Understanding Snape

[pippin_999]

I, not Naama, said:  "All of  which seems much more like Snape 
than like James,  although  we can only guess at why Snape 
seems to be so alienated."

Jim:
>> I believe we've seen plenty of reasons for Snape's alienation; 
an unhappy home life, standing out in a negative way at school 
and being bullied are enough and more than enough.<<

More than enough to explain why he joined the Death Eaters? I 
don't think so. There are loads of people with backgrounds like 
that who don't join criminal terrorist groups. 

 Naama said and Jim agreed:
>>" From Snape's reaction to Harry at the very beginning 
of PS,  it's clear that he sees Harry as  most of the WW sees him 
- a  returned legendary hero. Only, unlike  most of the WW (then), 
it  drives him nuts that that's who Harry is
"<<

Jim:
> I'd prefer the verbal confrontation scene, where Harry shoves it 
down  Snape's throat that he's not James. It'll be an interesting 
moment if  it comes.<

Agreed, Snape assumed that Harry was an arrogant little twerp.  
And he probably *thinks* that's why he hates him.  But Snape 
doesn't understand his feelings very well, does he? How can he, 
when he's spent much of his life learning to repress, deny and 
conceal them? 

It won't do any good for Harry to tell Snape he's not like James. 
As a matter of fact Harry has told Snape this already, in PoA: "My 
dad didn't *strut*," said Harry before he could stop himself. "And 
neither do I." 

Now, the first half of the statement is false and in 
more sense than one --a stag's gait is often described as 
strutting--but the second half is true.  Snape has had plenty of 
opportunity to observe it. Even Sirius realized quickly enough that 
Harry was a very different person than his father, and he saw a 
lot less of Harry than Snape has. 

Snape does not pick on cool, self-confident people. He admires 
arrogance--in the persons of Draco and Lucius--and he imitates 
it. He was attracted by it in his school days to the point of 
following James and Sirius around -- perhaps even to the point 
of joining Voldemort.

 But he torments the wretchedly insecure Neville and Harry. The 
one time  he's really brutal to Hermione is when she's already 
cowering in fear. And when Harry, who once was miserable for 
days over losing *two* house points, calmly accepts his 
punishment at the end of OOP, Snape has no more to say.

The scene *I* see coming is not Harry giving Snape what-for or 
forcing Snape finally to understand him.  Snape has had enough 
what-for in his life and even if you're Harry Potter, you can't 
*make* people understand you. All you can do is try, as hard as 
you can, to understand them.

 What I see is more on the order of Harry telling Snape that 
they're not so different after all. A LOTR moment when Snape 
looks into the heart of an enemy and finds  understanding and 
acceptance. That's going to be a long time coming, considering 
where Harry's head is at now, but it might come before the end. It 
wouldn't be fair to ask this of a child, but Harry won't be a child
for much longer. In Book 7, he'll be an adult. Harry's got to grow 
up and then, just maybe, Snape will too. 

Pippin