Snape's hero complex

kiricat2001 Zarleycat at aol.com
Sat Dec 4 14:01:00 UTC 2004


No: HPFGUIDX 119237


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "curlyhornedsnorkack"  wrote:

> If Snape is suffering from a hero complex, it could explain a lot of
> things about him: his pride, his thirst for recognition and respect,
> his actions towards Harry and the Marauders,  why he joined and left
> the death eaters, his willingness to risk his life to fight 
Voldemort,
>  possibly why Dumbledore trusts him, and why he wasn't allowed to be
> DADA teacher. (I write "hero complex", a boring old cliche for 
Harry's
> "problem", on purpose.)

> 
> The following are some proofs of his works as a hero. When Snape 
was a
> student, he worked to expose a werewolf, and to expell some school
> bullies at his own risk. In SS/PS, Snape is the only teacher who 
works
> in the background to save Harry and the stone.  In POA, Dumbledore
> relies on Snape to be in charge of searching for Sirius in the
> building.  In the shrieking shack, Snape thinks he is saving Harry's
> life from Sirius. And of course, Snape has risked his life to spy on
> the Death Eaters.  (The recent message 119077 mentions examples of 
how
> Snape has been a force for good.)

Marianne:

Well, I have a few issues with these.  Snape, as a kid wasn't working 
to expose a werewolf - he wanted to know where Lupin went. In SS/PS, 
other teachers were involved in putting in place the series of tests 
that one had to pass through to get to the Stone.  And, we also have 
evidence that Snape had grave suspicions, if not actual knowledge, 
about what was going on with Quirrel, but there's no evidence that he 
went to DD to let him in on that.  In POA, everyone was involved with 
searhcing the building for Sirius. 

No argument from me on the spy thing.

Curleyhornedsnorkack:

> I've always had a problem imagining Snape  as a realistic character
> because I can't envisage how a grown man could have so much hatred 
for
> a child, because of something that happened in the past, especially 
a
> child orphaned before he even knew his father. I think the problem 
is
> that something current is bothering Snape, and that is that Harry 
is a
> rival Hero who is more successful. 
<snippages >
  But Harry has all the
> glory, almost from birth, for something for which he isn't really
> responsible. It't just not fair, and Snape hates it when people 
don't
> play by the rules.  The degree to which  Snape seems to fixate on
> Harry's celebrity indicates to me that Harry's fame is what bothers
> him most.  

Marianne:

There's something to be said for this. I think, if this is really 
what motivates Snape, it shows a gigantic blind spot on his part 
where Harry's concerned.  Snape seems incapable of seeing beyond 
Harry's celebrity.  He reacts to the perception of "famous Harry 
Potter" rather than to Harry the kid.  Snape may very well thirst for 
respect and acknowledgment of his gifts and what he has done in the 
past towards defeating Voldemort.  He may feel he has never received 
due recognition.  But, what he doesn't get is that Harry does not 
react in the same way.  Harry's encounters with Voldemort have been 
things he's undertaken because he thinks he has to do them at the 
time.  He's not doing them to be famous or lauded or recognized or to 
get an Order of Merlin.  There may very well be a hero-thing going on 
with both characters, but I think Harry is much more reluctant to see 
his actions as achievements worthy of public praise.

Maybe what gets up Snape's nose is that he *does* recognize this 
about Harry, but hates that, in comparison to himself, Harry's 
motives are more self-less.  Harry knows someone is in danger and he 
reacts - he goes to save Ginny in CoS and Sirius in OoP.  He may be 
too impulsive in how he goes about it, but he does it because he 
thinks it must be done.  He doesn't seem to have the hunger for 
recognition and respect Snape has. 

Marianne







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