Hermione's Hats

[happybean98]

No: HPFGUIDX 88955

Bobby,

You wrote:
> David in message 88892 identifies the essential problem with the 
> hats: House Elves are not freed merely by contact with their 
> masters' clothes (or else why didn't Dobby free himself when he was 
> at the Malfoys?) or by intent (since Lucius did not intend to free 
> Dobby when he inadvertently threw him a sock).  So how can 
> Hermione's hats work?


I wondered the same thing. It's a pointless, almost pathetic attempt. 
In my opinion, the only functions the hats serve are, 

1. Generate pathos for Hermione's character by witnessing her 
hopeless effort to do something to change the plight of the house 
elves. This is especially true when Harry discovers the uselessness 
of the hats from Dobby and the fact that they are not making life 
better for the House Elves, but worse. Also, his reluctance to tell 
Hermione the truth for fear it would dissapoint her.

2. Continue to slowly build the theme that the House Elves are 
important to the outcome of the fight against Voldemort. Hermione has 
made a series of unsuccessful efforts to point this out..from trying 
to start S.P.E.W. to making the hats, to defending Kreacher in Oop. 
Oop is the first time another character, (Dumbledore), points out 
that she is right about the house elves. I think the point of the 
hats is not so much a plot device as character development. The hats 
are showing that Hermione is developing a social conscience, which 
makes her unpopular and pathetic to the other characters. I am sure 
the House Elves will be freed by the end of the books due to her 
efforts, but she will have to change tactic.

> Second, why hasn't Hermione noticed the problem?  Why hasn't she 
> thought this thing to death the way she does everything else?  Is 
> JKR using this for something in Book 6?


I agree. Dumbledore's Army was her idea, and was successful. Also the 
article about Harry by Rita Skeeter was her idea, and was successful. 
Why can't her success carry over to the House Elves?  Of course, the 
two efforts that were successful used Harry's fame as a catalyst. It 
will be interesting to see what she tries next.

Kathleen