a sandwich

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 178818

> Carol, who thinks there never was a House-Elf arc per se and that
> we're meant to see SPEW as a misguided attempt at helping those who
> neither need nor want that kind of help
>

a_svirn:
While I agree on the whole with your description of the individual 
house elves arcs, I still don't see why we shouldn't regard them as 
parts of the whole. Indeed, I am certain we should, for to dissect a 
story – any story – into a set individual "arcs" that bear no 
relevance to the overall structure would devoid it of any sense 
whatsoever (and make it utterly unreadable). And if we put these 
three live histories into the context we'll see that Dobby was, as 
you say, an oddity, a freak of nature, and that it's probably just as 
well that Rowling killed him off as she did, for he wouldn't fit the 
brave new world any better that he fit the old gloomy one. We'll also 
see that this brave new world is a world where natural slaves (elves) 
live in perfect harmony with their natural masters (wizards). We can 
shrug and leave it at that of course, but I for one can't help 
wondering why Rowling would have it so.