that anyone after Lily would befriend him. Snape regularly obsessed over himself and he soon became a monster before he even became a man. In today's climate, society is unaware and untrained when it comes to dealing and helping such reclusive people that walk shoulder to shoulder with us.

I like to believe Snape tried to pull himself out, to re-route his way out of this rabbit hole of pain and emotional struggles. But just trying these days is not enough. There is an infinite amount more trying to do and still manage to remain sane. That reality reflects in Snape's story.

Society let this man down way before he did and nothing could get more factual than that. Society failed to see and continues to, how Snape was repeatedly denied a chance to reset his psychological imbalance and social well-being, but it appears mental health is only for those who can afford a therapist. Society was complicit in the making of the monsters it inhabits. Sirius and James are the first names that come to mind. The multiple layers that shroud the true identity of Snape's psychology is a testimony to the disability of those who proudly refuse to understand it.

I agree, that Snape as a teacher was absolutely despicable. He was bullying, vindictive, and lacked minimum courtesy for his students, whatsoever. But do remind me, who asked him to play the role? It was Albus Dumbledore who appointed him and ever since observed the innumerable instances of how misbehaving and unfair Snape was. Yet, there was no action from his end? Surely, Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of all time, would know of the hazards of hiring a former supporter of Voldemort as a teacher in his school?

There is a vastly bigoted angle to the contentious debate on Snape. It is both unfortunate and an opportunity to write on. It shows how many, unknowingly bigoted, neglect his strife and brazenly overlook the tremendous good he has accomplished, notwithstanding his cynical mentality. He carried out the duty of a double agent with finesse. Outsmarting Voldemort in any capacity is an insane achievement and Snape can be counted as the few who managed it, as he bested the Dark Lord in Occlumency. The distress this role would have caused Snape is unimaginable. The unpredictability of Voldemort finding out his true allegiance, resulting in the fear of failing Lily even in her death would have inflicted so much pain and anxiety. It gives me chills only thinking about how his mental state would be like in those moments of peak distress. Imagine the last time you were depressed about something. Now imagine feeling that feeling since you were 10. That was where Snape was at and he was nurtured under that depression till the day he died.

You can still make all the unfounded scrutiny you want to, but remember that you are wronging this wronged man even further by doing so.  

We Potter Heads are not just any fans - we are devotees of the fandom, who have immense love for the characters we call our favorite. For me, it was always Snape. With depth like no other, his story reflects the grim realities of not just his society, but mine as well, where indifference and lack of education on mental health not only runs rampant but where lack of empathy for people like him is legitimized. Severus Snape is a symbol, that highlights the cruelty of an imaginary society and the unthinking insensitivity of the real one. His life held a mirror to the society we are a part of. It tried to prompt us to take into stock our flaws.

One is reminded, on diving deep into the psychology of this character, Charles Dickens' words of unmatched wisdom and relevance in the life of Severus Snape: 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way".

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