House-Elf Justice (was Re: Kreacher - workable solutions?)

[sophierom]

No: HPFGUIDX 129551

> > Sophierom:
> > 
> > I love it! This makes me wonder what house-elves would consider
> > "justice".  
 
> a_svirn:
> 
> 
> Slaves and justice do not belong to the same sentence. I seriously 
> doubt that such word can be found in elivish-English pidgin 
> vocabulary or that the concept would make any sense for someone 
> who's existence defies the very idea of justice. 

Sophierom:

I think you're giving "slaves" far too little credit. According to the
American Heritage Dictionary, justice is "a. The principle of moral
rightness; equity. b. Conformity to moral rightness in action or
attitude; righteousness." Slavery is most definitely unjust; but to
argue that slaves can't understand justice because they suffer
injustice is not supportable by human history. Obviously house-elves
are not completely analogous to human slave societies, but there are
parallels worth considering.  Consider enslaved African Americans;
they most definitely had a sense of justice in their communities. Many
of the oral histories, spirituals, and folk tales from the Antebellum
period are rife with calls for justice. One of the most famous
spirituals, "Go Down Moses," is perhaps one of the most powerful calls
for justice in United States history. While a spiritual may not be a
formal "law" or "treatise" on the subject of justice, it is as clear
(if not clearer) understanding of justice as anything written into the
laws of this or any other country.  

We don't know enough about house-elf culture to say if they have a
"formal" understanding for justice, but to dismiss the possibility
that they understand the concept simply because they are slaves is, I
think, rather unjust. ;-D 

> > Sophierom:
> 
>  After all, of the
> > three house-elves we've gotten to know, Dobby is actually the best
> > servant.
> > 
> > 
> a_svirn:
> 
> You are overlooking the fact that Dobby is no longer a servant.

Sophierom:

No, I'm not overlooking that.  A servant does not have to be a slave.
 Dobby continues to serve, by choice; he serves Harry, and he serves
the larger Hogwarts community. Although servant has become a word that
connotes inferiority in our culture, to be a servant is actually to be
of help or of service to someone in need.  Dobby's acts of service to
Harry are quite honorable because he chooses, of his own free will, to
be a servant.  For those who choose to see Christian elements in the
series, Dobby's choice to serve is reminiscent of the Christian call
to service. 

House-elf enslavement represents, in my opinion, one of the worst
injustices of the wizarding world. For that reason, Dobby has always
been one of my favorite characters in the series.  He wants freedom
and he wants to serve. Unlike the pureblood bigots of the Wizarding
World, who only understand the language of superiority and
inferiority, master and slave, Dobby understands that there can be
service among equals.  It's a worthy ideal, particularly for any
society that calls itself a free society. 

All the best,
Sophie, now stepping off her soapbox! ;-D