[HPforGrownups] Snape? A father figure? Ewwwwww

[Hana]

No: HPFGUIDX 37999

Carole said:

>Sure he protects Harry in SS because of some twisted sense of 
>obligations to satisfy a life debt.  But come on....Snape has 
>ridiculed, taunted, and just been wholly unpleasant to Harry and his 
>friends, how can you possible suggest that he's been "a true father 
>figure"  He's not showing Harry how to love or be loved. Most of the 
>time he appears to be a seething mass of resentment towards Harry. >He isn't offering any guidance through the perils of the wizarding 
>world.  He hasn't offered Harry anything overtly except malice and 
>sarcasm.  What kind of example is JKR setting up if she intends >Snape to be a father figure to Harry?  Seems to me he's trying to >get Harry expelled at first possible convenience.

I both agree and disagree with this.  Snape is ~not~ a loving father-figure, unless there are a lot of things going on in his head that we don't know about yet (which is distinctly possible knowing JKR). It's hard to say what his motivations are for treating Harry as he does simply because we really only get Harry's perspective and Harry's understandably biased in this.  

One explanation for his protectiveness of Harry is his "life debt" to James.  Is that all?  I have no idea because we have little background on Snape.  We do know that Snape is a former Death Eater who knows how Voldemort treats people and knows what Harry has to expect from fighting him.  The way he treats Harry could be a harsh way to force him to mature so that he'll survive any encounters with the Dark Lord.  If everyone coddles Harry and treats him like the "wonderful boy who lived" then would he really be prepared for the harshness of dealing with Voldemort? Isn't that part of Dumbledore's reasoning for leaving Harry with the Dursleys?  He didn't want Harry to grow up being treated like he was special (though I don't know if he expected the level of abuse that Harry grew up with, but then again, the abuse made him a stronger person who is less likely to go for the "power-hungry, bully" type people and more for the "defender-of-the-weak" type ones).    

The same goes for getting expelled to some extent.  If Harry gets expelled, he won't be a threat to Voldemort due to lack of magic and he may not become a target (especially if he vanishes into the Muggle world).  Now, I admit that this second line of reasoning is flawed, and is a lot less likely since Voldemort might want to hunt Harry down simply for revenge, but it is still a possibility.

>Yes Sirius is only able to appear occasionally, but look at the 
>interaction between them.  Harry trusts him to ask advice, goes to 
>him for support guidance.  Sirius Listens to Harry without malice 
>without ridicule and abuse.  I'm sorry but for a rle model Sirius is 
>a bit more Fatherly than anything I've seen out of Snape.

Definately.  The ultimate father-figure seems to be becomming Black's role, but it's hard to tell with JKR because she likes throwing in plot twists.  

When comparing the two, Snape is like a hated step-father usurping the role belonging to Black perhaps (again, simply speculation).

I am curious to see who will play more of a fatherly role in Harry's life in the future -- Snape (hated-stepfather), Black (cool dad), or Arthur Weasley (more of an uncle?).  I'm not sure about Arthur, but I do know that Molly Weasley definately gets the mother-figure role. That could be seen starting up in PS/SS and very definately by the end of GoF.  If Harry starts spending a lot of time with the Weasleys then Arthur's importance to Harry may grow (but I see it more as an uncle role myself than father, but you never know).

---
--Hana
"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high 
and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."  Michelangelo 

Words to live by "Semper ubi sub ubi" 
(::grins:: always wear under wear)


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