Understanding Snape

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 90994

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jim Ferer" <jferer at y...> wrote:
> Severus Snape is the worst good guy in the HP universe, an 
> intimidating, angry, misanthropic man.  He appears to have been on 
> the outside looking in since his own school days, an outcast and 
> disliked figure who turned out to be on the right side when it came 
> down to genuine evil.  All this makes him a fascinating character.
> 
> After OotP, I think I understand him at last.  Snape, I believe, is a 
> classic social phobic.
>
Kneasy:
I'm a Snape-aholic myself,  but IMO trying to slot him into a profiling
pigeon-hole is premature. There are too many blanks and alternative
interpretations for what we *think*  we know of his past.
You need to define the term 'social phobic'. Our Sevvy does very well 
in social gatherings - generally by manipulating them for his own 
purposes.
He is extremely self-confident and professionally competent. His 
contempt for others gives him an edge that few can blunt and he uses
it with skill. 
I also  seem to remember that someone in canon (Sirius?) states that 
Snape's friends nearly all ended up as DEs. So the 'outcast' label may
need modification.

Jim:
> How are social phobics made?  One way is tension at home, and we see 
> in Snape's memories that he had that, unable to bear the scenes of 
> his father verbally abusing his mother. Cold, rejecting parenting is 
> a major precursor to severe shyness, and Snape's home life makes that 
> likely (but not certain).
>

Kneasy:
I'm in a very small minority in this, but I'm not so sure that this memory
is of his parents; I think Snape is the adult, that what we see is Snape's
family and that they are the reason he splits from Voldemort. And if there's
one thing Snape isn't, it's shy. 

Jim: 
> Another way to make a shy:  not fitting in. Snape's always been 
> described as this greasy, unkempt kid who showed up at school knowing 
> far too much about the Dark Arts. He probably wasn't Mr. Popularity, 
> was he? (Any parent who sends their kid to school unkempt is hurting 
> that kid.)

Kneasy:
He's so described by his 'enemies'. OK, we all  know he  has  lank, greasy
hair - but unkempt? I presume your're on about the grey underwear, that
was exposed after  end of term exams and I doubt his parents had any
influence over his personal hygiene once he got on the Hogwarts Express.

Jim: 
> Brick on the load 3: bullying and humiliation. We don't know how much 
> James and the others bullied him, but the Lawn Scene wasn't the first 
> time, apparently, and they humiliated him pretty thoroughly. It's a 
> scene to make you cringe, especially if you grew up shy like I did.

Kneasy:
Yes, he does appear to be a target for James and Sirius, but he's not 
helpless -  he uses a spell to draw blood from James's face. This may be
just an episode in an on-going war, but the way Sirius blusters in the 
face of Snape's tauntings in Grimmaud Place, plus the fact that he was
supposed to know so much Dark Magic at school, adds weight to the 
idea that he would be a handful for any of the Marauders on their own. 

Jim: 
> Snape's misanthropy seems more general that that, but if you look at 
> his behavior through the lens of severe shyness it starts making 
> sense. He's been denied the pursuit of happiness, and it colors 
> everything.  Dumbledore was probably one of the few people ever to 
> treat him with anything like real acceptance as opposed to the Death 
> Eaters' phony acceptance.
> 
> You can't avoid compassion for Snape after seeing the scenes of his 
> earlier life.

Kneasy:
Yep, he probably is a misanthrope; so what? So am I on even dates (on
odd dates I'm a cynic), I'm of a solitary disposition, dislike socialising
and would prefer all children to be locked away until they can conduct
an adult conversation. And guess what? I'm contented. So is Snape IMO,
*except* he  has an agenda to sort out with Voldy. Snape is *not* good.
He has joined the Order  for his own reasons and they are nothing to do
with spreading sweetness and light. They are to do with revenge. All his
natural friends and allies are on the other side, so why isn't he with 
them? He is in the Order, where nobody likes him and he doesn't like 
them. Don't you think that's a bit odd? He's only tolerated because DD
insists and only DD knows why Snape is so trustworthy in his opposition
to Voldy. It's something so powerful and all-consuming that despite his
past, despite his attitude, despite his natural inclinations, he can be
trusted *totally*.

I like Snape, but I have no compassion for him at all. I think that if it was
offered he would respond with icy contempt. He doesn't want to make 
friends, he's not interested in healing old wounds or making amends.
He'll nurse a grudge 'till it dies of old age, then dig it up and do it all
over again. No, 'social phobic'  is not it; rather he gives the impression
of a tightly focussed, calculating individual, unconcerned about the 
opinions of others and who sees the Order as a means to an end.

The closest literary parallel I can come up with is Capt. Ahab. 
He'll probably come to the same sort of end, too.