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

[silverdragon at ezweb.com.au]

No: HPFGUIDX 79858


From: "jwcpgh" <jwcpgh at yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 5:38 AM

>
> Oh, please.  Get real here.  You know perfectly well that Snape threw
> the jar.  Apologetics can get silly after a while.  Even I, Sirius-
> lover that I am, will readily agree that his behavior at Grimmauld
> Place left a lot to be desired.  And yes, Harry was way, way, way out
> of line for looking in the pensieve.  And, yes, you can't help but
> feel sorry for teenage!Snape after seeing the treatment he received
> from James and Sirius.  Still...Snape threw the jar.  Any other
> reading is tortured.
>  No matter what my kid did to a teacher short of imposing physical
> harm, I'd expect the teacher to refrain from touching or otherwise
> physically threatening my kid.  And believe me, I let my kids get
> what's coming to them when they do something wrong.  But there is a
> bright line.


Well I'm certainly not apologising for the behaviour. This *is* a book
character and hence needs no apology, simply for serving the writer's
purpose.
But I agree, the man-handling of a stundent is inexcusable. I was merely
offering the suggestion that we do not, in fact *know* that the jar was
thrown. Would I have been angry enough to throw it? You bet! But it does not
say, for example, in the text that "Snape hurled a jar of cockroaches at
Harry as he fled."  It says a jar exploded. I agree that it's likely that it
was thrown, but I'm offering a suggested, textually derived alternative.

I admit that Snape is my absolute favourite character, but I still agree
that he is petty, mean and small-minded. I *like* the character petty, mean
and small-minded. It leaves a lot of room for development, as well as the
possibility of leaving the character to flounder developmentally when
everyone else is moving on - a contrast suggesting that some people just
*can't* move on. A real-life Snape I'd be itching to slap.

Nox (Snapefan but not a Snape apologist)