Snape's nastiness (Was; Worst of Snape)

[anavenc]

No: HPFGUIDX 32859


Pippin wrote:
< Isn't it odd that everyone is willing to forgive Sirius for his 
excesses, even a physical attack on a student, but Snape's 
sneer at Hermione is nominated for the worst thing he ever did?

I wholeheartedly agree.  A hurtful remark and near-murder (which 
Sirius seemingly got away with; actually we don't know for sure if he 
did) are totally different things.  
Snape's behaviour is subject to so much scrutiny from HP readers, 
that his smallest misdeeds are IMHO hyped up a lot.  We all have done 
much worse things in our lives  than hurting somebody's feelings with 
a nasty remark.

I regard Snape's infamously horrible attitude in the classroom as a 
result of his inferiority complex which, I believe, is caused by 
earlier and less obvious problems than MMVP tormenting him at school 
or his joining DEs.  For some reason, I think, he has always thought 
of himself as worse than anybody else.  (That's why he might easily 
turn out to be a vampire after all! :)) 

Such people have a habit of putting others down because it makes them 
for a moment feeling  better about themselves.  They are often 
actually quite smart and rationally shouldn't have to use such petty 
ways to prove their worthiness or even superiority, but this 
behaviour pattern is anything but rational.  It's neurotic.  Sadly, 
in the long-term, people, behaving like this, become more and more 
unpopular, they come to feeling universally hated, which, of course, 
adds to their inferiority complex. A vicious cycle of sorts... 
So, I think, Snape's nastiness hurts himself  most of all people.  

However, there are instances when Snape's spite really gets in the 
way of his mission, that is protecting Harry/defeating Voldemort. 
Think the case when Harry loses valuable time in front of 
Dumbledore's door, trying to get past Snape.  Harry's mistrust of 
Snape is also caused by the good professor's attitude and, as I 
pointed out in one of my rare posts, leads to very sad consequences 
in GOF. Harry  doesn't even consider confessing Snape whom he really 
saw in Snape's office. A better relationship between these two might 
have gotten Crouch Jr. caught in time.

*Anyhow, it is traumatic to write anything coherent with a toddler 
running a toy train on the keyboard. :)*

Ana.