OFH! Snape again. WAS: Straightforward readings?

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 140865


> houyhnhnm: 
> > The real test for Snape would have come when Dumbledore arrived
> > back at the castle, poisoned, with no successful Draco plot, no
> > DE's in the castle.  Would Snape have tried to save Dumbledore's
> > life or not? We'll never know and neither will Snape.  Hence
> > the "DON'T CALL ME COWARD!"
> 
> Jen: That comment & the entire moment still bother me from a 
> narrative perspective (I think that's the right term). Other people 
> have mentioned how the howling dog in the background was meant to 
> bring up Padfoot, and I guess Snape's betrayl of Sirius? But I read 
> that moment as *Snape* being compared to the howling dog in pain 
and 
> found it poignant. Anyone have a thought on this? 
> 

zgirnius:
People may of course make what they will of the symbolism of there 
being an actual howling dog in the background. But the text presents 
it your way, so I'd say we would have to agree Snape is being 
compared to the dog, whatever other meanings it might have.

I quote:

"DON'T-" screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, 
as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in 
the burning house behind them - "CALL ME COWARD".

Now, finding it poignant or otherwise is of course left up to the 
reader. I can see some readers having more of a "yeah, take that, 
Snape!" reaction, based on some of the posts I have read in the 
group ;-).


I'm on the fence about whether Snape has remained loyal to DD 
throughout, or whether the UV put too much pressure on him and he 
killed DD to save himself. But I personally find it impossible to 
think Snape wanted to kill DD, or planned it from the start. He may 
have done it, but he was *not* happy about it. And this moment you 
bring up is one of the major reasons I feel this way. 

It's not the accusation of cowardice per se that gets to him. I'm not 
the first to point out that Harry has already made that accusation 
earlier in their exchange, and just got an insult about his father 
thrown back at him. The difference, to me, is that the second 
instance occurs when Harry is defenseless, and says "Kill me like you 
killed him, you coward-" which to me, and I believe to Snape, evokes 
the killing of Dumbledore (who was also defenseless). 

I personally have been guessing Snape did act to save his own life, 
in which case he agrees with Harry about the cowardice of his own 
actions. Hence the strong reaction, such an insult obviously stings 
more when it coincides with one's own opinions.  

Although I really find the suggestion of houyhnhnm above pretty neat 
as well. That after making the Vow Snape has wondered himself whether 
he would have the guts to make the "right choice" of dying, but finds 
in the end that circumstances have made the issue rather murkier than 
he expected it would be. So he'll never know if he would under other 
circumstances have acted differently. Actually, I even more like the 
idea that Snape is not entirely sure *why* he did it. As houyhnhnm 
lays out, Snape possibly knew some good reasons that made his killing 
of DD necessary. But he might harbor nagging doubts as to whether 
those reasons were *really* why he acted...