House Elves' enslavement (long)

[Susana da Cunha]

No: HPFGUIDX 114085

Sophierom wrote:

"I think (and I could be completely wrong) that the treatment of house elves
in wizarding society is another of JKR's way of telling us that wizarding
society is actually a pretty racist society." <snip>

"Based on this reading of house elves, I'm a little uncomfortable with the
idea that SPEW should only focus on teaching wizards to take care of their
house elves (hence giving up on the ultimate quest for freedom). While
getting wizards to treat their house elves well is
a good thought (and perhaps a good short-term aim), it's ultimately a
reenforcement of paternalism, which is only a nicer manifestation of
 racism." <snip>

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Oh, Sophierom! What a nice challenging debate I'm predicting here.

I agree the wizarding society is completely racist... but elves are not
another race! They are a different species (as you noticed). And while you
made the analogy to human enslavement I can't help make a comparison that
will scandalize you and others so much, I'm sure to receive hate mail over
this (gee, I hope not)!

I should have added this to the "what we don't know" list.

6 - We don't know if elves can live without humans.

Actually, if there is a society of elves hidden somewhere in the globe, I
will be the first to yell RUBISH to my own theory. I assume there isn't
because they are *house* elves. Thus my comparison to a symbiosis - and most
symbiosis are not 'equal'. One of the species can live without the other
(but lives better with the other) while the other cannot survive on its own.
One example: bacteria living in our intestine - experiments with mice
suggest we *can* live without them, though with great discomfort, but they
can't live without us.

But elves are hardly comparable to bacteria. So I'll compare them to
something that live in a less strict symbiosis with humans.

I'm about to compare elves to... dogs!

No, really, I'm not! I want to make this very clear: I will compare some
similarities of the dog-human relation with the elf-wizard relation. I am
*NOT* saying elves are like dogs in *ANY* way!

Having cleared that out, the reason for my comparison is simple: dogs have
evolved to serve humans. There are no wild-dogs - wolfs are not dogs. Most
dog breeds don't have the ability to form a society without humans - some
can't reproduce, some can't hunt, some can't create bounds with other dogs,
etc.

If you want to free the dogs (send them into the wild) you'd have to rebreed
them, i.e. make them evolve back into independence. If this is comparable to
elves (we don't know) you'd have to do it over centuries (we don't know how
long elves live). If someone asked me to join a Society for Promotion of
Dogs Freedom (SPDF) I'd have a reaction very similar to Hagrid's about SPEW:
"Free the elves? What a mean thing to do!" (paraphrased from memory)

I also chose dogs, not sheep, for another reason. Most dog breeds were
developed to have a will to serve humans. Dobermans, for example, go
literally insane (and have to be put down) if they don't have a human
alfa-leader giving them orders all the time (comparison to Kretcher, any
one?). Collies and Labradors are extremely unhappy if they sit around all
day with nothing to do.

Border Collies (as in "Babe" the movie about a pig who wanted to be a sheep
dog) are a good example: if the owner isn't careful, they will work
themselves to death - 'tired' just doesn't compute! And this is not a bad
thing. If you ever see a sheep dog working all day, you'll be dazzled by its
obvious happiness.

And another very close similarity is the responsibility a human have towards
the dog. Labradors will heat until they're sick. We have the responsibility
to stop them - and wizards have the responsibility to stop elves from
punishing themselves. Keeping an Irish Setter in an apartment should be a
crime - and so should be keeping en elf in an empty house (Kretcher again).

And in case someone's about to reply in ALL CAPS: Abandoning a dog *is* a
crime (in most countries) - but giving clothes to an elf *is* *not*
*comparable* because they *are* *not* *dogs* - I know!

But, you see, paternalism is not totally out off place here. If you say
elves have human intelligence I agree; But if you say elves have human
*capabilities* I'll say I've seen no proof of that in canon (maybe they do,
I don't know).





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"But I think, if you look at the larger thematic trend of the HP books,
house elf enslavement is indeed yet another way of showing that wizarding
society has a severe and problematic superiority complex. By keeping house
elves enslaved, even if they are treated more kindly, wizards and witches
will never come to see these creatures as their equals (read: as creatures
who have as much right to control their own magic, their own destiny, as
other sentient creatures)."

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Er... I'm trying to let this pass... but no, I can't.

A superiority complex is when you think your superiority is a flaw. Wizards
are plainly arrogant - no complexes about it!

As for 'equals'... maybe... er... elves don't want to be equal?

Muggle society has an 'equality complex'! You're anthropomorphising elves. I
hate to bring dogs back, but...

It's like giving a chocolate cake to a dog. You're poisoning him! Dogs are
not equipped to process sugar the way we are, and they simply *can't*
process chocolate - it's poison to them!

Of course, by little steps, you might 'breed' elves into having the
capability to decide their own destiny. I'd like that. But first you'd have
to educate wizards about elves nature and how to educate elves. We're
talking centuries!





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"While Susanna argues that the transience of humans at Hogwarts prevents the
creation of a true "heart master" bond between elf and human, Hogwarts might
provide a much better substitute: a house elf bond."
-------------------------------



I just want to point out that Winky - Mr. Crouch-I-hate-Death-Eateres's
elf - and Dobby - Mr. Malfoy-I-am-a-vicious-Death-Eater's elf - knew each
other. I doubt elves are isolated in the house they serve.




----------------------

"Susanna astutley points out that house elves do have some autonomy, but
they have to sneak around and punish themselves to exercise it, and in the
end, these little bits of autonomy do not allow Kreacher (or Winky) to
determine their course in life.
They must react instead of act."
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I completely agree! Kretcher and Winky's situation put a weight over my
hart. SPEW should definitely pick this up - not to free all elves - to make
sure elves are not neglected by wizarding society the way those two were
(transition houses for elves?).

I'll be very upset with Hermione if she doesn't finely remember to ask the
elves what are the main problems they face in life. Unlike dogs, we can ask
them!





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Thanks, Susanna, for the thought-provoking analysis!
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No, no, no! Thank you! :)



Susana

-- who doesn't mind the extra 'n'.