Severus Snape Is A Hero

Heroism

The word hero is tossed around on a daily basis, whether on the news, in books, or in movies, we hear it all the time. Its common usage begs the question, what exactly is a hero? Are there traits and characteristics one must possess to be classified as heroic? Our interpretation of a hero is ever-changing, constantly influenced by the stories told by the dominant culture, which acts as an invisible hand. Back in the earlier days of storytelling, heroes were more easily identifiable. Things like appearance and character tropes made it easy to distinguish heroes and villains. Nowadays, the depiction of heroes and villains are sometimes blurred, some heroes look like villains, and some villains look and act like heroes. Thus, these days,

A solid example would be none other than Harry Potter, a movie series that appeals to people of all ages and has had a great cultural impact. On the surface, it’s easy to make the case that Harry Potter-as the namesake of the series-is the primary hero of the story. However, one could also argue that Severus Snape is the real hero despite how tragic and flawed his character may be. Although many, including myself, feel that Snape’s character can be considered a hero, he does not follow the typical “heroes’ journey”, nor does he fall into the official heroes categories outlined in Robert B. Ray’s essay “The Thematic Paradigm.” Nonetheless, he was a hero for his bravery, for the selflessness he displayed by working against evil and for the sacrifices he made even for those he disliked. The fact that some people deem this as heroic, says a lot about the American society we live

An outlaw hero is one, with good intentions, who has the knowledge of right and wrong, but instead chooses to go above the law and operates by their own methods. The outlaw hero also has many childlike qualities. Ray states, “The attractiveness of the outlaw hero’s childishness and propensity to whims, tantrums, and emotional decisions derived from America’s cult of childhood” (378). On the other hand, an official hero is someone who embraces the right values and is occupied by their dutiful obligation to justice and the greater good Ray states, “In contrast to the outlaw heroes, the official hero was preeminently worldly, comfortable in society, and willing to undertake even those public duties demanding personal sacrifice.” It’s quite easy to predict that Severus Snape’s character would fall under the outlaw heroes’ category. In the movies, unlike harry, Snape is a lone soul who doesn’t have anyone to sympathize with him as harry does. While Harry has the support of his friends and is chosen to defeat evil, there is no one to steer in Snape in the right direction and he, alone, has to determine what is white and what is black. Knowing just how lonely and dangerous the path ahead is, he still chooses to go down this long winded road and go undercover and continue to work for the dark side to attain and leak back