The true symbolism of the patronus and how it affects a certain fandom discourse

If you are or have ever been into HP there’s a good chance you came across a post or two where people would be fighting over whose patronus means what. And while there are quite a few patroni mentioned in the books, the argument is generally about three specific ones.

Some people argue that Snape’s doe patronus stands for his obsession with Lily because it’s the same animal as hers, while James’ stag represents true love because it’s a complimentary one. Then other people reply it’s actually the other way around. And while the second group usually presents more sensible arguments, the truth is YOU ARE ALL WRONG.

Let me explain. The first thing we need to establish is: what is a patronus exactly? Well, canonically it’s a physical manifestation of a spell used to defeat or at least ward off dementors. Now if we assume that dementors are a personification of depression, and we can easily assume that based on how the effects of their presence are described, we must logically conclude that patroni are a personification of the very thing that could help you defeat depression. So what is that? Love? Cause certainly not obsession! Well, no, it’s not love. It’s PURPOSE.

I can already hear you say: “Purpose? What does that even mean?”. Well, let me ask you this: have you ever been depressed? Have you at least known someone who has? Do you have any clue on what it feels like? Cause it isn’t just sadness. It’s more like… a state where nothing seems to matter anymore, to put it simply. You can’t bring yourself to do just about anything because what is even the point? And yes, I speak from personal experience here. And the reason I’m still alive today isn’t that I fell in love. It’s that I found purpose, a tangible goal to reach, a reason to live for, a glimmer of hope for a better tomorrow.

Ok, so now that we have all the due explanations out of the way, let’s talk some examples, shall we?

Harry first since we know him the best. His patronus is a stag because his father’s animal form was a stag. Does it mean he was in love with James? Certainly not! One may say it was love but it was familial love. Still, can you really love a parent you don’t even know? If you can, then why James? Why not Lily? Why once Harry comes to regard Sirius as a fatherly figure his patronus doesn’t change into a dog? Or why doesn’t it later change into idk, a squirrel or something to represent Ginny? Does it mean he doesn’t love her?

See how the idea of the patronus as a representation of a loved person creates more problems than solutions?

Now let’s look at it as a representation of purpose. What is it that makes Harry grit his teeth and carry on when things get bad? The answer is FAMILY. A sense of belonging. The stag is not James as a person, it’s the notion of family that James represents to Harry. In fact, he initially struggles to produce a patronus because the dementors remind him that his parents had died and he only manages to produce one when he finally realizes they actually live in him. While he can’t bring his dead family back, he can start one of his own, and it is that thought that helps Harry carry on throughout his entire life and this is why his patronus stays forever a stag, regardless of his sentiment for one person or another.

Speaking of sentiments, let’s move on to Tonks and her patronus which changes into a wolf when she gets in a relationship or perhaps just falls in love with Lupin. This is one of those examples where the idea of a patronus as a representation of a loved one seems to make sense but only apparently. I’m not sure where this idea comes from again, but Tonks’ patronus changes supposedly to match Lupin’s wolf patronus. Now, why is Lupins’ patronus a wolf? Who does it stand for? Himself? If he loves Tonks back, shouldn’t his patronus be, idk, a chameleon? See how this line of thought makes no sense again?

Tonks’ patronus changes form because of Lupin but not in the way you think. I don’t know what animal it was before but it probably connected symbolically to Tonks herself, her driving life force being perhaps the idea of proving herself as an auror? Then it changed into a wolf because her priorities shifted. Now her primary life goal was surviving the war to have a RELATIONSHIP with Lupin. And assuming Lupin’s patronus is indeed a wolf, I guess it represents his HUMANITY. Yes, his humanity not his lycanthropy. Note that it’s a wolf not a werewolf and Remus Lupin basically translates to Wolf McWolf. The thing that prevents Lupin from falling into utter despair is the awareness that despite his condition he still can have a relatively normal life, as represented by his relationship with the Marauders, with the Order and with Tonks.

It’s now time for James, Lily and Snape.

A note before I continue. While the form of Snape’s patronus was specified in the book, it still escapes me where people got the idea that Lily’s was also a doe and James’ was a stag (as far as I remember it has only been only said that his animagus was a stag; there are no scenes in the book where either of these characters produces a patronus). Is this just another one of those headcanons that are so deeply rooted in the fandom that they get confused for canon? If not, can anyone enlighten me as to where this information comes from?

Anway, if we assume again that the animal stands for a loved one then we can conclude Snape loves Lily and Lily and James love… themselves? It’s not impossible but you know, people argue their matching patroni represent their true love for one another. Nevermind a doe and a stag aren’t actually the male and female of the same species but someone may say it’s because JKR is just as bad at zoology as she is at maths. Still, comparing it to the Lupin-Tonks example, shouldn’t Lily’s patronus be a stag and James’ a doe and not the other way around?

Now let’s look at these three animals as a representation of every character’s life goal.

James’ patronus is a stag for pretty much the same reason for which Harry’s patronus is a stag. It represents the Potter family. James is driven by the wish to fulfill his father’s LEGACY of chivalry and bravery as illustrated in the scene on the train where he states proudly that he aspires to be an examplary Gryffindor just like his dad.

Similarly Lily’s doe might be representative of either her family or just herself. We know too little about her as a character to be certain but we could guess she might be driven by the thought of proving herself as a witch or perhaps even as a mother. The doe could also represent her own mother as a symbol of RIGHTEOUSNESS she perhaps aspires to embody.

In Snape’s case the situation is a bit more complex. We know for sure that his patronus is symbolic of Lily because Dumbledore seems to recognize it as such but not for the reasons everyone thinks. Whether Snape loved her romantically or platonically or in a yet different manner is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he grieved her and blamed himself for her death. When facing a dementor he’s certainly reminded that his actions had led to the death of the one person that in his perception, was his only genuine friend not to mention goodness incarnate. In order not to give in to despair, he must focus on the fact that while he cannot give her her life back, he can make it up to her so to speak by protecting her son from Voldemort, a concept conveniently planted in his mind by Dumbledore who needed him alive and operational. Snape’s purpose isn’t getting Lily (also because you can’t get the girl if the girl is dead), it’s ATONEMENT. And this is what the doe really stands for.

Lastly, I’d like to spare a few words on Albus and his phoenix patronus. If we looked at it as a representation of a love interest, we’d be forced to conclude that Albus was in love with Fawkes! Stupid, right?

We do not know Albus well enough to make any bold statements but I’d guess his life goal might have been the maintenance of the Dumbledores’ good name which may have been stained in the past because of Albus’ association with Grindelwald, the gossip about Aberforth’s suspicious interest in goats and the Ariana incident. This is to say that the phoenix, whom we know to be a familiar of the Dumbledores for generations, may symbolize their REPUTATION as a respectable wizarding clan.

To conclude, my theory is that the shape of the patronus isn’t a representation of a person but rather of a CONCEPT related to one’s LIFE GOAL and SENSE OF PURPOSE which, contrarily to a love interest, is something all humans possess at any given point in their life. Thus everyone is theoretically capable of producing a patronus and the difficulty lies in defining and focusing on the said goal. This is what makes the spell so difficult to master, especially for young people who often aren’t consciously aware of what is it exactly that they live for, or for people in complex situations like the Death Eaters whose personal life aspirations and values are being obscured by their common goal to take over and change the magical world.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and perhaps analyze other patroni that appear in the books. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

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