Snape and Harry WAS Re: Pensieves objectivity AND: Dumbledore's integrity

[urghiggi]

No: HPFGUIDX 79799

Melpomene wrote:
>> If my son (13) had come home whining that a 
> teacher had tossed him (physically) out of his office, I'd ask 
> him "What did YOU do to deserve that?"
> If the answer was, "Read his diary the minute he was called out of 
> his office on an emergency" you can rest assured a jar of roaches 
> would have been the LEAST of his worries. You'd be amazed how fast a 
> kid can march when followed by an irate parent. Severus Snape has 
> nothing on a p*ss*d off Mom. 
{snip}> 
> But this is likely generational. When I was in school if we got in 
> trouble we got in trouble again, worse, at home. Now (and I work in a 
> school, I see this every day) if a student so much as looks at a 
> student cross-eyed (in the student's opinion) we have parent's 
> marching into the office with lawyers.>>


urghiggi replied:
You go, girl! Snape is an annoying amalgam of big nasty git and hero, and 
damn, it's tough to constantly be wrestling with the contrasts. But fun, for sure.

Harry, alas, has never had a decent parent to teach him this whole "respect 
your elders" stuff -- no decent parent, period, at least not one he's ever been 
able to live with. Thus he's having to figure out so many behavior cues on his 
own; it doesn't surprise me that the result sometimes is a mess. And heaven 
knows he's usually come out smelling like a rose when he's broken the school 
rules, which of course breeds a healthy disregard for ALL rules. ("It's a war, 
dammit, it's the end of the world, dammit, why do you want me to follow your 
stinkin' rules, SIR?")

I can understand why Harry behaves the way he does re:Snape, occlumency, 
and pensieve. Esp in OoP he sees himself as a free agent in many respects, 
considering that his mentor Dumbledore has clammed up on him, and his 
mentor Sirius is inaccessible. When you're 15 it's pretty easy to discount all 
authority figures if there is not a parent or other benign guardian RIGHT IN 
YOUR FACE continuing to listen/guide, and Harry has no guide other than his 
own conscience and the voices of his peers, particularly Hermione. If you're at 
a stage where you doubt even your most benign elders, you're sure going to 
discount malevolent ones even more.

I don't condone the behavior of Snape. He's a mess. But I strongly agree with 
those who say it's not a complete solution to lay all the blame on Snape 
because he's a sadistic jerk. Clearly the primary function of OoP was Harry's 
progress through the arc of developing ego, conflict, subsequent painful 
humiliation, and (I hope) maturation. If he's going to be a credible leader 
these stages were necessary. (And I'm part of the "dumbledore must die or at 
least disappear" crowd, so the need for Harry to become a less me-centered, 
less impulsive, more self-controlled, and more credible leader is acute.)

urghiggi, Chgo