potions-and-potters:

deathdaydungeon:

frederick-the-great:

Something that annoys me a bit about how people look at the mauraders especially in connection to Snape, is the classist element in it. Now, JKR comes from a society where classism is still very ingratiated in the social tissue.

Snape obviously comes from a working class background which is proven by the place he grew up in. James and Sirius – although Sirius rebelled against his family and left – were essentially very privileged and rich boys. James left a huge inheritance to Harry. So, the question of privilege is very important here and it’s not discussed often enough. James was all-around since birth a much more privileged person than Snape. So his bullying should also be placed in that context. I think this actually gives a new dimension to it as it cannot just be reduced to a question of antipathy. Snape and James weren’t equal in any way not just personality-wise but in a very deep social way – especially if we consider that we’re talking about 60-70s Britain. And of course, they would both be very aware of this as Malfoy was aware that Ron was poor because of the clothes he wore.

Quite honestly, very very very few current internet commentators seem to really grasp what JKR was pointing at with Snape and his background, and I think it’s partly because it’s so incredibly British in its depiction.  Class exists in other cultures, but it really permeates British society in a manner that’s difficult to really explain to anyone outside of the UK.

Snape’s poverty is also of its era; the deprivation alluded to is difficult for anyone who grew up in the last 15 or so years to completely appreciate.  That’s not to say that people can’t read up about it, but it’s not quite the same as having that first hand experience.  There’s a specificity about it which means that if your experiences are of the Blair era onwards, and/or you grew up in a different social class, you possibly won’t quite grasp it – not least because, thankfully, society has improved a lot in many areas.  

So much of what JK writes about Snape’s background relies on shared culture, as opposed to being categorically spelled out within the text.  Harry’s neglect and abuse is explicitly written; Snape’s is alluded to – and the disparity in how she depicts the two means that many miss what’s really being suggested when it comes to Snape.

Personally, I find her handling of Snape’s background incredibly deft.  That shared culture means that many people read the passage where Tobias is shouting at Eileen, and those people nod their heads and say, “I know exactly what went on in that house.”

Snape’s background is a depiction of endemic unending poverty, domestic unrest (and implied violence), and abject neglect.  It’s also why so many readers leap to the conclusion that Tobias is violent towards Eileen and towards Severus.  That presumption seems to leave so many on the internet baffled at such certainty when it’s not actually written in black and white – but what they’re missing is that JK has used a social shorthand that everyone ‘in’ on the meaning understands.

Furthermore, it’s rarely discussed, but there’s a very good reason why Lily responds to Snape’s Mudblood insult by highlighting his poverty and neglect.  Snape’s ‘greying’ pants aren’t about him being unclean – white clothes ‘grey’ when they’re old, and that’s what Lily’s remarking upon.  (After all, it seems unlikely that the kids are responsible for their own washing – you would’ve thought Harry would’ve whined about washing his socks and pants, as opposed to his magical homework. Do we really think Snape wasn’t washing his clothes, or rather that his clothing was substandard to begin with?) 

Notably, Snape highlighted her otherness in the magical world, and she threw his otherness in society right back at him.

And that’s just looking at his comparison with Lily – she was loved by her parents, and grew up in a middle class home.  The only thing Snape has is his knowledge of magic…and that’s the one aspect he can bring to their friendship which impresses Lily.

James, on the other hand, has the full house – he grew up in a wealthy home, with parents who adored him, in a magical society.  The situation between James and Severus could not be more unequal – and it’s got nothing to do with dark magic.

It’s also an analogy for the grammar school system – which again, is lost on a lot of people, because it’s very of its time.  Snape is the kid who comes from the sink estate who passed the exams against all odds – and when he gets to the school, where he’s earned his place, he sticks out like a sore thumb.  He has the talent to be at Hogwarts, but not the social background.

On the flipside, James is the depiction of a kid who was always going to get to grammar school, who belongs at the grammar school…he also has the talent, but he has everything else as well – and he can’t fathom why someone from Snape’s background is sitting next to him.

That’s not a criticism of James – it’s an understanding of where his character comes from, and why he reacts so violently towards Snape, but he doesn’t react in a similar way to Sirius.  This doesn’t excuse his dislike, but it goes some way to explain it.  It shows why other characters like him so much – he’s fun, and clever, and nicely dressed, and confident, and sporty, and talented…but he can’t get past his outright dislike of Snape, which grows over the years and encompasses other issues (such as being jealous of his friendship with Lily).

There is a very important parallel that James and Sirius don’t accept Severus because Severus’ background makes him other – just as the Death Eaters and their ilk don’t accept Lily because Lily’s bloodline makes her other.

I agree with all of this 100%. JK Rowling put so much of the British class system into this, and for those who don’t know/understand it a lot of it went right over their head. 

I’d also like to confirm and emphasize this point by opening up a little about my own life/family. My mother was born and raised in a place (if not THE place) in England that Cokesworth was supposed to represent. She was born in 1965, and into an, uh, lets say not so well off family. 

The stories I hear of her childhood that showcase the British class system (which are basically all of them) are… unimaginable at times for me. I will say, unlike Severus she had a very close and loving family (albeit strict as hell), but she also wasn’t one of the smart kids (where he was). The bullying she received, and the general treatment she got for her class was horrendous. And keep in mind this treatment started from birth. I can confirm, for anyone who thought this might just be speculation

due to the historical context being applied to Severus’s childhood, that this would have been absolutely true. The British class system was (and arguably still is) brutal. 

I can also confirm this from the opposite side, what James and Sirius would have experienced. My mother did, what one might refer to as, ‘marrying up’ or ‘marrying above her class.’ I, as a result, was brought up in an extremely wealthy area of England and went to the best school, had one of the best social statuses, and had access to upper class luxuries and privileges. I experienced what James and Sirius would have done (well at least until I moved to the states). And I can tell you everything said in the above posts is accurate. 

Furthermore, the change in class that my mother experienced going from what Severus would have had to what James did (although she was an adult and parent when she experienced James ‘lifestyle’ [if that’s the right word]), was very apparent. I’ll admit, I didn’t see it when I was a child, and it took until I grew up to understand why my mother held certain things at such a high value and had certain beliefs and reactions to things. When I first noticed these things, I couldn’t understand it, and more importantly, I didn’t think there was anything to understand. My mother was just like that. I admit, I thought she was weird in some ways because of this. You know who else wouldn’t have understood or even thought there was anything to understand? James Potter and Sirius Black (the former more so than the latter, I believe).  Like me, they’d have seen things from their privileged point, and not gotten what Severus was dealing with. They wouldn’t have even considered there was anything there, even. Fortunately for me, my mother made sure I never acted like they did to someone like Severus. Because even if I didn’t completely understand all the reasoning, and at such a young age, probably couldn’t have understood it fully even if it were to have been explained (and who explains the intricate and deeply ingrained into society British class system to a 6 year old?), she knew and understood what life was like for someone lower in class, and made sure I understood it enough at that age (what a 6 year old could grasp, she explained). It is not that James and Sirius were inherently bad people because they had this privilege of being from the upper class, it was because coming from that class, they saw things differently. It’s wrong to act that way. Obviously. But it is not their fault that they acted based on their class. I think that is another point JK Rowling was trying to make about the British class system. These boys were (and I am loathe to use the word, but I can’t think of a better one to use instead, so forgive me) victims of their class. Severus was as well (in a drastically different and much harsher way). I’m not saying any of this to excuse their actions, but to explain it. 

Additionally, as it has been pointed out, you can see the class system still apparent in Draco’s (and others) behavior. You see it the adults as well (Severus included). I’d like to emphasize this point because I think it is important to understand that class was still a huge thing even as an adult. In fact, I’d say you’re arguably more aware of it than ever because you understand it when you’re older that much better. Take for example, my mother again. To this day, she is quick to point out where in England we lived (as in where I grew up; the upper class part). She wasn’t quick to mention where she was from (unless it was to people outside the UK or who she knew would have little to no knowledge of the reputations of areas in England) until rather recently as the reputation has changed over the years. Even then, she always makes sure to add in where we lived (the upper class place). If after over 50 years, my mother is still impacted by the treatment during her childhood due to her class (the same class Severus was in), you can bet your ass that so was he and the others. 

I also can say, as someone who lived in the states, that you really can’t find anything quite like the British class system. It’s incredibly hard to describe to people, and you can only honestly grasp it totally by experiencing it. 

tl;dr: 

Class was absolutely a larger factor than most people think.