by Meg Boyd » Saturday 29 November 2003 11:15:54pm
Perhaps Snape could be paralleled to the already parallel characters, Kurtz and Marlow, from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Kurtz and Marlow go the heart of the African jungle during the European imperialization. The two are drawn to Africa by their young, naive craving for glory, honor, and wealth and are blinded by these selfish, amoral, Freudian Id wants and at first refuse to see the horrific murders and crimes agains nature and humankind that the Europeans use to achieve their "goals". Snape was an unloved, lonely, dark boy and I can see him joining the DE as a youth trying to get glory, honor, and wealth...his Id blinding his Ego, refusing to see the damage and evil he does in the name of material gain. Just as Marlow and Kurtz's overcame their intial blindness and saw the crimes they commited through the critical voice of their Superego, I suspect Snape realized what he was doing and came over to the good side. Yet, Kurtz and Marlow were forever changed from the emotional effect of all their evil deeds, and I would guess that Snape would be even darker, especially towards certain people in his every day life if they were living reminders of the evils he caused. Maybe he hates Neville because Neville is a living reminder of the evil the DE caused. Maybe he hates Harry even more because Harry is a living reminder of the aboslute evil LV and DE were able of. My guess is Snape commited some very evil crimes before he came over to the good side, and perhaps he acted as a spy giving vital info to DD and seemingly vital info and minor info to LV...maybe even killing off Phoenix members who were willing to give their lives for the sake of vital information straight from the horse's mouth to better the Phoenix's cause. This alone would make a man mad...especially if he was reminded everyday of his deeds by seeing his victim's children everyday at school.