[HPforGrownups] Why did Snape react so angrily to being called a 'Coward' ??

[Gregory Lynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 133937

On 7/21/05, plittleuk <plittleuk at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> Haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else (apologies if I have missed
> it) but the manner in which Snape reacted to Harry calling hime a
> coward when he was trying to escape the grounds seemed very OTT to me.
> 
> Think about it - if he was really desperate to escape the scene as
> quickly as possible, having someone (particularly Harry) question his
> courage would be hardly likely to slow him down would it ?
> 
> The reaction "DON'T CALL ME A COWARD...." in my eyes could be
> construed along the lines of 'if only you understood the things that I
> have done, am doing and will do for you, you would not call me a
> coward'.
> 
> This was the biggest indicator for me that Snape is on the side of
> good - I found it a very odd thing to make a point of taking Harry to
> task on at such a time when he had to get away.
> 
> 
> plittleuk


Just one theory, but I think it's plausible.

After Snape tells Voldemort about the Prophecy, Voldemort tells Snape
to go kill the Potters.  Snape discovers that it isn't in him to
murder people in cold blood like that and Voldemort calls him a coward
and does it himself.  Perhaps it is then that Snape goes to Dumbledore
with an offer to spy partly because he realizes he's not willing to be
as evil as Voldemort and partly because he wants to prove to himself
and everyone else that he isn't a coward.

And then for the child he despises, and whose life he has saved or
tried to save on more than one occasion to call him a coward after he
has done the least cowardly thing of his life, well, it would probably
send me off the end too.



-- 
Gregory Lynn