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

[Lyda Clunas]

No: HPFGUIDX 16107

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., lea.macleod at g... wrote:
<snip>
>> Snape is a man who is obsessed with authority. 
> It´s what keeps him sane and what keeps him going. It´s where he  
>  gets his self-esteem from. It´s what provides him his place in the 
>  world. 
> 
> I also think that was what impressed him about Voldemort and what 
>  made him join the DE. Their inner organisation is based on 
> hierarchy, on orders and obedience, and for someone looking for 
> respect and recognition at all costs, that sort of system is very 
> inviting (just a side thought - that´s exactly why I think Percy 
> Weasley will go over to the dark side, too).
> 
> 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.<<

Anyone in the Snapefans eGroup has already heard me discuss on this 
topic. :)

SNAPE AND AUTHORITY

I agree. Snape is completely ruled by order and authority; I've seen 
some people with the idea that Severus actually has no real desire 
for power; that he joined the DEs for the explicit reason of becoming 
a spy for Dumbledore. I personally can't see this view at all; I 
think Snape is very much obsessed with power-- not like Voldemort's 
power, but the authority power, to enforce rules and order, two 
things which he highly values in himself and others.

I concur that this madness with order and structure probably did 
encourage him to join with the DEs; I imagine that the sort of 
heirarchical appeal of Voldemort's circle (as well as the Dark Arts; 
you can't deny that Severus was probably very, very deep into the 
Dark Arts already, considering he knew so much about curses and hexes 
when he was at the tender age of 11) was what led him to enter as a 
DE. And yes, it will be Percy's downfall as well, IMO.  

Severus is a man who will not tolerate defiance of his authority. He 
also dislikes seeing weakness in others who have authority, which 
would explain his polite critisism of Dumbledore when he feels that 
the "Headmaster" is being to lenient. I think that certain weakness 
is another characteristic that Snape severly denounces and cannot 
tolerate, in himself and in others. 

>> James, with his actions and his successes, upset Snape´s whole 
> world.
> 
> And Harry does just the same.<<

It is my belief that he sees the defiance of authority that so marked 
James' (and now Harry's) character as a type of weakness; he views it 
as weak and dishonorable of a person to not show proper respect to 
authority, and even worse when the person is still rewarded for their 
abject disregard for the rules which so govern Severus' life. It does 
indeed "upset Snape's whole world", especially in Harry's case, since 
the authority Harry defies is Snape himself. Thus, Harry is just 
that "nasty little boy" who has no concern for the rules that 
*should* be obeyed.

However, I also have another personal and completely unfounded reason 
for Snape's utter loathing of Harry, but that is for another time and 
another post. :)

Lyda