Oh this is a very interesting point. Whatever the source, it's the intimacy of the compulsion or curse that's so creepy
Very creepy. The House Elves are like something out of a dream. The no-clothes thing--and the weirdly divided sense of agency--they're like a hallucination.
I think it's pretty clear Hermione's efforts won't be successful, but she's on the right track ethically, and I hope she'll have something more productive to do on this front.
and in answer to your last questions, yeah, I think P is right, there's probably as much fear as convenience, at some level, behind the wizarding attitude. But there's also habit. Look at Ron. People will accept all kinds of nonsense when it's just part of the world as they know it.
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Very creepy. The House Elves are like something out of a dream. The no-clothes thing--and the weirdly divided sense of agency--they're like a hallucination.
I think it's pretty clear Hermione's efforts won't be successful, but she's on the right track ethically, and I hope she'll have something more productive to do on this front.
and in answer to your last questions, yeah, I think P is right, there's probably as much fear as convenience, at some level, behind the wizarding attitude. But there's also habit. Look at Ron. People will accept all kinds of nonsense when it's just part of the world as they know it.