I have read each Harry Potter
book countless times. The first time I remember my mom reading Sorcerer’s Stone
to my younger brother and me. As a child, Severus Snape was possibly the
scariest villain I had ever encountered. All along my little brother and I
swore he was the bad guy. This is probably the most typical of expectations
associated with the first harry potter novel. However it is interesting to
think how the story would be different if our expectations had been correct.
The story wouldn’t be as memorable or as thrilling. The beauty of these stories
is that they always keep you guessing and constantly changing your expectations
for the characters as well as the plot. If Rowling had ended Sorcerer’s Stone
with Snape walking in trying to steal the stone where would the mystery be in
that, it was exactly what every 9 year old had expected?! I think it is vital
to Rowling’s novels for her to raise expectations and then fail to fulfill
them. The vitality comes from the fact that by doing this she can keep the
story going. We were given the idea that Snape was a bad guy but he ended up
not being the bad guy, so why were we given the negative impression of
him in the first place, what was Rowling’s ulterior motive? This questioning
leads to more stories and more character development, Rowling is always opening
new doors, many of which she does not close until the end of the series.
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