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James Potter vs. Severus Snape - any official word?



Harry Potter grew up almost hero-worshipping his father, and with a strong dislike of Snape based on Snape's resentment of him as well as some knowledge of Snape's rivalry with Harry's father while they were at school together.


In HP and the Order of the Phoenix, he finds out about (in fact, he sees first-hand via the Pensieve) his father's bullying of Snape. This changes his perception of the relationship between the two, and the revelation bothers him so much that he goes to a great deal of trouble to seek out Sirius (and Lupin) and talk to them about it.


In HP and the Deathly Hallows, he finally finds out the full story of his father and Snape's relationships with each other and with Lily, his mother. The revelations in the chapter The Prince's Tale changed many HP fans' conception of several characters, and there have been many heated debates on which of James Potter and Severus Snape was the better man.


On the one hand, James was a jerk to Snape while they were at school, and I've never been able to figure out why Lily chose him over Snape. On the other hand, James was a member of the Order of the Phoenix while Snape was a genuine Death Eater all the way up until the love of his life was in personal danger from Voldemort.


Clearly, arguments could be made either way, but I'm not looking for a speculative answer.


Has there been any statement from JK Rowling on who she thinks was the better man?



Answer



We know that at the end of the day, Snape was never a "good guy":



Snape is all grey. You can't make him a saint: he was vindictive & bullying. You can't make him a devil: he died to save the wizarding world



Snape was a bully who loved the goodness he sensed in Lily without being able to emulate her. That was his tragedy.


Snape didn't die for 'ideals'. He died in an attempt to expiate his own guilt. He could have broken cover at any time to save himself 1/2 but he chose not to tell Voldemort that the latter was making a fatal error in targeting Harry. Snape's silence ensured Harry's victory. 2/2



JKR on Twitter


Whereas in the books, everyone in the wizarding world says that James is a great guy, especially after he gets out of school/is married. Looking at JKR's recent tweets and interview comments, it appears she hasn't said much about James's character out of world.


Throughout the books, it's written that Snape's only love, and the only good things he does, are because of Lily, while James is shown to be courageous and loving towards his friends, family, and the greater good in general.



“You think I'm a fool?" demanded Harry.


"No, I think you're like James," said Lupin, "who would have regarded it as the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends.”




James ends his life attempting to save his family, Snape ends his life attempting to ease his own personal guilt.


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