HOW DO WE DEAL WITH
DOBBY?:
WHAT HARRY, HERMIONE, AND THE HOUSEELVES TEACH US ABOUT FALSE
CONSCIOUSNESS, HUMAN NATURE, AND
ROWLING'S PERSPECTIVE ON
DISCRIMINATION.
"That's not on," said Ron angrily..."You're setting them free
when they might not want to be free."
"Of course they want to be free!" said Hermione at once.
-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 255
BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION
A Question of Ethics
A woman lives with an abusive partner. Every day, she faces
various forms of emotional, mental, and physical abuse. In
spite of this, however, she seems unwilling (or unable) to
leave her companion. She believes that, regardless of his
behavior, this man cares for her; that he needs her; and that
losing him would make her life incomplete. As a good friend,
you try to reason with her. You try numerous times and in
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various ways to help her escape her situation. For awhile, she
may go along with your ideas but eventually she always
returns to her old lifestyle. In a moment of frustration, you
get angry and tell her, "I don't know why you won't listen to
me; I am only trying to help you!" Equally frustrated, she
replies, "And who asked for your help? I didn't! Who are you
to tell me how to live my life? Leave me alone." She slams the
door, and you are left alone on the porch steps with your
thoughts.
Unwanted Assistance in Harry Potter
The question of the ethics of helping someone (or a group of
someones) who doesn't seem interested in being "helped" is
a question Rowling raises throughout the Harry Potter series,
especially in the portion of her narrative dedicated to the
house-elves. Although this group of creatures faces constant
and blatant abuse and discrimination from the entire magical
community, particularly wizards, they seem content with
their situation and loathe to leave it. Different characters in
the series, most notably Hermione Granger, offer to assist the
house-elves in gaining liberty and civil rights, but the majority
of house-elves seem uninterested in (or even opposed to) her
cause.
So what do we do in these situations? What do we do when
we see someone suffering what, in our opinion, is a terrible
injustice of which that person is either unaware or
unconcerned? How do we (or should we) help these people
while both soothing our own consciences and, at the same
time, respecting their individual rights and personal
sovereignty?
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Where We're Going
This paper will attempt to answer that question or, at least,
give one possible answer. We will focus our attention on how
this issue is dealt with in the Harry Potter series, and attempt
to construct similarities between the fictional situation
presented in the novels and the real-life situations that we
face in the Muggle world. We will begin by looking at the
house-elves themselves: Who are they? How does Rowling
present them in the series? What are they like as a species?
What is their history in the Wizarding world?
After this, we will attempt to draw parallels between the
house-elves and contemporary scenarios. Are the houseelves human? Can we make a true comparison between the
two? Are the house-elves unnaturally enslaved? Or are they
intrinsically made for servitude? Do elves truly enjoy their
position? Or are they suffering some form of false
consciousness?
Thirdly, we will explore the actions of various characters in
the Harry Potter series, including Harry himself, to see the
different tactics they take (or don't take) to help the houseelves. Who comes to the aid of the house-elves? How do they
attempt to do so? How do these choices reflect the person's
character? What about those who do nothing? What do their
choices say about them?
Once we record the characters' choices in regards to the
house-elves, we will analyze and evaluate the effects of their
actions. Which tactics were positive? Which does Rowling
construct as negative? How are characters praised or
ridiculed for their actions? Is this commentary meant to be
taken seriously or sardonically?
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Finally, we will see what we can apply from Harry Potter to
our lives. We can speculate how various characters would
respond to the situation and we can forecast what sorts of
effects their actions would have. From these speculations, we
can see what actions Rowling would consider ethical (and
which ones she would not).
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HOUSE-ELVES
When readers first browse through the Harry Potter novels, it
is unlikely that much of their attention is focused on houseelves. Although house-elves are definitely present in the plot
of the majority of the books, their stories and their struggles
are often only a sub-plot to the highlighted action of the main
narrative. When the books are read more carefully, however,
the house-elves and their plight are revealed to comprise a
surprisingly large portion of the Harry Potter texts. From
these passages, we are able to learn more about the houseelves, their characteristics, who they are as a people, and a
bit about their history in the world of wizards.
Characteristics
We are introduced to our first house-elf (Dobby) in the
Chamber of Secrets. It is summertime, the gloomy months
between Harry's first and second year at Hogwarts, and
suddenly Harry is visited by a strange (and inconvenient)
visitor. The reader, knowing nothing about house-elves,
listens in sympathetic shock and bewilderment as Harry
attempts to describe the creature sitting at the foot of his
bed:
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Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close
thing. The little creature off the bed had large, batlike ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis
balls. Harry knew instantly that this was what had
been watching him out of the garden hedge that
morning...The creature slipped off the bed and
bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose
touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was
wearing what looked like an old pillowcase with rips
for arm- and leg-holes. (CoS, 12)
Later, we learn that the house-elves have dark, brown skin
1
and are described as being rather ugly . Apart from these
physical characteristics, Rowling is also quick to point out
their seemingly strange thought and speech patterns. From
Dobby's initial conversation with Harry we see that houseelves do not speak standard English and, almost without fail,
always refer to themselves in the third person.
Social Position
Throughout the novels, house-elves are portrayed as the
bottom rung of the Wizarding world's social ladder. They are
at the beck and call of their masters, and must serve them
unconditionally without pay. Under the authority of their
masters, house-elves are often asked to perform the most
arduous or degrading tasks, even when it violates the elf's
2
own code of ethics, personal wishes, or individual safety .
1
Chamber of Secrets, 339
Rowling gives situational examples of each of these three
characteristics throughout the novel. Harry forces Kreacher to
spy on Draco Malfoy even when, to Kreacher's own moral
code, Draco is doing what is right and good. At the Quidditch
World Cup, Winky is forced, against her personal wishes, to
2
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They seem to have absolutely no say over their actions, their
future, or how they use their own abilities. As we learn from
Fred Weasley, "house-elves have got powerful magic of their
own, but they can't usually use it without their master's
3
permission." (CoS, 28-9) House-elves are bound , irrevocably,
to their masters and have no hope of escaping servitude
unless set free (by the presentation of clothing). As Kreacher
intones, "[t]he house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding.
(DH, 195)"
Even among other marginalized magical creatures, houseelves are seen as by far the most despicable. Although
goblins, giants, centaurs, and werewolves face similar
prejudices at the hands of wizards, we see very little
willingness from members of these parties to associate with
house-elves. When Hermione talks to Lupin (who is himself a
werewolf) about her views on elf rights, she poses the
question, "I mean, it's the same kind of nonsense as werewolf
segregation, isn't it? (OoP, 170-1)" Tellingly, Lupin doesn't
give a response. Gornuk the goblin expresses similar views.
When asked why he is on the run from Voldemort in the
Deathly Hallows, Gornuk replies that he refused what he
considered an "impertinent request." When pushed further
for more details by Ted, Gornuk replies that he was asked to
sit in the top box and reserve her master's seat (even though
she has an intense fear of heights). We see house-elves
personal safety being threatened when Slughorn tests wine
on them to make sure the bottles haven't been poisoned.
(HBP, 485)
3
The question about how house-elves are bound to their
masters, either through magic, threat, or choice, will be
discussed in later sections of this paper.
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do, "[d]uties ill-befitting the dignity of [his] race...I am not a
house-elf. (DH, 296)"
Although house-elves often face active discrimination and
abuse at the hands of wizards, they are just as often not
noticed at all. House-elves are, quite literally "out of sight, out
of mind" for many witches and wizards. Voldemort
consistently underestimates or completely neglects houseelves in his plans for taking over the Ministry of Magic and
designing protective charms around Horcruxes. When
Hermione expresses shock that there are hundreds of houseelves living and working at Hogwarts, Nearly Headless Nick
replies, "I mean, you're not supposed to see them, are you?
That's the mark of a good house-elf isn't it, that you don't
know it's there? (GoF, 181)" We also see that elves are
"shockingly underrepresented" in government, are ignored
completely by most textbooks (including Hogwarts, A
History), and are typically only consulted when there is a task
to be done.
History of the House-Elves
Although the books themselves tell very little of the history of
the house-elves as a people, a few details can be inferred.
First, it is quite apparent that the enslavement of house-elves
has persisted for centuries. Hermione mentions this fact
when she is explaining S.P.E.W (Society for the Promotion of
Elvish Welfare) to Harry and Ron. Also, most of the
established ancient Wizarding families see house-elf
subjugation as perfectly normal and seem unable to
remember a time when the house-elves were not enslaved.
Furthermore, the house-elves themselves seem to believe
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that they have always been slaves and that slavery is their
4
natural position .
Though the details are uncertain, it seems that at one time in
the past house-elves faced a heightened sense of
discrimination. It was during these violent times that Helga
Hufflepuff first brought the house-elves to Hogwarts to
"protect them from mistreatment and abuse." While some
would argue that their current position in Hogwarts is not
much improved it is, apparently, somewhat improved from
past conditions.
HOUSE-ELVES AND HUMANS: IS A COMPARISON
POSSIBLE?
The Humanity of House-Elves
In order to draw a comparison between house-elves and
humans, it is first necessary to determine if house-elves are,
44
We can see this especially with Kreacher. When we first
take a tour of the Black family household in the Order of the
Phoenix, Ron notices that one of the halls is lined with the
shriveled heads of Kreacher's ancestors. Not only does this
suggest a long time of uninterrupted elf servitude, but
Kreacher's wish to also be preserved there is an indicator of
his absolute acceptance of his position in the Black family
household.
We also see the house-elves acceptance of their position in
the way Winky responds to Dobby's freedom. Not only does
she consider his decision revolutionary, she sees it as
contrary to the way things have always been or to what is
"natural" for a house-elf (GoF, 97-8)
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indeed, human. What we do not mean here is that houseelves and humans are the same species. This is unlikely to be
true because, as far as we can see in the novels, house-elves
are unable to procreate with wizards or witches (Gupta, 112).
The novels themselves also downplay the species-based
humanity of house-elves. When Harry first meets Dobby, he is
not sure if Dobby is a "who" or a "what" (CoS, 13).
Furthermore, in the Deathly Hallows, Kingsley Shacklebolt is
being interviewed by Lee Jordan during an episode of
Potterwatch. When he is asked about the dangers of the
mantra "Wizards first", he replies, "I'd say that it's one short
step from 'Wizards first' to 'Purebloods first,' and then to
Death Eaters...We're all human, aren't we? Every human life
is worth the same, and worth saving. (DH, 440)" Clearly, in
this quote, human life is confined to Wizards, Mudbloods,
and Muggles. House-elves are not considered human.
Therefore, what we are seeking to explore is whether or not
the house-elves have a humanity: can we see human
characteristics in the house-elves' being and behavior?
Certainly, we can establish that the house-elves are sentient;
they are conscious, understanding, and responsive to their
environment. And, to some degree, we do see house-elves
having very human characteristics, such as: self-awareness,
morals, and emotions.
We know that house-elves are moral because we see Dobby
making clear moral choices to disobey the orders of his
master, Lucius Malfoy, when he believed that his master's
orders were evil; even though this choice came at
tremendous personal cost (CoS, 335). The Hogwarts houseelves also demonstrate strong opinions about Dobby's
behavior after he is freed, and they make it clear that they
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believe his actions are not only inappropriate, but also
morally wrong (GoF, 378).
House-elves are also endowed with the ability to love as we
see from Dobby's relationship to Harry Potter and Kreacher's
devotion to Regulus, Mrs. Black, and eventually Harry as
5
well . House-elves also experience fear, bravery, jealousy,
and even prejudice. House-elves are not portrayed as
heartless or unfeeling, but rather as passionate and
responsive cognizant beings.
But Don't House-Elves Enjoy Being Enslaved?
As much as the above characteristics would lead us to lend
human sympathies to the house-elves, one of their most
particular qualities threatens to create a dichotomy between
the two races. As Gupta states, "To resent unconditional
servitude, to wish for fairness, to aspire for independence of
action and thought, to strive for recognition are the rational
outcomes of the condition of being human... (Gupta, 120)."
Whereas the desire for freedom and the hatred of oppression
is often seen as a quintessential aspect of what it means to be
human, Rowling presents the house-elves as being a people
who enjoy slavery and bondage and express no desire to be
freed. When Dobby mentioned to Ron, Harry, and Hermione
that he likes being free, the other Hogwarts house-elves who
had been listening started, "edging away from Dobby, as
though he were carrying something contagious. (GoF, 378)"
5
We see the reverse being true as well. House-elves are also
quite capable of feeling hatred or enmity towards their
masters, even if they are not able to directly disobey them.
Examples of this include Dobby's essential betrayal of the
Malfoys and Kreacher's betrayal of Sirius.
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And, as Ron was so quick to point out, "They. Like. It. They
like being enslaved. (GoF, 225)."
So, what does this mean for our comparison between houseelves and humans? Are the two groups so different as to
make any association impossible? Is the divergence too
great? Or is there an explanation that can close the gap and
bring house-elves and humans back to the same level?
False Consciousness: The Connection between House-Elves
and Humans
False consciousness is the idea that otherwise rational
creatures are, at times, unable to understand the true nature
of a situation. As Michael Rosen argues, this is especially true
when it comes to ideology and social structure. He argues
that social structure itself (with classes and hierarchies) can
only be propagated and maintained if at least some of the
members of society (especially those on the "bottom rung")
are victims to some sort of false consciousness. As he states,
6
"Ideological consciousness is (i) consciousness that benefits
some social entity or structure and has been formed
according to a poor mechanism and (ii) comes about or
persists because of the fact that it benefits the entity or
structure in question. (Rosen, 47)"
Rosen argues that every society has lies that it believes which
1) help benefit those in power (and have the means to
6
Rosen uses the terms false consciousness and ideological
consciousness in practically the same way throughout his
essay. Although he makes a slight distinction (he believes
ideological consciousness is a more appropriate term), the
differences are not large enough to be significant in this
study.
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disseminate the lie) and 2) help maintain the social structure
as it is. This leads those members of society who are
penalized by the current social structure to not only fail to
recognize the inherent injustice of their position, but also to
7
become enablers and advocates of their own oppression .
In a simplified and exaggerated manner, this is what we see
happening in the Harry Potter novels. The house-elves,
described as "the lowly, the enslaved, the dregs of the
magical world," are not only unaware of the unfairness of
their position, but seem to welcome their place and see it as
essential to the continuation of the magical world.
Hermione is the first (and potentially only) character who
hints at this deeper cause behind the house-elves preference
of enslavement. In the Goblet of Fire, George tells Hermione
that they've personally had contact with the house-elves that
live in the Hogwarts' kitchen saying, "we've met them, and
they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the
world--" Hermione, however, is quick to reply, "That's
because they're uneducated and brainwashed! (GoF 238239)." Whereas the rest of the Wizarding world, and Ron in
particular, seem to think that it is the natural demeanor of
house-elves to be enslaved, Hermione staunchly maintains
that their attitudes have been shaped by a skewed social
philosophy that tells lies in order to preserve a world where
the wizards are dominant and all other species are
7
We can see this with the caste system in India. Members of
the lowest classes believe that they have been placed there
by deity and, thus, do not fight for civil rights (in fact, they
sometimes fight against those who may try to help). In this
way they become supporters and enablers of an unjust
system in which they are oppressed.
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subservient. Although Dumbledore had less to say about the
matter, he hints at a false-consciousness of house-elves when
he tells Harry that Kreacher, "is what he has been made by
wizards...(OoP, 834)"
Other scholars of Harry Potter literature have expressed this
view as well. In Re-reading Harry Potter, Suman Gupta argues
that even Dobby, the house-elf most known for wanting
freedom, focuses his appeals for liberty on the basis that the
Malfoys are particularly bad masters and not because he sees
something inherently wrong with his species' condition of
servitude itself. Even when Dobby was released, his idea of
"freedom" was to instead serve Harry Potter and
Dumbledore. The quote he gives when asked by Harry to
observe Draco Malfoy is telling: "Dobby is a free house-elf
and he can obey anyone he likes and Dobby will do whatever
Harry Potter wants him to do! (HBP, 420-421)"
Marion Rana also picks up on this theme, saying that houseelves display the so-called Sambo effect where, "oppression
creates a range of childlike behavior and remakes freedom
into a punishment for the institutionalized (Rana, 53)."
Experts call this false-consciousness "the most damaging kind
of racism...in which the victim takes up victimization."
False-Consciousness in the Muggle World
False-consciousness can also be seen to have very similar
effects in the real, human world. Shortly after the AfricanAmerican slaves were emancipated in 1862, many struggled
to understand their freedom or to believe that they should be
free. These slaves had been raised in a world that told them
their natural place was one where they were under complete
control and domination of the whites. Instead of seeing
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freedom as something to be desired and fought for, some
saw freedom as something strange, unnatural, and
undesirable. Many slaves stayed on the plantations where
they had been born, saying that their masters "needed them"
8
and that they "belonged ."
8
The similarities in the false-consciousness demonstrated by
both the house-elves and African-American slaves are not the
only parallels Rowling seems to be drawing between these
two groups. The house-elves in the Harry Potter series
portray many of the racial and stereotypical characteristics
given to Blacks in the late 1800s-early 1900s (Horne, 80-81).
The house-elves at Hogwarts demonstrate the happy
plantation fantasy made popular in American culture in
movies such as Gone with the Wind. The happy-plantation
fantasy was the widespread propagation of the myth that
slaves were happy in their position. This fantasy was used to
justify the subjugation of Blacks and to alleviate guilt in white
society. Many characters in the Harry Potter series, notably
the Weasleys, seem to be promoting a similar kind of myth.
This is especially true with house-elves living within the
"plantation" of Hogwarts.
The portrayal of house-elves as naive, childish, and hapless is
also representative of the portrayal of African-Americans in
early American literature and cinema. Rana notes how houseelves have developed a strange and non-standard dialect
which resembles that of stereotypic African-American slave
languages (Rana, 55). Hermione complains that wizards are
disrespectful to Winky (and other house-elves) by referring
to her simply as "elf." This hearkens back to the historical use
of "boy" and "gal" that whites have used to refer to AfricanAmericans. Says Horne, "Rowling's depiction of Dobby and his
fellow elves contains uncomfortable echoes of many of the
stereotypes held by whites of enslaved African Americans.
Simple, loyal, and childlike, happy to serve their betters,
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Women (or men) in domestic abuse situations face a similar
form of false consciousness. They believe, even when logic
would dictate otherwise, that their partner needs them or
that they belong in a violent situation. They may have also
been told that they can never escape the situation, or that
they are destined to remain with that partner forever. In the
final analysis, the apparent willingness of house-elves to
remain enslaved does not cast doubt on their humanity.
Rather, it confirms it.
INTERVENTION IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES:
TWO POSSIBLE PATHS
Now that we've laid out who the house-elves are, their
situation in the Wizarding world, and the false consciousness
they suffer from, we can begin to look at how different
characters in the Harry Potter series responded (or didn't
respond) to the plight of the house-elves. By presenting us
with a number of different response possibilities, Rowling
alerts us to some of the hidden complexities of unwanted
assistance and makes a commentary on which actions are
ethical, plausible, and appropriate.
For those characters who did respond, their various reactions
can be characterized by two types of responses, each of
which personifies a different understanding of what causes
Rowling's house-elves speak in a patios closer to 1930s and
40s Hollywood misconceptions of 'darky' dialect than to any
actual African-American speech pattern. Even the house-elf
Dobby, who desires and gains freedom, proves more an
object of humor than a model of what a free elf can
accomplish (Horne, 80-81)."
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the problem of racism and how it should be combated in
education and social activism. Roughly stated, these two
types of reactions are personal and political responses.
Although Rowling has examples of both of these responses,
our discussion here will be limited to the two most developed
examples. Thus, we will look at personal responses through
the character of Harry Potter, and study political responses
through the choices of Hermione Granger.
The Personal Response
When faced with the blatant oppression of the house-elves,
Harry reacts in a personal way: that is, he is only concerned
about the specific case at hand and his own personal
responsibility in the matter. He doesn't concern himself with
the plight of the house-elves as a people group; rather, he
simply attempts to do what he feels is best for the small
population of house-elves he comes in contact with (Dobby,
Hokey, and Kreacher). Likewise, he doesn't seem to be
worried about what Wizards should do, what The Ministry of
Magic should do, or even what his friends should do. He
focuses his reaction completely on what he, Harry, should do
in each and every situation. Harry doesn't seek out universal
standards of behavior ("All house-elves should be treated
compassionately.") Instead, he customizes his actions and his
beliefs for each scenario he encounters and then limits those
beliefs to involve only himself ("Because Kreacher is sad, I
should treat him with more respect.")
The Personal Response in Harry Potter
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The examples of this in the Harry Potter series are abundant.
At the end of Chamber of Secrets, Harry works quickly and
efficiently to free Dobby by tricking Mr. Malfoy into
presenting the elf with clothing (CoS, 337-339). In subsequent
books, however, we realize that Harry does not have any
passion for freeing house-elves in general. He is reluctant (at
best) to participate in S.P.E.W., seems unbothered by the
position of house-elves at Hogwarts, and makes no effort to
free Kreacher (which was completely in his power, as
Kreacher's master, to do). In fact, the Deathly Hallows close
with Harry headed to the Gryffindor common room to rest
and, "wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a
sandwich there... (DH, 749)." Thus, it appears that Harry's
freeing of Dobby was not outward evidence of an internalized
belief that all house-elves should be free, but rather an
isolated, personal reaction that was unique to Dobby's
position. In fact, Harry's efforts to free Dobby may have been
motivated more by his loathing of the Malfoys than any
9
honest concern for Dobby!
We also see examples of Harry limiting the scope of his
response to house-elves to include only himself. Although he
is typically much more benevolent and kind to Kreacher than
Ron, Harry never once corrects Ron's behavior, rebukes his
attitude, or tries to appeal to a universal behavior standard.
9
Although this is plausible, Harry does seem honestly moved
by the Malfoys' mistreatment of Dobby throughout the
Chamber of Secrets. It is curious, however, that the
mistreatment of other house-elves doesn't cause him equal
concern. For instance, when Professor Slughorn informs
Harry that he now forces house-elves to taste his wine to
make sure it isn't poisoned, Harry seems more apprehensive
that Hermione doesn't find out about this, as opposed to any
distress about the injustice of the situation (HBP, 485).
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He seems equally disinterested in challenging the actions of
his godfather Sirius, Professor Slughorn, or any other
members of the Weasley family. Harry seems solely
concerned with what he, and only he, should do. His
reactions are utterly personalized.
At the end of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore seems to
support Harry's decisions and becomes the second most
prominent portrayer of the personal response in the Rowling
novels. As Harry rages against Kreacher for his part in Sirius'
demise, Dumbledore tells Harry that Sirius made a mistake by
not being kind to Kreacher. As he continues to lecture Harry
on Kreacher's betrayal of Sirius he makes many references to
the idea that Sirius should have treated Kreacher with more
respect. But he never generalizes this to include all wizards or
all house-elves. Dumbledore's statements about kindness are
completely tied up with that one situation, and he makes no
arguments to suggest that there be a new universal standard
of wizard behavior that includes constant kindness and
respect being shown to all house-elves or in all contexts. We
see this further lived out in the actions of Dumbledore who,
throughout the series, is never shown as being an ardent
activist for universal house-elf rights and does nothing to free
10
the house-elves of Hogwarts .
10
Although Dumbledore is portrayed as benevolent and
compassionate to the house-elves, he doesn't seem
interested in promoting their cause, helping educate them
against false consciousness, or changing Wizard laws
regarding house-elves. He does offer to pay Dobby in return
for his services (GoF, 379) as a free house-elf at Hogwarts, but
this is an isolated, personal response (Dumbledore doesn't
start paying all the house-elves).
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Relativism and Multicultural Antiracism: The Theories Behind
the Personal Response
The personal response is promoted and articulated by
individuals who uphold the philosophic view of moral
relativism and/or multiculturalism. Moral relativism
"emphasizes the belief that 'truths are situationally
dependent.'(Horne, 78)" Relativists believe that there are no
absolute standards for morality and, thus, there can never be
one universal code of ethics. Rather, the "right" thing to do in
each situation would be completely dependent on the
circumstances and personality of those involved. We see
relativism being strongly displayed in Harry's lack of
willingness to make any value judgments on the actions of
those around him. Although Rowling doesn't make this
thought explicit in the novels (Harry never blatantly says, "I'm
a relativist!"), it can be easily assumed that he never made a
universal statement of what was right and wrong regarding
house-elves because he didn't truly believe that such a thing
actually existed.
In a similar vein, relativism is closely related to the
perspective
of
antiracism
education
known
as
multiculturalism. Multiculturalism says, in essence, that
racism is based on many individuals having personalized
prejudices against particular members of another race .
Multiculturalism teaches the values of diversity and
tolerance, and advocates that individuals learn to see,
understand, and appreciate the perspectives of different
cultures. Multiculturalists believe that, through this
education, students will learn to embrace cultures different
than their own and trhough this understanding end
discrimination. Their method of combating racism, then,
involves educating each individual about the worth of
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another particular culture or people group. Multiculturalism
doesn't look for any cause of racism that lies outside the
individual: racism is a personal problem that needs to be
dealt with on an individual level (Horne, 78).
Harry's actions are an example of multiculturalism. He sees
the "problem" being completely restricted within himself and
responds to each situation on a case-by-case basis. He
doesn't see "the house-elves as a people group"; he just sees
Dobby the house-elf. And he doesn't see "the dominant
Wizard hegemony"; he just sees Harry the wizard.
Throughout the novels, Harry combats racism through
multiculturalistic methods: he gets to know the house-elves
individually, he learns about their problems on an elf-by-elf
basis, and he responds to their needs individually.
The Political Response
In contrast to Harry's reactions and mentalities, Rowling gives
us the character of Hermione Granger. When Hermione
becomes aware of the house-elves, and the mistreatment
they face, her response is an intensely political one. Instead
of seeking to act in one or two particular cases, Hermione
begins making plans to impact the house-elves' situation as a
whole. She works quickly to found the Society for the
Promotion of Elvish Welfare (S.P.E.W.). Instead of being
focused on assisting individual elves, the short-term goals
are, "to secure house-elves fair wages and working
conditions...[The] long term aims include changing the law
about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical
Creatures...(GoF, 224-225)." Hermione is consistently making
statements that refer to the "bigger picture" of house-elf
enslavement, and purports universal standards of behavior.
20 | P a g e
She seems less concerned in getting entwined in personal
interactions with house-elves; rather she seeks to work for
the species as a whole. Likewise the moral judgments she
makes concerning her own behavior are not limited. She is
constantly challenging the actions and attitudes of the other
wizards in her world in order to bring them in alignment with
what she considers absolute standards of right and wrong.
The Political Response in Harry Potter
Rowling offers many examples of this mentality in the way
Hermione speaks about and works for house-elves. The
mission and goals of S.P.E.W. are expressly and exclusively
political. She sees the house-elves as a unit, a group of
people, whose problems should be addressed as a whole.
When recruiting for S.P.E.W. in the Gryffindor common room
she laments that, "your food [is] cooked by a group of
magical creatures who are unpaid and enslaved (GoF, 238)."
Furthermore, although her drive to found S.P.E.W. was
initially motivated by her observation of one house-elf,
Winky, her vision quickly expanded to include all members of
the house-elf race (GoF, 181-182). Hermione also seems to
form her political organization without any face-to-face
contact with the house-elves; S.P.E.W. was designed for the
house-elves in their entirety; not just one or two of the
house-elves Hermione knew.
Hermione is also quick to set up universal standards of right
and wrong. She is clear that all house-elves in all contexts
should be free, paid, respected, and treated fairly. She is also
clear that the ethics she has adopted towards house-elves
should be adopted by everyone around her. She constantly
nags Ron and criticizes his beliefs about house-elves and his
treatment of them. She does the same to Fred and George,
21 | P a g e
Sirius, Mr. Crouch, Mr. Diggory, Percy, Nearly Headless Nick,
and even Harry. Unlike Harry who doesn't communicate
moral absolutes, Hermione sees the house-elf situation as
something that applies to everyone and demands a collective
response.
Social Justice Antiracism: The Philosophy Behind the Political
Response
The second school of thought in antiracism education theory
is social justice antiracism. This theory notes the problem of
prejudice in individuals, but looks for deeper causes at the
societal and institutional level. "Social justice pedagogies
focus on teaching students to examine the social, political,
and economic structures in which they live and...assumes
that racism lies not only in individuals, but also in the
institutions that grant privileges and power to certain racial
groups in a society, and restrict other racial groups from the
same (Horne, 79)."
We see Hermione carrying out a social justice pedagogy as
she works through S.P.E.W. She vividly sees the problem of
racism as being more than just a few prejudices by individual
wizards. She talks to Ron about the problem being wizards
who, "prop up rotten and unjust systems, just because
they're too lazy (GoF, 125)." She acknowledges
institutionalized racism in the education system by noting the
absence of any narrative on house-elves in one of her favorite
books, Hogwarts, A History (GoF 238-239).
And she
repeatedly refers to the problem of racism and classism being
a trait of the wizards (plural) and not just individual wizards
(singular).
22 | P a g e
Social justice antiracism, once it has been understood, "calls
for those in positions of power to examine their own
privileges. (Horne, 85)." Hermione does this consistently,
both in her own life and in the lives of those closest to her
(particularly Ron). Social justice antiracism, since it sees the
problem as communal, calls for a communal response.
Proponents of this theory believe that affecting individual's
beliefs will not be sufficient to provide an adequate answer to
racism. Only by changing the ways people (as a collective)
think, the way power is distributed, and the ways society is
structured can any lasting change be made. Social justice calls
for movements, protests, lawsuits, and widespread education
efforts. Through S.P.E.W., personal conversations, and
promotion activities (such as a sponsored clean on the
Gryffindor common room), these are precisely the types of
actions that we see Hermione undertaking.
Non-Actions: Who Didn't Do Anything
In addition to deciding which action to take, there's is also the
decision of whether or not to act at all. Many characters in
the Harry Potter novels made the decision to do nothing in
response to the house-elves and their situation in the
Wizarding world. Although these characters involved the
typical "villains," such as the Malfoys, Bellatrix, Snape, and
Voldemort; it also includes a number of otherwisesympathetic characters (whom we might dub "heroes").
These characters include the Weasleys, McGonagall,
Shacklebolt, Hagrid, and Dumbledore. Most of these
characters don't mention or interact with the house-elves at
all. A few, such as Hagrid and Mr. Weasley, talk about their
plight but dismiss the severity of the issue (GoF, 139).
23 | P a g e
Perhaps the most interesting name on this list, however, is
Dumbledore. Throughout the series, Dumbledore is
portrayed as one of the most sympathetic and enlightened
wizards: the wizard who will fight for and respect creatures
that no one else will. We often see him passionately fighting
for the rights of giants (Hagrid), hippogriffs (Buckbeak), and
Mudbloods. Yet when it comes to house-elves, Dumbledore is
strangely silent. Apart from telling Harry to "be nice" to
Kreacher and hinting at the fact that Wizards have, indeed,
abused house-elves (GoF, 832-834), Dumbledore takes no
recorded actions to actually change the way house-elves are
treated. During his time as Headmaster at Hogwarts he has,
apparently, changed little about the way house-elves perform
the day-to-day operations of the castle. And although
Rowling hints at many social justice campaigns that
Dumbledore has participated in, he seems uninterested or
unwilling to do the same for house-elves.
RESULTS: THE AFTERMATH OF EACH APPROACH
With three possible approaches to the problem of social
justice (especially social justice involving individuals under
false-consciousness), the question becomes: who was right?
Which approach had the best effects? What does Rowling
seem to be implying that we, in the Muggle world, should do?
The answer to these questions is complicated and tangled. In
the end, however, it can be argued that Rowling (in general)
prefers the personal, multicultural approach. We can see this
in three different areas: 1) conversation changes, 2) positive
reactions to Harry and non-positive reactions to Hermione,
and 3) Hermione's transition from purely political to partly
personal.
24 | P a g e
Conversation Changes
Although Rowling offers readers the social justice/political
approach to solving house-elf issues, she consistently takes
attention away from this method. Almost without fail,
whenever Hermione is discussing the theory behind S.P.E.W.
or speaking of the house-elves in general, Rowling
intentionally changes the topic of conversation. After Winky
had been harshly fired by Mr. Crouch at the Quidditch World
Cup and Hermione is stating her grievances Mr. Weasley
states that, "now is not the time to discuss elf rights (GoF,
139)." When Percy and Hermione are arguing if Mr. Crouch's
behavior towards Winky was justified, Mrs. Weasley
interrupts their discussion to tell them to go pack (GoF, 154).
Hermione's views about house-elf false-consciousness was
abruptly "drowned out" by the arrival of the post owls (GoF,
239). Ron interupts Hermione's advice on treating Kreacher
with respect, saying, "Yeah, yeah...[c]'mon I'm starving. (Oop,
76) and interrupts her idea about the sponsored scrub of the
Gryffindor common room with another snide remark (OoP,
159).
This switch in conversation never allows Hermione to fully
develop her thoughts and gives the reader a less-informed
view of the social justice approach. She is rarely able to
complete a thought, and readers are left with questions
about the end-results of her personal approach: did S.P.E.W.
die out? does Hermione continue working with S.P.E.W. after
the Battle of Hogwarts? did the group have any success? In
contrast, the multicultural response (in the character of Harry
Potter) is given six whole novels to fully develop. We see
Harry in the Chamber of Secrets as a young boy who knows
nothing about house-elves, and doesn't know any houseelves personally. By book seven, however, he has learned
25 | P a g e
much more about house-elves and has gotten to know at
least three house-elves personally. Because of these personal
connections, and the knowledge of house-elf culture he gains
through them, Harry can make more enlightened (yet still
individualistic) responses to their situation. Rowling also
allows us to see numerous examples of the multiculturalistic
11
response , but only one example of the social justice
approach. This imbalanced portrayal, although perhaps not
intentional, may be a sign of Rowling's personal preference
for the multicultural, personal response.
Positive Reactions to Harry, Negative Reactions to Hermione
Rowling's feelings about multiculturalism and social justice
antiracism are also revealed in the ways Harry and
Hermione's actions are received throughout the novels. We
consistently see Harry's actions (based on the multicultural
perspective) praised and Hermione's actions (based on the
social justice mentality) devalued or criticized.
Positive Reactions to Harry
Harry is always portrayed as the hero and as the character we
should all aspire to be. His actions are almost universally
approved throughout the novels, and his actions here are no
exception. Not only are his personal actions met with success
(Kreacher is transformed from a bitter traitor to a contented,
faithful servant; Dobby becomes a "model elf" and comes
back to save Harry's life), but he is never once reproached or
11
Examples of responses based on multiculturalism include
Harry's actions towards Dobby, Griphook, Winky, and
Kreacher; Dumbledore's advice to Harry and his treatment of
Dobby; and the design and stated purpose of the Tri-Wizard
Tournament (among others).
26 | P a g e
rebuked by other characters. In fact, his actions have the
highly valued Dumbledore "stamp of approval."
Negative Reactions to Hermione
Hermione's approach, however, is met with constant doubt,
antagonism, and poor success. Few people end up joining
S.P.E.W. and the organization itself seems to have no
recorded victories. Hermione is consistently portrayed
12
negatively when working under a social justice mentality .
When recruiting for S.P.E.W. she is depicted as a nagging
annoyance who coerces and threatens students (GoF, 238).
Many wizards, especially Ron, Fred and George, see her as
crazed and out-of-control (GoF, 255). She is painted as overly
zealous ("vociferous"), naive, and obsessive- to the point of
"tricking" the house-elves into being free (OoP, 255). Her
actions are constantly derided and, occasionally, blatantly
criticized--especially by Ron.
Is S.P.E.W. Supposed to be a Political Model?
Some authors, such as Brycchan Carey, would argue the
opposite saying that, "in the end, for young people in the real
world, denied the opportunity to do head-to-head battle with
evil, the model of the political pressure group exemplified by
S.P.E.W. is the most promising route for an apprenticeship in
politics (Carey, 106)." However, for the reasons listed above, I
would disagree with this. Hermione's attempts at political
activism are always seen as having second-rate responses and
reactions from her peers (including those characters whose
opinions we are taught to respect: Dumbledore and Harry).
12
The discussion of how Hermione is portrayed while being
politically active is carried out in more detail on the following
page.
27 | P a g e
And although Rowling's novels often champion the cause of
the "underdog," in the case of S.P.E.W. two factors are
missing. First, Rowling usually portrays the "underdog" as a
positive role model. Hermione, however, is not depicted in
this way (see the discussion on the following page for more
details). Secondly, the cause of the "underdog" typically
triumphs. Neville, ever the underdog, gets his moment in the
sun; Harry is vindicated of his bad press by the unmistakable
return of Voldemort; even the under-appreciated Hufflepuffs
receive their moment of triumph when Cedric Diggory is
chosen to represent Hogwarts in the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
For Hermione and S.P.E.W., however, there is no moment of
redemption. Her viewpoint is never acknowledged as right,
nor is her organization ever successful.
But are the Negative Reactions are Just a Reality Check?
Other authors have argued that this negative portrayal of
Hermione's worldview is not meant to discourage readers
from such actions, but rather to highlight the difficulties that
accompany the social justice antiracism approach. Karley
Adney states that, "[s]ince Hermione is, for most of the
series, the only one who dares to oppose Dumbledore's and
others' benevolent attitude towards house-elves it is only
consequent that she, as the only heroic character who
confronts the evil within the good order, occupies a position
of anxiety in the setting of the story (Adney, 172)." I find that,
although this argument is plausible, it is not likely. First, there
are also many issues faced with the multiculturalist
perspective, none of which are highlighted in the series.
Learning to understand a culture that is foreign to your own
takes self-sacrifice, long periods of in-depth study, and
prolonged personal exposure to many members of that
society. Although arguments could be made that Harry had
28 | P a g e
this prolonged personal exposure (although, does knowing
three house-elves really qualify as a sufficient sample?), we
don't see Harry spending time researching house-elf customs
or dedicating himself to understanding their culture.
Secondly, Hermione is not portrayed as an enlightened
character fighting against a hegemonic Wizarding worldview,
but rather as a emotionally charged, stubborn schemer going
against the calm and collected wisdom of multiculturalism. In
many of the examples listed above, Rowling could have rewritten the text slightly to portray Hermione in a positive
light and the reactions against her in a negative light. Take,
for example, Rowling's depiction of Hermione as she is
attempting to recruit Gryffindor students to join S.P.E.W.:
Harry shook his head and applied himself to his
scrambled eggs. His and Ron's lack of enthusiasm
had done nothing whatsoever to curb Hermione's
determination to pursue justice for house-elves.
True, both of them had paid two Sickles for a
S.P.E.W. badge, but they had only done it to keep
her quiet. Their Sickles had been wasted, however; if
anything, they seemed to have made Hermione
more vociferous. She had been badgering Harry and
Ron ever since, first to wear the badges, then to
persuade others to do the same, and she had also
taken to rattling around the Gryffindor common
room every evening, cornering people and shaking
the collecting tin under their noses. "You do realize
that your sheets are changed, you fires lit, your
classrooms cleaned, and your food cooked by a
group of magical creatures who are unpaid and
enslaved?" she kept yelling fiercely.
Some people, like Neville, had paid up just to stop
Hermione from glowering at them. (GoF, 238-239)
29 | P a g e
In this example, Rowling chooses to focus on Hermione's
tactics as a recruiter. She is seen as harassing (she had been
"badgering" Harry and Ron), annoying ("rattling around the
Gryffindor common room every evening," "yelling fiercely"),
threatening ("cornering people," "glowering"), and abrasive
("shaking the collecting tin under their noses"). Rowling could
have written this with Hermione calmly distributing
educational pamphlets, quietly seeking to engage students in
conversation about house-elf rights (there were, after all, a
few who were "mildly interested in what she had to say (GoF,
239)"), or respectfully challenging her fellow students to take
action. With either description, Rowling could have still made
the point about the difficulties that come by challenging the
status quo. The fact that she chose to portray Hermione in a
negative way, however, makes it difficult for me to support
13
Adney's argument . It seems more likely that Rowling is
attempting to discourage readers from campaigning in the
same way that Hermione did. Rowling is, I believe, setting an
example of what not to do when seeking to enact change,
and her depiction of Hermione is a strong statement against
political activism in the Harry Potter series.
Hermione's Transformation
In addition to these fist two factors, Rowling also has
Hermione make a transition from a purely political response
to a mixed response that contains more and more elements
of multiculturalism. As the novels progress, we see Hermione
13
This is not to say, however, that I don't agree with her
thoughts on the difficulty of calling attention to the moral ills
of the social majority; in fact, I believe she is quite right.
30 | P a g e
gradually abandon her political fervor and lend more
credibility and sympathy to Harry's personal responses. In
Goblet of Fire, Hermione tells Harry that she is considering
taking more "direct action" and making personal connections
with the house-elves in the Hogwarts kitchens (GoF, 320).
Later in Order of the Phoenix, we see her taking an even
14
more personalized actions: knitting hats to free individual
house-elves (OoP, 255). In a purely social justice antiracism
perspective, her actions here would be seen as
inconsequential. The fact that Hermione participates in them
is a sign that her worldview has shifted slightly.
With the introduction of Kreacher, Hermione's perspective
becomes even more personal. She reduces her message of
house-elf rights to simply urging Ron and Harry to be kind to
Kreacher. In Deathly Hallows, she speaks about how
Kreacher's betrayal of Sirius was caused by Sirius'
maltreatment of Kreacher and the importance of making
house-elves want to be loyal to you. Her discussion is almost
entirely based on a multicultural, individualistic response (DH,
198). She even stands by and seems heartily encouraged
when Harry decides to treat Kreacher with kindness.
14
By the phrase "individual house-elves," I did not mean to
imply that Hermione was knitting hats with the intention of
freeing specific house-elves ("I'm going to knit this hat to free
the house-elf Johnny.") Rather, I'm observing the fact that,
with her hat-knitting campaign, Hermione has taken the fight
for house-elf freedom to the level of individual house-elves.
Instead of focusing her efforts on the species as a whole,
Hermione is attempting to gain freedom on the basis of
individual house-elves (one house-elf at a time). This
represents a shift from the political view (seeing the houseelves as a people group) to the multiculturalistic view (seeing
the house-elves as individual cases).
31 | P a g e
"'Kreacher, I'm going to ask you to do something,' said Harry.
He glanced at Hermione for assistance. He wanted to give the
order kindly, but at the same time, he could not pretend that
it was not an order. However, the change in his tone seemed
to have gainer her approval: She smiled encouragingly (DH,
199)." Finally, in the midst of the Battle of Hogwarts, when
Ron suggests that they get the house-elves to safety (an idea
based on his individual experience with the sadness of
Dobby's death, not a moral belief in the house-elves right to
safety) Hermione shows her unhesitant acceptance of his
ideas by "kissing him full on the mouth (DH, 625)."
As Hermione transitions away from her political activism, her
reception by the rest of the Wizarding community (as well as
her depiction by Rowling in the novels) is improved. Her
organization, S.P.E.W. is hardly mentioned after the opening
of Order of the Phoenix and her views about institutionalized
racism and social reform are given no narrative space. This
transition again emphasizes Rowling's approval of a
multiculturalist approach over a social justice approach.
THE APPLICATION OF HARRY POTTER TO THE REAL
WORLD: WHAT WOULD ROWLING DO?
So, the question becomes, what would Rowling do? If J.K.
Rowling were the friend left on the front porch in the
scenario at the beginning of this essay, what would she do? I
think we can safely assume that she would apply a
multiculturalistic response. Rowling would not seek to go out
and build women's shelters, argue for more abusepsychology education in schools, or seek to reform domestic
violence law. Rather, I think she would seek to show
continued compassion to her friend and respond to the
situation on a personalized basis. Rowling would look only to
32 | P a g e
what she, as one individual could do, and would not be as
interested in the societal, economic, and political factors that
are affecting the situation.
Whether or not Rowling's approach is the best option is a
question that depends on your philosophic understanding of
right and wrong and the nature of racism. But throughout the
Harry Potter series, Rowling makes a clear argument for a
personalized, relativistic, and multiculturalistic response to
the problem of widespread discrimination and contributes
her thoughts on the debate of the ethics of unwanted
assistance. In answer to the question "to help or not to
help?" Rowling would respond that it depends on the
individual, the context, and individual morality. She would say
that— as Dumbledore is so fond of reminding us —"It is our
choices that show us who we are, far more than our abilities."
33 | P a g e
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