Hidden in Plain Sight (was:POA CHAPTER 2 DISCUSSION)

[dzturtleshell]

No: HPFGUIDX 189420

dzturtleshell wrote: 
"Snape on the other hand provided Harry with some balance." <snip> "Can you imagine dealing with an adolescent famous for being "The Chosen One"? Yikes - I think I might try to find a way to keep that kid's head out of the clouds, too!"

Mike responded: 
"I don't know that Snape was so interested in balance as he was in some familial revenge." <snip> 
"Why? What's so wrong with Harry being special? Clearly he is, and yet, as Dumbledore argues to Snape shortly after Harry arrives at Hogwarts, Harry doesn't have his head in the clouds. Harry is respectful towards all of his teachers, even Snape, until Snape berates him enough to elicit a little cheek.

"And who is Severus Snape to decide that the famous Harry Potter needs taking down a notch? Setting aside his abonimable methods for the moment, Snape is Harry's teacher not his psychologist nor even his head of house. If Harry does something wrong, Snape can take house points, give detentions, etc. But Snape goes after Harry for existing, and looking too much like his father." <snip>

dzturtleshell responds now: Oh no! Please don't misunderstand what I was saying! I do feel that Harry is very special, and he does deserve that! A major part of what makes him so special is the fact that he doesn't have his head in the clouds, that he is respectful of everyone, and that he is kind to everyone (including a seemingly crazy house elf that breaks into his house, steals his mail, and gets him into heaps of trouble). 

But, I think a big part of the reason that Harry developed such a kind and caring personality was the oppression under which he was raised. Dumbledore himself said that part of the reason he was leaving Harry with the Dursleys as an infant was because of the overwhelming fame he would have encountered growing up in the wizarding world. 

So, I agree Snape didn't actually have to keep Harry's ego in check, that was already taken care of. But Snape didn't necessarily know Harry's ego had been beaten down brutally by the Dursley's and Snape was unwilling to see Harry for who he was because of his blind hatred and jealousy of James. So, yes, Snape's motive was familial revenge. 

Aside from what Harry needed for personal growth and development, I believe Snape did need to waste of a lot of his time trying to corral Harry's ego simply for the sake of the plot. 
We needed someone who was personally invested in Harry (whether we knew what that investment was or not) to be anxious about, we needed to wonder if Snape was lurking around a corner or reading Harry's mind when he was trying to sneak an illegal dragon off the grounds or something. Snape was always looking for way to prove that Harry was an arrogant, inconsiderate rule-breaker that needed to be brought back down to Earth, and the addition of that to the overall story created a lot of drama and suspense (and sometimes a little comedy) 

In providing this drama and suspense for the story, I think that Snape also provided balance, maybe not intentional on the part of the character, but needed for the overall story in a literary sense. 

---

dzturtleshell previously:
"Also, you point out that Snape was less important to Harry throughout OotP and HBP. I agree that this was a great way for JKR to throw us off the trail of Snape's true loyalties and motivations. But I think it is also a sign of Harry's maturation, he's relying less on external perspectives and is learning to trust his own instincts and ideas about himself"

Mike responded:
"Yes, Harry did become more independent. I think viewing SWM forced him to think critically of his father for the first time. Not that he shouldn't have vehemently defended his father to Aunt Marge, in this chapter."

dzturtleshell responds: Hah... I guess we went off on a bit of a tangent here, I was barely even thinking of this specific chapter when I responded previously. I do agree that Harry was more than right to defend his father to Aunt Marge. Marge had never even met Harry's parents (or least I thought that was implied). Who is she to say anything about them? Especially considering her own overwhelming faults. 

But now that we bring up Harry's growing independence throughout the series, do you think he would have handled that dinner of insults with Marge any differently if it had happened when he was 14 or 15 or 16?