Change of Character = Change of Opinion?

Deathly Hallows was a book of revelations.  We learn that Dumbledore had a difficult past, we learn that Snape had feelings for Harry’s mother, we learn that Harry is the last horcrux, etc., etc.  These revelations might have changed the way that some people looked at these characters, or it might have reinforced their beliefs.

With regards to Dumbledore, I was glad that we found out he had a less than a clean past.  Up until this book, I regarded Dumbledore as a sort of divine character – he saw all, knew all, and anytime he involved himself in a situation, I kind of viewed it as divine intervention.  With this view of him, though, I didn't think of him as a person, or a character to relate with.  With the revelations in the last book, though, Dumbledore became just a regular guy – Dumbledore makes mistakes just like the rest of us.  This change in belief actually made me admire his character more – he wasn't born that awesome, he just grew and changed just like the rest of us.  Making Dumbledore more relatable makes him even more likeable, in my opinion.

With regards to Snape, the revelation about his feelings for Lily actually made me like him a lot less (or even more than I already did).  He was always a complete jerk to Harry, and that made somewhat sense when we found out how much he hated James earlier in the series.  But then finding out that he acted like a jerk to Harry, and he actually loved Harry’s mother… That made no sense to me.  What an awesome way to repay the memory of your dead best friend/love.  If Harry had been born a girl that looked like Lily instead of James, would Snape have acted differently?  Probably.

My roommate thought that Snape’s revelation completely made up for everything he did in the past books.  “Always” is her slogan of choice.  Personally, though, the revelation just makes his actions towards Harry that much worse.

Deathly Hallows was definitely a book where the revelations could change the way you view a character.  These revelations didn’t change my views, however, rather they just reinforced and strengthened them.