[HPforGrownups] Re: Why are Dobby and Grawp so annoying? (Was: Freedom for House-Elves)

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 162257

Carol:
 I think it's clear why Grawp is annoying; his vocabulary and repertoire of
actions are extremely limited. 
<SNIP>Okay, no reason to hate him, but no reason to empathize with him,
either. At best, most of us can take him or leave him. He slows the story
down.

Alla: 
Right, I suppose I will take the *slows the story down* argument as the one
I most agree with.


Sherry now:

Ok, I know exactly why Grawp bothers me, why I wish he had never entered the
story, why I don't care if we ever see him again.  Besides the fact that he
is just not interesting as a character, that is.  Because of Grawp, we, the
reader, and Harry, missed Ron's big moment in Quidditch.  I was so upset
when we finally escaped from Grawp, to return to the quidditch pitch, only
to learn we'd missed the game; Ron has saved the day, and I had missed it
all!  I really can't say if I would have felt differently about Grawp if
he'd been introduced at any other time.  I think not, because the chapter
with Hagrid telling the trio about his adventures in Giant land bored me
too.  But missing Ron's big moment was the main problem I had.


Alla:

Ooooooo, I have to think about it, but that just may be it. Thank you.
Dobby is hurting Harry in CoS IMO, while he is trying to help him and I have
no doubt that he is trying to help him, but I absolutely wanted to slap him
as to his methods.
Yes, on intellectual level I realize his good intentions, but I still cannot
stand his actions for the most part of the book, maybe that is where my
annoyance stems from. I mean if Dobby at the end would have indeed helped
Harry in some significant way, it would make me feel less annoyed with him,
but while he wanted to help, he did not really do anything helpful, no?
So, yeah, that is probably the main reason.



Sherry now:

I felt the same way about dobby in COS, but I have come to like the little
guy quite a bit.  I began to like him in GOF, when he brought the gilly weed
to Harry and talked about Harry Potter having to get his "weezy" back.  He's
kind of grown on me ever since, though of course, not on the same level as
characters like on, Hermione, Ginny, other Weasleys and Sirius.  Winky makes
me want to shake her, and Kreacher ... well, I won't go there.  Dobby's
loyalty to Harry--not as a slave but just loyalty--endears me to him for
some reason, that I really can't explain.  When we first met him again in
the kitchens in GOF, I thought, Oh no, not again.  But by the end of that
scene I was hooked on him.  Maybe it was the contrast between Dobby and
Winky.

Sherry