Father - figures (Was: Snape the Father)

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 38009

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "archgarchus" <Kimstr at h...> wrote:
> Dear Everyone,
> 
>   Nice discussion we got here. Let me first say that I appreciate 
> Amanda's well-researched archive hunt for Father/Snape references. 
> 
>  Yes, Snape is the negative father. He's the one who yells at you 
for 
> getting an F, for coming in late, etc... Yet, with time you come to 
> understand that as much as you may have resented it, this "father" 
> was acting only in your own interest. That is part of the 
maturation 
> process and it is why I believe that it is only in Book 7 (the 
> concluding book, the most mature that we will ever see Harry) that 
> Harry will understand that Snape is not the heartless wonder he 
> appears to be. In fact, the story will be even more poignant when 
> Snape's true motivations will be revealed. Just because a father 
> figure is not "Ward Cleaver" does not mean that he is not a father 
> figure.
> 

I wonder if JKR hasn't set up various adult males to exhibit 
differenct aspects of the father-figure simply as a way to underline 
what Harry is missing in his life.  There is no one male, at this 
point in the series, that combines all or many of the aspects that a 
father can have. Which, of course, let's us discuss forever what 
personality traits of which character make him a father-figure for 
Harry.

Of course we have no way of knowing if James would have been a good, 
all-around dad - one who is loving and kind, yet who still provides 
discipline and order, and expects his kid will listen to him and not 
grow up into some sort of spoiled brat.  And since Harry apparently
knows so little about his parents, his view of James at this point 
strikes me as completely positive and thus, somewhat unrealistic.  He 
doesn't associate James with any sort of bad or questionable 
behavior - leaving out whatever negative comments Snape makes about 
James in Harry's hearing, but Harry tends to discount those.

It's possible that Harry has never had the thought that, had his 
parents lived, he would have had disagreements and arguments with 
them, like most kids do as they mature.  The adult males that he has 
the most serious disagreements with tend to be those men he dislikes, 
like Uncle Vernon and Snape. Since Harry does not have any warm and 
fuzzy feelings for these people, he's less likely to see that 
anything they say or do is for his own benefit.

Harry does react like a typical kid when Sirius takes him to task in 
GoF for walking off into the forest with Krum and demands that Harry 
promise not to do anything like that again.  "Who's he to lecture me 
about being out-of-bounds...after all the stuff he did at school?"
But, Harry is only mildy miffed at this; whereas had Snape said the 
same thing to him, Harry would have been very annoyed.  

Marianne