Snape as father figure, was Sirius as Father Figure

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 130925

Amanda wrote earlier: 
> Let's stir the anthill. 

<SNIP>
> Father figures =/= love, necessarily. I think the one that Harry 
will grow
> closer to--and please note I do *not* say love, or even like--is 
Snape.
> Snape and Harry are the ones who need to see each other for 
themselves, and
> not for the emotional associations they represent.
> 
> Snape has been a consistent male authority figure from day one. He
> represents a critical aspect of "father": the authority, the 
disciplinarian,
> the existing Power whose standards and restrictions the child 
rebels
> against. He's the father who won't listen; who doesn't seem to 
care; who
> sets rules and allows no excuses; whose rules seem to be arbitrary 
and mean;
> who is *always there.*

<SNIP>
 And as
> soon as he admits to himself that Snape may have some non-Harry 
reason for
> his actions, I think he will begin to realize how valuable (I do 
not say
> pleasant) the lessons he has learned from Snape really are--but we 
have not
> seen this potential in Harry yet. 
<SNIP> 
>If Harry had to realize that Snape was no longer there, I think the 
loss and shock would be as great. It would not be a hole defined by 
love; but it would be a tremendous hole--the disappearance of 
someone who represented such a large investment of emotion over so 
long a time. The loss of Snape would devastate Harry. I suspect it 
would take something that catastrophic to shock Harry into a 
different view of Snape.


Alla:

Hmmm, I remember last time we had discussion about Snape as father 
figure in Harry's life and I concede that he can be seen  as a "rule 
enforcer" plot wise - unfair, arbitrary, but rules enforcer 
nevertheless. 

I am sorry, I still cannot call him father figure, even simply as 
his plot function - I understand it on the intellectual level, but 
simply cannot make myself to do so :-). To me - he is the one who 
abuses Harry on the regular basis and I am uncapable to call child 
abuser ( which is of course my opinion  and my opinion only) a 
father figure for such child.

 But I think you are going further than simply analysing Snape's 
plot function, right? You are arguing bond between them on the 
emotional 
level, correct? 

What can I say? It is indeed possible  that Snape became constant in 
Harry's world in a negative sort of way, but I honestly doubt  that 
Snape's loss would devastate Harry, IF nothing would change between 
them till the end.

So, Harry would be surprised that somebody who hated him for so long 
is not here anymore. I think he would get over such surprise fast 
enough, or at least I hope so ( that is if Harry himself survives of 
course).

So far, the only valuable lesson ( IMO only) which Snape gave to 
Harry is NOT to be like him , NOT hold grudges against dead people 
and  especially their kids, NOT become bitter at the world,and at 
least try to forgive, if not your enemies than at least their 
children, who really did not do anything to you.

I suppose those kind of lessons ARE valuable indeed ( I am not 
being  sarcastic here)

To conclude, I see what you are saying in the general kind of sense 
( and it does not come as a surprise to me - I have read some of 
Snape as Harry's father fanfiction ), but I think that Harry 
deserves REAL kind of father figure, the one which would love him, 
NOT hate him, even if such bond of hatred is one of the stable 
things in Harry's life so far. 

Just my opinion,

Alla.