Authority and rule-breaking

[Andrea]

No: HPFGUIDX 16247

--- catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk wrote:
> It's a few years since I've read the book/seen the
> musical, but 
> doesn't Inspector Javert commit suicide, partly
> because he realises 
> that his behaviour and regard for crime and
> punishment has lead to 
> obsession and miscarriage of justice (or at least
> not proportionate 
> justice), and that ultimately his behaviour has been
> inhumane?

That was never how I saw it...I'm more familiar with
the musical than the book, so this is where I draw
most of my references to.  But in his song "Stars", he
talks about everything having its place and its
purpose, and how the stars fill the chaos "with order
and light".  Javert sees himself as a star, filling
the chaos of the world with the order of the law.  And
"those who falter and those who fall must pay the
price."  Javert's suicide was because he faltered in
that duty and didn't apprehend Valjean when he had him
at his mercy.

"Must I now allow this man to hold dominion over me?" 
Javert literally cannot comprehend of the idea of
letting this criminal, this element of chaos, hold the
debt of his life.  Valjean upset the entire element of
Javert's universe - Javert believed in order to chaos,
in following your set path, whereas Valjean showed
that a man could rise above his station and be truly
good even after being branded a criminal.  Valjean
believed that his sins would be forgiven by God and he
could do good work on earth, but Javert believed that
a man was either good or evil and God could not allow
both.

"I should have perished by his hand.  It was his
right.  It was my right to die as well."  Javert
believed in the set order of things.  He was hunting a
desperate criminal.  There could be only two possible
outcomes - Valjean or Javert.  Either he would capture
or kill Valjean, or he would die trying. "There is
nothing on earth that we share.  It is either Valjean
or Javert."  He couldn't handle the total upset to his
world that Valjean provided, and so took the "right"
that had been denied to him.  "I'll escape now from
that world, the world of Jean Valjean."

Relating this all back to Professor Snape...<g>
I think the relationship between Snape and the
Potters, jr and sr, is very much like the one between
Javert and Valjean.  As has been already explained
very eloquently, Snape is very much dependent on the
thought of authority and rules to define his world. 
James Potter, and later his son, was the very
antithesis to that worldview.  

Snape believes that the world does (or should) reward
those who follow the rules, like Javert does.  Yet he
sees time and again that this irreverent rulebreaker
gets the rewards - good grades, post of Head Boy, the
beautiful girl, and the immense trust of someone like
Dumbledore.  And then James had the nerve to actually
save his life!  He tries to get around this by telling
himself that James was in on the prank all along and
so it wasn't *really* saving his life, but he knows
down inside that he owes an immense debt to James that
can never be repaid.  (Especially since James is now
dead...killed by Voldemort during a time when Snape
was working for him, at least outwardly.  Hmm...)

Because of this parallel to Javert, I do see Snape as
dying a hero's death in Book 6 or 7.  He sees it as
one final way to balance the scales between him and
the Potters, and as proof that *his* world view really
is correct. It's his right to die and he's going to
make sure he gets his right!


Andrea II


PS - It's occurred to me that I've written a *LOT* of
posts in a very short time of being a list member.  I
just want to say thanks to all of you wonderful people
for analyzing these things with me and giving me a
place to get my HP fix and argue out all these points.
 You're the best! :)

=====
"Reality is for people who lack imagination."

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