Snape is Not a Coward

It’s no secret: I think Snape is going to turn out alright. Much has been made of his rage when Harry called him a coward, and I think this is indeed a significant moment. Those of us who think Snape is loyal to Dumbledore and the Order are convinced that in killing Dumbledore and protecting his place as a spy, Snape did something far more courageous than Harry realizes.

But I want to take a moment and explore the statement thematically. There is a striking difference between Harry and Voldemort when it comes to the issue of death. Voldemort fears it, believing that “there is nothing worse than death” (OP-36). We see fear in his eyes when Harry begins to get the upper hand on in in the graveyard (GF-34). Voldemort’s greatest weakness, Dumbledore says, is his inability to understand that “there are things much worse than death” (OP-36).

Harry, on the other hand, having felt the incredible pain of suffering loss, has learned to grieve, and through his yearly death/resurrection, has learned that death, rather than something to be feared, is “the next great adventure” (PS/SS-17). “A true Gryffindor,” he shows courage, not fear, in the face of death.

All external evidence, of course, would point to Snape’s being much more in line with the coward Voldemort than the brave Harry. He’s a Slytherin, a “former” Death Eater, and he just murdered Dumbledore. But Rowling loves to teach us that people, by their choices, can rise above the externals; even Slytherins are not to be dismissed entirely out-of-hand. After all, the Sorting Hat wanted to place Harry there.

Thematically, Snape’s anger fits: Snape will become the ultimate example of this theme of Rowling’s, and his livid reaction to being called a coward is Rowling’s way of hinting at this. He is not afraid of death, and faced with the unbreakable vow he had to make, I believe he would have chosen to die rather than kill Dumbledore, had not Dumbledore commanded Snape otherwise. Snape, instead of following the Slytherin/Voldemort path, has shown all the courage of a true Gryffindor.