Does anybody else think there are more Snape-haters than Snape-lovers?

[hannah renee.]

Honestly, the most popular article on Snape is "Why Snape Does Not Deserve Your Pity"... which to me, is rather extreme... if there is any character you should pity, it's him. He never let himself be good and beautiful when he could have; he grew up believing what everyone said he was: a disgusting, ugly, undesirable dork. His mental state was extremely unhealthy... something I can relate to very, very well. Personally, I love him. I love antagonists who are on the good side or, redemptive characters as we might call them... the people on this list are characters like Kreacher, Murtagh (Eragon), Anakin Skywalker... To me, I guess, I focus on what goes on in hearts and what happens to them in the end.

But seriously: I really DO think there are more haters than anything else. Your thoughts?

[Matthew]

The reason that article is the most popular is likely because the opposition is divided into several smaller ones that, when combined, far outnumber it (that's my guess anyway). You can't swing a proverbial dead cat in the HP fandom without hitting a Snape fan.

[Aurelia]

Honestly I think the two sides are too divided to conclude whether Snape receives more hatred or sympathy, and that's exactly what I love about Rowling's characters - that they aren't black-and-white and they don't fit into the typical "good guy" or "bad guy" categories. When there are ongoing, inconclusive debates about whether a character is good or bad, I think that's when you have created an outstanding character , in the sense that they are extremely layered and multidimensional. It is in a way more realistic, as the real world is more complex than we'd like it to be.

As for Snape's redemption, I can see arguments for both sides. He could have done it out of pure, unhealthy obsession disguised as innocent love, only to serve himself. That is, of course, what the "haters" would say. Otherwise he could have done it because along the way he has realised his mistakes; perhaps his guilt helped him see the light. I think that somewhere along he must have realised that Voldemort's extremism was too much. To me, what is noble is that he sacrificed his life out of love, and that he has chosen the route of redemption despite his skewed mindset shaped by his lifetime endurance of hardships. These are qualities many of us can consider heroic.

[Jillian]

I don't like Snape, but I think he is definitely deserving of peoples' pity.

[Ruby]

I think that a lot of people are Snape-neutral but that when they argue with the Snape-fans they look like they hate him.

[Prateeka]

well...
it is tough to decide,but on the good side of snape,he is really worthy of pity and admiration.
He really worked for the one he loved even though he knew he would never have what he wanted.He really deserves respect in that aspect.