Authority and rule-breaking or Why does Snape hate Harry?

[catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 16038

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., lea.macleod at g... wrote:
> Snape is a man who is obsessed with authority. 
> I think it is a very important part of his character that he needs 
> this set of well-defined rules to keep him going. He´s a typical 
> example of a person who will always carry things to extremes, be it 
> the good cause or the evil cause, because only extreme convictions 
and 
> extreme actions will comply with the principles they have set for 
> themselves.
> 
> You can still see it with Snape as a teacher. He keeps his classes 
> under control by order and obedience, too, and the worst thing that 
> could happen to him is students undermining his authority. Think of 
> his reaction in and after the Shrieking Shack scene in PoA. What a 
> humiliation that must have been.
> 
> Snape wants his students to accept his authority over them as much 
as 
> he is ready to accept that of his superiors over him. Right, he 
does 
> criticise Dumbledore if he thinks he is too lenient, but always in 
> quite a polite way. He insists on adressing him very formally at 
all 
> times, never speaks ill of Dumbledore behind his back, and always 
> accepts his decisions in the end. 
> 
> 
> James, on the other hand, got all the respect and recognition he 
could 
> ask for, from his fellow students as well as his teachers, but he 
was 
> a rule-breaker and trouble-maker all the same. He just always got 
away 
> with it. I think that put Snape´s sense of justice to a hard test. 
It 
> just didn´t fit with his view of the world that you could break 
every 
> rule within your reach to pieces and still become a celebrated Head 
> boy and Quidditch hero and get the most attractive girl in the 
year. 
> He wasn´t only evious or jealous of James. James, with his actions 
> and his successes, upset Snape´s whole world.
> 
> And Harry does just the same.

I agree with just about everything you say, but one other aspect has 
just occurred to me.  What about fairness and justice?  Snape finds 
it extremely unfair that James and Harry, who are (or were) so 
popular, should get away with so much.  This much is clear.  What 
concerns me about his pre-occupation with rules and  justice is that 
in a way, it flies out of the window when Harry is concerned.  He 
uses it as a camouflage for needlessly punishing Harry and his 
friends.  Does Snape think that he is redressing the balance?  There 
are numerous occasions when Harry is treated very unfairly by Snape, 
and I feel that if Snape was so rigorously concerned with rules, 
rather than just trying to get his own back, he would not behave in 
such a way.


(Of course, there is an equal number of occasions when Snape is 
justified, if a little misguided.  After all, we know that in Harry's 
case the cause usually justifies the means, but clearly Snape cannot 
be expected to see this at the time).

Does everyone think that Snape will start to cut Harry a little slack 
in the next book (and vice versa)?  I have a feeling it will begin by 
their ignoring one another, rather than deliberately being 
antagonising.

Catherine