Eileen Pince

[wynnleaf]

No: HPFGUIDX 156246


> abergoat wrote:   
> I agree, and Harry IS like his father in many important ways although
> it was bad of Snape to make that assumption (if he did so) because I
> suspect that Harry does not have the James traits that Snape hated the
> most...namely the arrogance and the need to show off. 
 
> 
> Joe: Am I the only one who thinks that what Snape really disliked
about James was how easy it was for James to become popular and well
liked? The kind of anger Snape holds on to isn't just dislike, it's
jealousy. I mean, i'ts crazy going to end up on Jerry Springer jealousy.
>    
> I just find it hard to believe that Snape got so mad about a boy
showing off when all boys show off. I feel fairly certain Snape did it
in Potions classes.

wynnleaf

We only have one scene where James and Snape are seen interacting --
only one scene where we see James as a teenager.  In that scene, James
uses bullying and cowardly actions toward Snape as a way of *showing
off.*  I think that's important to Snape's view of him.  In the
Snape's Worst Memory scene, James isn't just playing with the snitch
to show off, or messing with his hair.  We get to see him in the midst
of hexing Snape and taking moments to look over at the girls and see
their reaction.  I was just reading over this numerous times
yesterday, when I wrote up my post on the bullying behavior of James
and Sirius in that scene.  As I looked at it point by point, one thing
that struck me was that James was *using* his treatment of Snape as a
way of showing off to the girls, and in particularly Lily.  

I think this is really crucial to understanding why Snape hated James'
"arrogance" so much.  It's one thing to watch another boy showing off
with the snitch or messing with his hair.  Snape might look down on
that, or think "how stupid," but I doubt if that would inspire hatred
-- it's just not important enough.  But if the other boy uses
ridiculing you and bullying you in public as a means of showing off --
making you a public exhibition for his entertainment *and* to show the
girls what a *cool* guy he is -- well, yeah, I can understand hating
someone for that.  

I'm curious as to why JKR has given us just one big scene with James
and that he's sooo awful in the scene.  Sure we see a sort of shade of
James at the end of GOF, but it's not really even him -- DD says it's
not even his ghost.  We don't actually get a scene with a likable James.

wynnleaf