[HPforGrownups] Re: House-Elves yet again

[k12listmomma]

No: HPFGUIDX 181314

> Random:
> Even if we accept that they are forced (by whatever* means) to
>> serve, and cannot choose not to, there is one important difference:
>> House elves cannot be bought and sold. When Ron laments his
> family's
>> lack of an elf, he speaks not of their financial situation, but of
> the
>> quality of their dwelling, and one is left with the impression that
> a
>> house elf would not _deign_ to lower themselves to serve a family
> that
>> lived in such a shack.
>>
>
> Magpie:
> We don't know whether house elves can be bought or sold. The only
> ones we ever meet are already owned. But you seem to be implying that
> if house elves don't deign to lower themselves to serve a family who
> live in a shack they're not really owned, as if they would refuse to
> serve a master if he didn't have a nice house. But we see that
> Kreacher has to serve Harry whether he deigns to or not. We don't see
> any house elves looking down their noses at houses. They talk more
> about their owners and get attached to them than the houses.

Shelley:
I see this point as really important, because if you take the view that 
House Elves WANT to serve, then they consider it to be a higher honor to 
serve a large house, and not any honor at all to do small tasks tasks that 
the humans could do themselves. The larger the house, the more the prestigue 
for the House Elf. Thus, serving in a shack would give them no pleasure, for 
they really wouldn't be needed at all.