On a frosty night, in the dungeon of Hogwarts castle dwelled a sarcastic, bat-like potions master by the name of Severus Snape.
Most of us here love him, or at the very least, like him. Though I know I liked him from the very beginning when his sarcasm began to show, I also know many of his dedicated fans hated him at that time - for bullying Harry.
But, we ask ourselves, why did his fans forgive and love him? This question is rather simple and the answer is without a doubt. Because of his unconditional love for Lily. And, we also ask ourselves, why do we find his love for Lily touching? Because of how he loved her unconditionally, from beginning to end. Because of how he put down his life for her.
But in it, there is one vital thing we may have never thought about: his love is unrequited. His unrequited love is the main reason his love story is so touching; the rest of his sacrifices for Lily merely support that fact.
Let me explain. What if Severus Snape was a tortured young boy who fell in love with his best friend Lily? But what if Lily had fallen in love with him as well? They would get together and marry and Severus Snape would likely never become a deatheater. He would join the Order and fight deatheaters and become a potions master. He would love Lily no less than how he would have loved her if she'd married James, but would their love story still be as touching? Severus Snape gets the woman he deserves, the end.
No. He wouldn't stand out in the story anymore. He wouldn't be a lonely, regretful man but a happy man with a family. Yes, we may still feel happy for him if he'd managed to stand out enough to attract our attention but we certainly wouldn't praise him so much; keeping him remembered in our hearts. The only reason we notice him is because his whole life had been suffering; tragic, and his love was unrequited. His unrequited love was backed up by the actions he took and the sacrifices he made for Lily, and finally he gave his life. Let's think: he sacrificed his life for the boy he hated for the woman he loved... who wouldn't be touched by such a tragedy?
Let's admit it, many of us here didn't like Severus Snape until he revealed his love for Lily. After that, we immediately began to love him. It seems to me the reason is quite clear. We feel sorry for him, feel sympathy. I believe JK Rowling killed Snape on purpose. If Snape had lived, his love story again, wouldn't be as touching. Because we treasure life, we think that he'd given his ultimate sacrifice by giving his life. Though it is a huge blow to us, it is necessary to make sure we are well and truly touched. Though it would have been much more pleasant if he'd lived, we wouldn't remember him for as long because tragedies are what remains in our hearts the longest.
How JK Rowling portrayed his love is truly admirable, partly because it doesn't exist in real life. It is very realistic but does not exist in rel life. Tell me, who do you know has continued loving a person with such passion after they'd decided to marry someone else, after they'd died, after nearly twenty years. Those things only exist in fiction. But most authors portray that unsuccessfully, or not as successfully.
Stephenie Meyer, for example, wrote about how Edward loved Bella and how Bella loved him back... so much that they'd give their lives for each other and die a thousand times. Sounds fake to me. And their love is so perfect that at the end of the story, no one is in the least bit touched. JK Rowling made us shed tears at Severus's misfortune and sufferings. That is the mark of a truly great author.
Most of us here love him, or at the very least, like him. Though I know I liked him from the very beginning when his sarcasm began to show, I also know many of his dedicated fans hated him at that time - for bullying Harry.
But, we ask ourselves, why did his fans forgive and love him? This question is rather simple and the answer is without a doubt. Because of his unconditional love for Lily. And, we also ask ourselves, why do we find his love for Lily touching? Because of how he loved her unconditionally, from beginning to end. Because of how he put down his life for her.
But in it, there is one vital thing we may have never thought about: his love is unrequited. His unrequited love is the main reason his love story is so touching; the rest of his sacrifices for Lily merely support that fact.
Let me explain. What if Severus Snape was a tortured young boy who fell in love with his best friend Lily? But what if Lily had fallen in love with him as well? They would get together and marry and Severus Snape would likely never become a deatheater. He would join the Order and fight deatheaters and become a potions master. He would love Lily no less than how he would have loved her if she'd married James, but would their love story still be as touching? Severus Snape gets the woman he deserves, the end.
No. He wouldn't stand out in the story anymore. He wouldn't be a lonely, regretful man but a happy man with a family. Yes, we may still feel happy for him if he'd managed to stand out enough to attract our attention but we certainly wouldn't praise him so much; keeping him remembered in our hearts. The only reason we notice him is because his whole life had been suffering; tragic, and his love was unrequited. His unrequited love was backed up by the actions he took and the sacrifices he made for Lily, and finally he gave his life. Let's think: he sacrificed his life for the boy he hated for the woman he loved... who wouldn't be touched by such a tragedy?
Let's admit it, many of us here didn't like Severus Snape until he revealed his love for Lily. After that, we immediately began to love him. It seems to me the reason is quite clear. We feel sorry for him, feel sympathy. I believe JK Rowling killed Snape on purpose. If Snape had lived, his love story again, wouldn't be as touching. Because we treasure life, we think that he'd given his ultimate sacrifice by giving his life. Though it is a huge blow to us, it is necessary to make sure we are well and truly touched. Though it would have been much more pleasant if he'd lived, we wouldn't remember him for as long because tragedies are what remains in our hearts the longest.
How JK Rowling portrayed his love is truly admirable, partly because it doesn't exist in real life. It is very realistic but does not exist in rel life. Tell me, who do you know has continued loving a person with such passion after they'd decided to marry someone else, after they'd died, after nearly twenty years. Those things only exist in fiction. But most authors portray that unsuccessfully, or not as successfully.
Stephenie Meyer, for example, wrote about how Edward loved Bella and how Bella loved him back... so much that they'd give their lives for each other and die a thousand times. Sounds fake to me. And their love is so perfect that at the end of the story, no one is in the least bit touched. JK Rowling made us shed tears at Severus's misfortune and sufferings. That is the mark of a truly great author.
