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Comparing Rowling's Novels, And The True Snape

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Love has been told to have the power to change a man’s demeanor, shift a person’s values, and create façades that can hide or affirm the love that person feels. The word façade is most commonly used in regards to architecture, which defines it as an outward appearance or the face of a building, but it has also come to be tied to the psychology of an individual. A façade in regards to psychology is associated with an outer falsehood that conceals an internal element of the individual, which they do not want visible. Often they maintain the façade in order to be more appealing to the person they are affectionate towards. However, love’s influence in the creation and maintaining of the façade means far more than just trying to be more appealing …show more content…

He spends much of the novels hidden behind an outward appearance of a villain, never given the opportunity to be more than harsh character. His intentions leaned more towards that of the good rather than the bad, and he spends much of the novels doing good behind the scenes. However, it is not until the last novel that his façade is broken and the true Snape is revealed. In comparison, one of Murdoch’s characters, John Ducane spends much of his time flipping between various façades in order to be most appealing or, at times, most repelling to those he cared for. He spends the novel divided between hating himself for his façades and needing them in order to survive. He longs to belong to someone, and yet distances himself through his façades. Yet, when the novel ends, Ducane is able to break down his own façades and find himself in a place where the real him is accepted and loved. Together, these two characters have façades built on the concept of love, determined to be the best person because of love, and found freedom by escaping their …show more content…

His name itself lends to the idea of him being a difficult teacher. According to Behind the Name, Severus translates to “stern” in Latin, and is tied to the English word “severe” (“Severus”) and according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, Snape is also an English verb, which means “to be hard upon, rebuke, revile, snub” (“Snape”). While his name sends out a warning about what to expect from his character, in later books, it is revealed that Snape himself was the object of various bullying campaigns. In Harry Potter and the Order and the Phoenix, Snape’s worst memory is brought to light as he is bullied by James Potter and his gang of friends. He is outnumbered and alone, and he did not ask to be tormented by James Potter. When he finally does not have to stand alone in the face of his bullies, he in turn becomes the bully to Lily Evans, who had wanted to save him. The most stark words that come from this section is this: “‘What’s he done to you?’ ‘Well… it’s more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean’” (647). He suffered at the hands of his peers and that warped his understanding of what was acceptable treatment of other people. This becomes an essential part of his façade, a way to hide his past and guard his future from any further hurt. His harsh nature is part of him and it is one of the ways readers understand and

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