The Debate Driving the Fandom Mad; Snape: Good or Evil? PART 2
On Monday you were shown the first part if this lengthy post, in which two highly educated moral philosophers publish their opinions on the famous debate: is Severus Snape a good or evil character? The first part focused on proving Snape is good, and today we will shine the light on why Snape is considered an evil character by many Potterheads. Which side of the debate are you on? Be aware, because there is a good chance you might change your mind!
Granted, Snape played a large and important role in saving the wizarding world, but the question isn't are Snape's final actions good, but rather is the character himself a primarily good or evil person. Anyone who ever took even just one lesson of proper philosophy would agree, the beloved yet hated complex character that Severus Snape is, is undoubtedly primarily evil.
It is important to remember one's past, and before declaring his undivided love to Lily Potter in front of Dumbledore, Snape was a ruthless, cold blooded death eater, or simply put, a murderer. You might be thinking, 'well, that may be true, but after Lily died Snape realized the error of his ways and the pain he has been forcefully inflicting on others!' That is not exactly right, as an eagle eyed fan keen on catching details might have noticed.
When Snape was crying for Lily in front of Dumbledore, he specifically said that he wouldn't have cared if Harry or James would have died. Does that sound right to you? This means that basically all Snape is really thinking of is himself. He doesn't care if Lily's life would break into pieces with her son and husband gone, all he cares about is that she will be with him. He wants her to stay alive for him. Any good person knows that loving another person involves knowing when to let them go so that they can be happy. but Snape obviously did not know how to do that.
Even worse, Snape told Voldemort himself it doesn't matter if he kills Harry or James. Quite clearly, this is a selfish person with no real understanding of the concept of love.
One of the reasons why Snape is claimed by many to be a good character because he took part in saving the wizarding world, but have you ever considered this was done just for the sake of his own redemption, not because he actually cared about others? Think about it this way, Snape didn't care about anyone but Lily during his time as a death eater, and after she died, he, not just Voldemort, was very much to blame.
The guilt was probably eating him up from the inside, which is why he decided to help Dumbledore protect Harry, as a chance for his own redemption. He didn't really care about the wizarding world, he cared what Lily would think of HIM. He didn't actually mind what would happen to families like the Weasleys, but it mattered to him to clear HIS guilty soul. This is pure proof that his acts to save the wizarding world were made solely out of self pity and to escape from his own guilt, which nothing to be proud about.
In conclusion, would you say a different character who killed, abused, ranted, ratted, and displayed no emotion besides a middle school crush is worth being called a 'good' character, all because he did a nice act out of guilt? Surely not. After all, Snape has always been, and always will be, an evil character in the Harry Potter series.