Snape as father figure

[prncssme]

No: HPFGUIDX 130971

 
> Sherry now:
> The way I read Snape's efforts to save Harry is a little different.  First
> of all, he feels indebted to James for saving his life and believes he must
> repay that by saving Harry's.  That isn't necessarily honorable or done out
> of Harry's best interest.  It's Snape's best interest.  
*snip*
 Again, a sign of his immaturity in not being able to see
> that the son is not the father.  He can never truly have Harry's best
> interest at heart, till he lets go of that old hate and recognizes that
> Harry is not James.


Princess Sara:

You've brought up two interesting points here and I must admit, I'd almost completely 
forgotten about the life debt thing. I agree, the instinct to protect Harry may have initially 
risen from a feeling of obligation because of the debt owed to James. However, if Snape 
truly loathed Harry as much as has been assumed, I don't know that he would have 
continued doing so for five years. Saving him from Quirrell probably would have cleared 
Snape's questionable conscience and as James is dead, who was going to bring it up 
again? My interpretation: Snape actually cares if Harry dies.

Your second argument is eerily familiar to the Sirius=father figure debate. Do Severus and 
Sirius recognize that Harry is not James? I'm going to argue that they both do. However, as 
in Sirius' case, Harry's strong resemblance to James causes expectations that are difficult 
to control or analyze. While Sirius expects Harry to be as mischievious as James, Snape 
expects him to be as arrogant as James. While we, the audience, know that Harry isn't as 
arrogant or attention-seeking as James, when has Harry ever given Snape reason to 
believe otherwise? Even in Oop, when they have the most personal contact, Harry's 
demands sound very much like, "I'm the famous Harry Potter and I deserve to know 
everything." Harry's continual rule-breaking, while good intentioned and required at times, 
is just another comparison Snape can draw to his father.

Now, is Snape a *good* father figure? Just like Sirius, Snape is lacking a few necessary 
characteristics to qualify for that position. However, just as Harry learned about love from 
Sirius, he can learn about control for Snape. And yes, I do believe that Snape is incredibly 
controlled until pushed. How else could he have survived being a spy? So, in conclusion, I 
still maintain that he had Harry's best interests at heart.

- Princess Sara