Snape's Rage at Being Called Coward : No, just a coward

[vivamus42]

No: HPFGUIDX 172154

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Sherry Gomes <sherriola at ...> wrote:
>
> Vivamus wrote:
> He fully expects to die doing what he believes is right, damned
forever with
> no redemption by everyone on both sides, including Harry.
> It is probably the bravest act by any character in the entire
series, for he
> cannot even take comfort in being called a hero when he dies. He is
doing
> these things FOR Harry, and yet Harry himself calls him a coward. No
wonder
> he is enraged.
> 
> JKR said a long time ago that SS was a "deeply horrible" person, or
> something like that. This fits it, and finally exposes a full set of
> motivations for him, that fit everything we've seen him do so far.
> 
> So, what do you all think of "Brave Snape" as a theory?
> 
> vmonte:
> How does being deeply horrible equate to being brave? I think Snape is a
> coward. some people don't like being told the truth. Especially when
it's
> something negative.
> 
> 
> 
> Sherry now:
> 
> I can never accept murder being considered an act of bravery.  I
think Snape
> reacted with such rage because he knew he acted out of cowardice. 
He saved
> his own neck and murdered an old man, the one person who had stood
by him
> for years.  not very brave in my opinion.  
> 
> Sherry

Vivamus again:

I guess that all depends on whether it was in fact murder, or if he
thought he was doing the right thing by killing DD.  If it was in fact
betrayal and murder, I would have to agree with you.  If DD was
pleading with SS to kill him, as is the big question from HBP (and it
does not matter for this if the "please" was about killing DD or
protecting Harry, as it meant SS had to carry out what he had promised
to do) -- if that is the case, then SS was doing the right thing IN
HIS OWN ESTIMATION.  

Even if what he did was something the entire WW world would reject,
including everyone here on this list, if SS thought it was the right
thing to do, then it was bravery, not cowardice.

Going a step further from that, is it possible to be both brave and
evil?   Hmm, interesting philosophical question and outside this list,
but I would argue that it IS possible, and an evil person can still
conquer their fears and accomplish their evil goals by doing so, which
is what I think of as bravery.   

In that case, it would be bravery even if SS were Ever So Evil and
following his own ends.

Going back to vmonte's comment, I don't think being deeply horrible
equates to being brave at all, but they are not related.  I think SS
is deeply horrible because he has this very believable but highly
twisted motivation that lets him hate and torment Harry while working
to save his life.  If the theory is right, it is hard to imagine a
life more horrible than that, with all his dreams gone forever, having
to live with the knowledge that he betrayed the only person (Lily) he
ever loved to her death, and having to serve (probably how SS sees it)
the son of James, who (we have to admit) is every bit as arrogant as
his father in some ways.  (That's looking at it from Snape's
perspective, not the books'.)

SS is also extremely brave, because he has chosen this very narrow and
lonely life for himself, without the faintest hope of redemption in
anyone else's eyes.  He is doing this for his own sense of personal
honor, even though he hates himself more than he ever hated Harry, or
even LV.  

While I still despise Severus Snape as a character because of the way
he has chosen to take out his pain on Harry, the very courage of the
man takes my breath away.

Vivamus