Primarily, I think of the random house elves we meet in the Hogwarts kitchens. They certainly aren't shy, and they have strong opinions. Moreover, as they work for Dumbledore (albeit non-paid and sans clothes), they are probably also welcome to speak against him to whatever extent Dobby could speak against the Malfoys -- which, you'll recall, was quite a lot, if indirectly -- in addition to the fact that Dumbledore wouldn't mind. Yet they all *hate* Hermione's crusade, they think that Winky's wallowing rather than working is a humiliation to them all, and Dobby's desire to be paid is an absolute disgrace.
I really like your analysis of Winky's divided loyalty, but in both cases it's loyalty to her family -- their division with each other causes problems for her. Her support of them both never wavers, long after she's released from their service. The three house elves we meet were all mistreated by their families, but for Winky, the mistreatment was in that she was no longer *allowed* to serve her master. Presumably she was contented before that; in fact, Crouch Jr's tale at the end suggests that her word carried significant weight in important household decisions.
I would also guess that Kreacher was content (by his standards) working for Mum Black before she died. Perhaps his neglect of the house following her death suggests that the joy is less in the work and more in the actual service. Alternately, she may have insisted he *not* clean it -- not a hard scenario to imagine, IMO.
I, too, distrust the "common wisdom" of the wizarding world, especially as presented by Hagrid and Ron, but I think the elves back them up in this case. Additionally, note that Dumbledore and Arthur are the only people to even imply support for SPEW, and D'dore seems to genuinely consider them as equal individuals (for all his faults in other areas), but he still employs over a hundred in conditions Hermione calls slavery.
If I get started on the Hermione issue I won't stop, and I really was hoping to get some sleep tonight. Perhaps another time.
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Date: 2004-10-05 09:12 pm (UTC)I really like your analysis of Winky's divided loyalty, but in both cases it's loyalty to her family -- their division with each other causes problems for her. Her support of them both never wavers, long after she's released from their service. The three house elves we meet were all mistreated by their families, but for Winky, the mistreatment was in that she was no longer *allowed* to serve her master. Presumably she was contented before that; in fact, Crouch Jr's tale at the end suggests that her word carried significant weight in important household decisions.
I would also guess that Kreacher was content (by his standards) working for Mum Black before she died. Perhaps his neglect of the house following her death suggests that the joy is less in the work and more in the actual service. Alternately, she may have insisted he *not* clean it -- not a hard scenario to imagine, IMO.
I, too, distrust the "common wisdom" of the wizarding world, especially as presented by Hagrid and Ron, but I think the elves back them up in this case. Additionally, note that Dumbledore and Arthur are the only people to even imply support for SPEW, and D'dore seems to genuinely consider them as equal individuals (for all his faults in other areas), but he still employs over a hundred in conditions Hermione calls slavery.
If I get started on the Hermione issue I won't stop, and I really was hoping to get some sleep tonight. Perhaps another time.