Sadistic!Snape? (was:Snape's canon opposite/ Proving loyalty...)

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 140248

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lealess" <lealess at y...> wrote:

<snip>

> When you paint one teacher with a "bad" brush, it may be instructive
> to look at others teaching for similar reasons.  Trelawney and 
> Hagrid, voluntarily teachers but perhaps even as ill-suited as 
> Snape, according to Harry and his friends, teach at Hogwarts for 
> Dumbledore's reasons.  Trelawney continuously forecasts Harry's 
> doom.  If he took her more seriously, this might be considered 
> abuse.  Hagrid subjects his students to very real potential harm, 
> all with the best intentions.  Are we told how many continuing 
> students he has in Harry's sixth year?

I think this discussion is missing something of the point.  The 
primary issue is not whether Snape is a good or bad teacher.  It's 
about the deliberateness of his actions, but the charge of *sadism* 
is even more about his attitudes.  It's a simple question, really: 
does he actually *enjoy* the distress of others?

McGonagall is strict, but she never gives the impression of 
strictness as personal gratification--she also doesn't target 
students on any kind of personal grounds.  Hagrid may endanger the 
students, but he doesn't do it intentionally and then derive pleasure 
from their unease.

JKR tells us that Snape is sadistic, and I think that's generally 
borne out.  He doesn't send Black and Lupin to the Dementors 
ultimately--but he sure enjoys watching them twist for a while.  He 
targets Harry's Quidditch priviledges after the Deathday scene in 
CoS, something that would hit at McGonagall but also deprive Harry of 
a chief pleasure.  He sits back and watches and enables Draco in 
Potions class.  He sets Harry a punishment in HBP that he thinks is 
going to be particularly upsetting to Harry.  He singles out Neville 
in a public situation, so that the kid can squirm in the view of the 
entire class.

Does Snape enjoy being in power and exercising it over inferiors?  I 
could list more evidence, but I think there's a good case to be made 
for it.  (It's JKR who talks about the character as 'abusing' his 
power.)  Does this have any bearing on other issues regarding his 
character and actions?  Could, or could not.

-Nora isn't above some good old-fashioned Schadenfreude herself, and 
notes that there's a funny book on the subject