CoS 2

[pauraque_bk]

*goggles at suddenly enhanced friends-of list* Hello! I assume most of you showed up for the CoS re-read. Good to have you aboard. Feel free to introduce yourselves, or just jump in whenever the mood strikes you.

For anyone who missed it, black_dog left a couple of great, long comments on Chapter 1 about the nature of second books in a series, and themes we should be watching out for in CoS. I'm sure I'll be looking back on them as we go on. Here and here.


CoS 2: Dobby's Warning

'Harry Potter!' said the creature, in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. 'So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir ... Such an honour it is...' (15)

If he's truly "bound to serve one house and one family for ever" (16), where does he get the idea that Harry's a hero and Voldemort a villain? What's to stop him taking what he presumably hears from the Malfoys at face value?

It seems likely that there really is something "wrong" with Dobby, if one takes the other house-elves' brainwashed behavior as normal for their kind. He thinks for himself, which perhaps explains why the Malfoys would gratuitously abuse him as described in this chapter, frustrated with their defective servant.

For a darker take on it, you might theorize that the house-elves are naturally intelligent and free-thinking, but were magically "domesticated" for slave labor at some point in the past, and that Dobby is a throwback to their true normal state. (I don't have OotP with me, or I'd look up exactly what Dumbledore says about the statue at the Ministry.)

So, why does Dobby care so much about Harry? Voldemort's fall probably didn't have any appreciable impact on Dobby's everyday life, but he's decided the Malfoys are bad wizards and anything they want must therefore be bad. He hears Harry destroyed someone the Malfoys venerated, and fixates on him as a personal hero.

(Actually, I'm not sure how much the Malfoys truly *did* venerate him, but that just complicates matters even more.)

'And I thought I was hard-done-by staying here for another four weeks,' he said. 'This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?' (17)

At 12, Harry is more overtly compassionate than in the later books. One hopes we'll see this quality come to the fore again.

'Hang on -- this hasn't got anything to do with Vol -- sorry -- with You Know Who, has it? You could just shake or nod,' he added hastily, as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.

Slowly, Dobby shook his head.

'Not -- not He Who Must Not Be Named, sir.'

But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry, however, was completely at sea.

'He hasn't got a brother, has he?' (18)

Heh.

If Dobby is trying to give a hint here, it would seem he has a very good idea of what Lucius's plan is. The threat isn't Voldemort, but Tom Riddle -- before he gave up his name.

'Albus Dumbledore is the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He Who Must Not Be Named at the height of his strength. But sir,' Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper, 'there are powers Dumbledore doesn't ... powers no decent wizard...' (18)

Again, Dobby may have gotten this notion from hearing the Malfoys talk, and simply assuming that whatever they say, the opposite must be the case. Who in the Malfoy household could possibly have told him Dumbledore was a great Headmaster?

[Harry] jumped the last six stairs, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. (20)

Heh. Ninja!Harry.

Dear Mr Potter,
We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine[...] (21)

That was quick. It's possible that Harry is under close surveillance due to his exalted position, or Dobby may have alerted the authorities himself. I like the latter possibility, as it goes nicely with the systematic and rather brutal way Dobby plots to keep Harry out of school. Though he has a moral sense independent of the Malfoys, Dobby is Slytherin in his methodology.


Previous chapters will be saved here. (Oy, I need to re-do my memories.)

Comments

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that we often talk about Dobby as though he were such an exception to the rule for House Elves. But all three of the house elves we've gotten to know "well" as characters -- Dobby, Winky, Kreacher -- seem strong-willed, calculating, and as actively defiant of things they disapprove of as they dare to be. This, together with the whole self-punishment business, seems to strongly suggest an active, ongoing, hard-fought curse, rather than any kind of true domestication. It seems like a particularly vicious curse, too -- all about having to constantly self-censor your thoughts and speech for fear of suffering intrusive and overwhelming feelings of anxiety and a compulsion to injure yourself. Not nice at all.

Whose side do you suppose they would be on in any war? Rationally, they'd probably be better off sticking with the wizards, but accumulated resentment is not exactly conducive to rational choices.

[pauraque]

I disagree about Winky. Where does she ever defy her master? I also disagree partially about Kreacher... he defies Sirius, but Sirius was kicked out of the family. He remains loyal to the "true" Blacks.

But you're right, it's a nasty curse. Maybe related to the Imperius.

I'm not sure whose side they'd be on in a war. Wouldn't it be interesting if it became a four-way conflict... the DEs, the Order, the Ministry, and the disgruntled and mistreated creatures!

[idlerat.livejournal.com]

Winky's loyalties are stretched, though, by the division between Sr and Jr. And she is clearly distraught about Jr's actions, which shows a very different attitude than Kreachur's glee over Bellatrix's actions. And it's not like Bellatrix was ever part of his immediate household.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Well, idlerat makes a clarifying point about Winky's division of loyalties. But when I think of Winky, there are two images I can't get out of my head:

"Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were tying to hold her back. 'There is bad wizards about!' she squeaked . . . "(GoF US Paperback p. 124)

And then a little later, pp 134-139. when she is being interrogated by Crouch and Diggory and a dozen armed Ministry people, she sticks to her story, refusing to implicate Crouch Jr, even though she's trembling and "tears are pouring down her cheeks," and even after Crouch dismisses her with clothes.

I really do think there's evidence here of a very strong will battling a very strong compulsion, and I think it's even more complicated than a two-way conflict of loyalties. She's defying Crouch Sr. for the sake of Crouch Jr., but she also wants to be able to denounce "bad wizards" on her own account, even though she must have seen Jr. cast Morsmordre, and even though Jr. himself may have been holding her back from approaching Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the first scene above. Under what must have been an unbelievably intimidating interrogation, she tries to play her own game on her own terms: she tries to stick to the literal truth -- that she didn't cast the spell, that she doesn't know how, that she picked the wand up off the ground -- but finally tells a direct lie when asked if she saw anyone. So not only is there a conflict of obsessions here, there is I think a three- or four-cornered internal moral struggle where Winky is trying, perhaps not successfully, to assert her own voice and shape events according to her own judgment and choices, in a situation that clearly bewilders and pretty much overwhelms her. That takes some toughness and independence of mind, even if it's she's not entirely successful.

As for Kreacher, although the morality of the situation is perhaps reversed, the principle I think is the same as with Dobby. Under the terms of whatever enchantment is operating on House Elves, he's bound to the Master of Grimmauld Place, who happens to be Sirius, even though his loyalties and inclinations lie elsewhere. Sirius won't dismiss him, because then he'd be free to run off to the DE's with all the Order's secrets -- which suggests that as long as he remains bound to Grimmauld and to Sirius, he is not free to do that, or at least that it causes him the same kind of fearful internal conflict as Dobby's defiance of the Malfoys. Nevertheless, Kreacher asserts his own will as much as he can, and engages in limited conspiracy with Narcissa and Bellatrix, and runs to them as soon as he is free.

Interesting speculation on the curse's relation to Imperius. I confess I don't remember whether it's canon or fanon that Imperius works by eroding your will, by making you feel like you don't care, that resistance isn't worth the trouble, rather than by the electric-shock-dog-collar principle that seems to be the case with the House Elves' enchantment. But the parallels are very suggestive. I wonder if individual House Elves have differing abilities to throw off the curse, or even defy it completely?

As for the war-alliance question -- I wonder what kind of leadership or large-group cohesion the House Elves have? It's just like the imperial overclass of wizards to assume they're atomized, have no loyalty or connections beyond their immediate place of service. But do you suppose that, under the wizarding radar, they have clans and chiefs and leading families and articulated relations? I wonder if anyone has speculated about this in fanfic.

[pauraque]

I confess I don't remember whether it's canon or fanon that Imperius works by eroding your will, by making you feel like you don't care, that resistance isn't worth the trouble, rather than by the electric-shock-dog-collar principle that seems to be the case with the House Elves' enchantment.

It's canon. Before he learns to throw off the curse, Harry describes exactly what you say, feeling as though nothing matters, he doesn't care what happens. He takes "verbal" (though mental) commands from Crouch, but actually acts under his own steam; he isn't forced bodily.

[arclevel.livejournal.com]

Just one little comment -- Winky *doesn't* see Crouch Jr in the woods. He's under an invisibility cloak.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice point! So technically, she avoids a lie even on that question. I hadn't even thought of that!

Good for her, then -- her intention during the interrogation is to stick to the literal truth but not betray either of her masters, no matter what the cost. She's tough, Winky is. :)

[idlerat.livejournal.com]

as actively defiant of things they disapprove of as they dare to be

I think this is key: they obviously have moral convictions, their own, individual beliefs about right and wrong, and this is what makes them *people*, who should have full rights.

It seems like a particularly vicious curse, too -- all about having to constantly self-censor your thoughts and speech for fear of suffering intrusive and overwhelming feelings of anxiety and a compulsion to injure yourself.

I think this is an allegory for internalized impression (like being a self-hating Jew or whatever).

Whose side do you suppose they would be on in any war? Rationally, they'd probably be better off sticking with the wizards, but accumulated resentment is not exactly conducive to rational choices.

Well, both sides are Wizards, aren't they? I would think they would chose different sides, like wizards themselves. But if Dumbledore's side manages to lift the curse, that might give them an edge. And I get the impression that LV's supporters were always a minority, but that they used fear and Imperius to get their way. So I think the majority might side with DD, and then be owed equal rights as part of a post-war settlement. That's my fantasy and I'm sticking to it!

Also, a disproportionate share of elves probably serve pro-Voldemort households, since they're very expensive and we first saw them serving the Malfoys, later the Blacks. Crouch Sr. was anti-DE but also very prominent and pure-blood, presumably, and we know which way his son went. Who knows what would happen if such an enchantment were lifted? Dobby would be on Harry's side, Kreachur on Voldemort's, but what about Winky? Would her personal loyalties outweigh her sense of decency?

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

I think this is key: they obviously have moral convictions, their own, individual beliefs about right and wrong, and this is what makes them *people*

Yeah, I think this is exactly right. I expanded on this a little bit in the case of Winky, in a second reply to pauraque above -- I'd be curious whether you buy my extended take on her.

I think this is an allegory for internalized impression Oh this is a very interesting point. Whatever the source, it's the intimacy of the compulsion or curse that's so creepy -- it really must feel like something that's a part of themselves, rather than something external, which must be just so confusing for the average House Elf. The allegorical parallels -- Marxist false consciousness, Freudian neurosis -- are very suggestive. With this in mind, do you think Hermione's liberal attempts at consciousness raising are quite radical enough to do the trick?

Well, both sides are Wizards, aren't they?

*facepalms* Yes, obviously -- thank you for untangling what I sort of meant! :) You make an interesting point about the possible complexity of the House-elves' alliances -- perhaps this is why the Ministry collaborates in their oppression, even though it mostly benefits the DE class? Do they fear that freed Elves might remain political retainers of their former oppressors, rather than grateful allies of their liberators?

[idlerat.livejournal.com]

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.

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

Hermione's behaviour towards the house elves always mystifies me to some extent, because I can't work out whether JKR thinks she's being good or bad, which is slightly unusual for her. On the hand we're supposed to laugh (SPEW, etc.) but are we also meant to admire her for her moral crusade, laugh at her misunderstanding of wizarding culture and crusading sense of 'justice' or what?

[idlerat.livejournal.com]

I don't know what I'm *supposed* to do, but I admire her. I do think she makes an ass of herself with the knitting, but I think she's reacting more to the tepid reception her efforts have had among the other students than anything. I think she's being stubborn, but I think it's because, fundamentally, she knows slavery is wrong and she can't seem to make any headway with others on this rather obvious point. She feels helpless and she doesn't accept that. I don't think she knows what to do, but I'm sure there are more developments to come.

I feel like JKR kinda takes the piss out of almost everyone, sooner or later.

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much the conclusion I came to, as well. It's not (at all) that I always agree with the authorial comment on things, but on that issue, I can't work out what it is .

I can understand that Ron doesn't support her, considering that his family is very traditional in some ways (and how much does he know about house elves, apart from received wisdom?), but it's odd that Harry isn't more openly for it, although he has other things on his mind.

I do admire Hermione, for that, but that kind of moral crusading without (possibly) understanding all the issues instinctively worries me.

[arclevel.livejournal.com]

I have highly mixed opinions on the house elves. Certainly they're mistreated in some vital ways, and I'd definitely be interested in learning the history of their relationship to humans. However, I think that they *all* think for themselves, as Black Dog suggests; most of them nonetheless came to the conclusion that they are supposed to serve and be subservient. It's hard to say how much of my (at this point very loose) theories on house elves are from my "objective" (like that ever happens) analyis of the elves and how much is a reaction to my rather severe dislike of Hermione's crusade.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

We assume that the vast majority of them apparently do serve, but do we actually have any evidence that a majority of them like it or are content with it? Aren't we hearing that second-hand, from the wizards, as part of their own conventional wisdom? I find it interesting that 100% of the elves that we've actaully "met" fail to comply with the stereotype of happy toilers. Have the books given us a chance to hear, firsthand, from any contented house-elves?

I share your frustration with Hermione, to an extent, because it seems that she's missing something essential, though I'm not sure what, exactly, so that it's more about her own sensibilities than about the elves. But I guess all reformers have to start somewhere. I'm intrigued by the "brownie" discussion below, and the suggestion that the Elves may stand for some kind of principle of order or maintenance that the wizards are only too happy to interpret as "service" and to distort and reinforce with punishment.

I think it's really cool that we've all gone so far with this question! I've never really thought much about House Elves before. :)

[arclevel.livejournal.com]

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.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

House elves *bond*. Dobby to Harry, even though his loyalty was nominally to the Malfoys. Winky to the Crouches, even though she's technically working at Hogwarts now. Kreacher to Mrs Black, with Sirius getting scant respect.

They will give lip service to their nominal masters, but if there's a conflict of interest they will do their damndest to stick with the person with whom their personal loyalties lie.