WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:05.799 Welcome back to Muckle Snuggle. Just close your eyes and listen. 2 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:11.919 It's Nigel here, your host, and to night. We're going 3 00:00:11.960 --> 00:00:16.879 to talk about something very quiet, something very small and 4 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:21.359 yet very important. We're going to talk about a sock 5 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:26.280 and a bit of bacon and a very brave little 6 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:30.239 house elt. His name, of course, is Dubby. We are 7 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.479 going to explore the idea of his freedom, not just 8 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:36.640 the moment he got it, but what it really meant, 9 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:40.759 what it changed, and why it might be one of 10 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:45.159 the most quietly revolutionary things in the entire story of 11 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:50.719 Harry Potter. It's a big topic, but we have all 12 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:54.439 the time in the world. There is no rush, So 13 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:58.759 just droft off into the world of thought. Let your 14 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:03.159 mind wander to the kitchens a Malfoy manner, or a cozy, 15 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:09.319 mismatched room in Hogsmead. Darby's freedom begins, as most things 16 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:13.480 do for Harry Potter, with a warning, a warning delivered 17 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:17.280 in a very strange way. This is in Harry Potter 18 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:21.159 and the Chamber of Secrets, chapter two, to be precise, 19 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:25.560 the Vanishing Glass. Harry is in his room at number 20 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:29.640 four Privet Drive, and there is a knocking sound. It 21 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:33.120 comes from his window sill, and there is a creature there, 22 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:40.159 a small battered creature with enormous green tennisball eyes. And 23 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:44.719 this creature, this our self as sobbing. He is hitting 24 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:49.079 his own head with his knuckles. Naughty boy, he's whispering, 25 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:55.400 naughty Master Darby has to punish himself. Sir Dorby thought 26 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:58.480 he would come and stop Harry Potter from going back 27 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.120 to school. Sir. He warns Harry not to go back 28 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:06.120 to Hagwarts. He says there is a plot, a terrible plot. 29 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:10.319 And when Harry asks why he doesn't just leave his masters, 30 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:17.400 the Malfoys, Dobby is horrified leave Sir, Leave Sir Regulus 31 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:22.800 Blatt's old robe. Dobby knows nothing of leaving, Sir. Dobby 32 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:27.199 must be punished, Sir. You see, from the very first 33 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.560 moment we meet him, we learn the central, painful rule 34 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:34.199 of his existence. A house, self belongs to a family. 35 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:38.719 Freedom is not a concept that exists. It is as 36 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:43.400 foreign as a broomstick without a handle. This first encounter 37 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:48.319 is so important because it shows us the conflict. Dobby 38 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:52.360 has a conscience. He knows Harry Potter is a good wizard, 39 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:56.680 a famous wizard, and that his masters are planning to 40 00:02:56.800 --> 00:03:01.840 harm him, but his magical binding, the ancient magic that 41 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:05.159 ties a house self to a family, tells him he 42 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:10.319 must obey. He tries to subtly sabotage. He mentions the 43 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:14.120 bludger at Quidditch, the rogue bludger that follows Harry, but 44 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:19.360 he cannot directly disobey. His very essence rebels against the idea. 45 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.479 He says, Dobby had to come, Sir Dorby had to 46 00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:26.840 warn Harry Potter. Oh, sir, it's so dangerous. He sounds 47 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:30.680 so helpless, and that helplessness is a foundation of his 48 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:35.039 whole journey. Now, let's drift for a moment. Think about 49 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:39.280 how self magic. It is a very particular, very powerful 50 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:43.319 kind of magic. How self can perform magic that wizards 51 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:46.879 and witches cannot. They can upright in and out of 52 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:51.080 places that are under magical protection. The ministry of Magic, 53 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:57.520 Gringot's Hugwarts itself. All are permeable to a determined house. 54 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:01.280 Elf Lucius Malfoy, for example, take the diary of Tom 55 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:04.400 Riddle from his own study into the Department of Mysteries. 56 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:07.120 But he doesn't do it himself. He gives it to 57 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:11.919 his houseelf Lucius Malfoy's house elf to carry it is 58 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:15.520 a loophole, a piece of wizarding law that relies on 59 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:20.079 a being they consider subhuman or sub elf, and Dobby's 60 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:23.759 magic is tied to his service. He punishes himself, that 61 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.639 is his magic. He scrubs with pillow cases, he irons 62 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:30.519 his hands. The pain is a kind of fuel, a 63 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:35.439 terrible fuel, and that is what makes his eventual freedom 64 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:38.680 so profound. He doesn't just get a new job. He 65 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:42.439 gets to choose not to hurt himself anymore. That is 66 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:49.160 the first most immediate change. But we are getting ahead 67 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:53.920 of ourselves. Let's go back to the story. The next 68 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:58.639 major point is the Socks Chapter ten, the Rogue Pludger. 69 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:04.000 He is in Lockhart's office after the quidditch match. His 70 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:09.920 arm is broken. Lucius Malfoy is there complaining about Dumbledore, 71 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:13.600 and he has his house elf with him Dobby. Harry 72 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:17.279 has figured it out. He knows Dobby was the one 73 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:21.439 leaving the socks in the cauldrons, trying to get him expelled. 74 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:26.120 He knows about Bahladger, and in a moment of brilliant 75 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:30.279 kind quick thinking, Harry does something. He has just received 76 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:33.560 his copy of Who's Who among hext Witch Doctors from 77 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:38.199 Builderoy Lockhart as a get well gift, and Lucius Malfoy 78 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:41.439 is holding it. Harry takes a dirty sock from the 79 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:45.199 floor and shoves it into the book's pages, and then 80 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:50.399 he says, Master Dobby's been asking can he have this, 81 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:56.079 referring to the book. Lucius, disgusted by the dirty sock, 82 00:05:56.439 --> 00:06:00.720 throws the book over his shoulder to Dobby. Then the 83 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:05.480 moment happens. Dobby catches the book, he sees the sock. 84 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:10.079 His master has given him clothing. He is free. Master 85 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:13.959 has given a sock. He whispers, Master gave it to Dobby. 86 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.399 What's that? Says Lucius, What did you say? Master gave 87 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:23.759 Doppy a sock? Dorby repeats his voice, trembling. Master through it. 88 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:31.519 Dorby caught it. Dobby is free. Lucius Malfoy is stunned. 89 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:37.360 It's destroyed, he says, and he tries to attack Harry, 90 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:42.600 but Dumbledore steps in and Dobby is free. He clicks 91 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:46.040 his fingers and vanishes with a crack. This is the 92 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:50.959 inciting incident, the moment of liberation. It is so simple, 93 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:55.920 so accidental. It's not a grand spell, it's not a 94 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:00.680 heroic jewel. It's laundry. It is the magic of clothing, 95 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:04.480 the magic of ownership being transferred. It is a loophole 96 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:08.759 used against itself. Harry, in trying to get a book signed, 97 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:14.639 gives a sock. Malfoy, in his haste, gives freedom. It 98 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:19.120 is ironic and it is perfect. Now what happens next, 99 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:23.079 This is where we really get into the theory Dobby 100 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:26.160 is free. This is where we start to see something 101 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:31.959 rather interesting about Dobby's character, something that goes beyond the 102 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:38.839 simple question of house elf obedience, something that suggests, perhaps 103 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:43.839 that the bonds of servitude are not quite as absolute 104 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:47.680 as we might be led to believe. Let us move 105 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:52.360 on now to the moment of Dobby's actual liberation, the 106 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:56.480 moment that changed everything. This occurs in Harry Potter and 107 00:07:56.560 --> 00:08:03.800 the Chamber of Secrets, chapter eighteen, titled Tobby's Reward, and 108 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:08.360 it is I think one of the most important moments 109 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:12.959 in the entire series, not because of its dramatic impact, 110 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:16.680 but because of what it reveals about the nature of 111 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:22.120 freedom and about the nature of magic itself. The scene 112 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:26.560 unfolds as follows. Harry has just defeated the memory of 113 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.600 Tom Riddle in the Chamber of secrets. He has destroyed 114 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:34.480 the diary, he has saved Ginny Weasley, and he has 115 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:39.039 returned to the office of Beilderoy Lockhart, where Lucy's Malfoy 116 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:44.159 has been waiting with Dobby at his side. Harry, still 117 00:08:44.200 --> 00:08:47.399 holding the diary, needs to get rid of it. He 118 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:49.960 needs to get Lucius Malfoy to leave so he can 119 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:55.399 destroy the diary safely. And so he thinks quickly, or 120 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:58.519 rather he thinks as quickly as a twelve year old 121 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:01.360 boy who has just survived battle with a dark wizard 122 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:05.279 can think. Harry wraps the diary in a sock, just 123 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:10.399 a plain ordinary sock, and he hands it to Lucius Malfoy. 124 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:15.080 He says, and this is from the text. He says, 125 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:17.879 I think I'll just leave this here for you to 126 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:22.480 clean up. Now. Lucius Malfoy, who is rather arrogant and 127 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:27.279 rather dismissive of Harry Potter, takes the bundle without thinking. 128 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:31.639 He unwraps it, He finds a sock. And what does 129 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.759 he do with that sock? He throws it at Dorpy, 130 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:39.960 He throws it at Darby and says something dismissive, something 131 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.559 about cleaning it, and that that moment is when Darpy 132 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:51.240 becomes free because Darby catches the sock. Dorby holds the sack, 133 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:55.799 and Darby puts it on, and Lucius Malfoy, who has 134 00:09:56.039 --> 00:09:59.039 just given a piece of clothing to his house elf, 135 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:03.960 realize it what has happened, and he is not pleased. 136 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:08.799 Now let us pause here, let us slow down even further, 137 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.960 because there is a very important detail in this scene 138 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.360 that I want to examine carefully. The sock, the piece 139 00:10:17.399 --> 00:10:23.480 of clothing, is what frees Dby. This is consistent with 140 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:27.440 what we learn later in the series about house elf liberation. 141 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.279 In Order of the Phoenix, we learn that house elves 142 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:37.600 can be freed when their masters give them clothing. This 143 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:42.559 is a specific form of magic, a specific type of 144 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:46.600 enchantment that appears to be deeply embedded in the fabric 145 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:50.639 of wizarding society. In Order of the Phoenix, chapter nine, 146 00:10:50.919 --> 00:10:56.000 The Order of the Phoenix, we learn about s P. E. W. 147 00:10:56.840 --> 00:11:00.919 The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, which Hermione 148 00:11:00.919 --> 00:11:06.039 Granger founded, And in that chapter and in subsequent chapters, 149 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:09.200 we learn a great deal about the legal and magical 150 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:13.000 status of houselves in Wizarding Britain. But let us not 151 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:17.200 get ahead of ourselves. There is no rush. Let your 152 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:20.759 mind wander, let the details settle like snow on a 153 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:27.759 quiet lawn. The point is the sock freed Dobby. And 154 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:33.879 this was not an accident. Harry did this intentionally. Harry 155 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:37.120 gave the diary to Lucius Malfoy wrapped in a sock, 156 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:40.639 specifically so that Malfoy would give the sop to Dobby. 157 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:46.120 This is quite clever, actually for a twelve year old. 158 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:48.879 It shows a kind of thinking, a hit that is 159 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:53.279 not always present in Harry's character. He planned this, he 160 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:57.080 thought about it. He knew that giving clothing to a 161 00:11:57.159 --> 00:12:00.519 house elf would set it free. And here is the 162 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:04.360 question I want us to consider to Night. How did 163 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:10.039 Harry know this? Where did he learn this information? Because 164 00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:12.600 if you look back at the earlier chapters of Chamber 165 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:16.279 of Secrets, if you look carefully at what Harry knew 166 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:19.559 and when he knew it, you will find that Harry 167 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:23.320 did not actually have a detailed understanding of house self liberation. 168 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:28.080 At that point. He knew Dobby was enslaved, he knew 169 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:32.240 Dobby was being mistreated. But the specific knowledge that giving 170 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:35.720 a house half clothing would free it, where did that 171 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:41.000 come from? Well, the answer I think is that it 172 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:46.360 was simply common knowledge, even among twelve your aunts who 173 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:50.320 had never heard of house els before, because the freeing 174 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:54.039 of households through clothing was such a fundamental part of 175 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:56.799 wizarding culture that even some one who had been raised 176 00:12:56.840 --> 00:13:02.360 by muggles would somehow know it. Or perhaps Harry simply guessed. 177 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:06.559 Perhaps he saw an opportunity and took it. Perhaps he 178 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:11.679 saw Lucius Malfoy about to add something to Dobby and 179 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:18.480 he realized, perhaps instinctively, that this could work in his favor. 180 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:25.399 Either way, the result was the same. Dobby caught the sock. 181 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:32.960 Dobby was free. And now let us explore what happened next, 182 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:38.480 because this is where the story gets rather interesting. In 183 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:44.440 Chamber of Secrets, in the chapter titled Dobby's Reward, we 184 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:48.360 see Dobby's immediate reaction to his freedom, and it is 185 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:54.120 quite something. Dobby is overwhelmed with gratitude. He is crying, 186 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:58.200 He is thanking Harry, he says, and I AM going 187 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.480 to try to get this right. He says, something like, 188 00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:05.960 Master has given a sock. Did some one give Dobby 189 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:11.360 a sock? Master gave it to Dobby? What's this Master 190 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:16.519 is wearing? It. Dobby is free. Dobby is free. Now. 191 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:23.360 This is a moment of pure joy, pure unfiltered happiness. Dobby, 192 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:27.240 who has spent his entire life in servitude, who has 193 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:31.840 been beaten and mistreated and forced to iron his own hands, 194 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:38.519 is suddenly miraculously completely free. But here is what I 195 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:42.720 find fascinating about this moment. Dobby does not know what 196 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:46.559 freedom means. He has never been free before. He has 197 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:49.919 never had the experience of making his own choices, of 198 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:53.120 living his own life, of determining his own future. He 199 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:55.240 knows that he is no longer bound to the Malfoys, 200 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.360 he knows that he no longer has to obey their commands. 201 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:02.559 But what does he do with that freedom? What does 202 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:07.039 it look like in practical terms, for a house of 203 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:11.679 to be free. This is something we will explore in 204 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:18.360 more depth as tonight's episode continues, but first, let us 205 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:22.799 take a moment to consider the wider implications of Dobby's freedom. 206 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:31.639 Because Dobby's liberation, this small, seemingly insignificant event in the 207 00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:35.240 life of a twelve year old boy, had consequences that 208 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:40.840 extended far beyond that moment. Let your mind wander now 209 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:45.240 to the later books, to the moments when Dobby appears 210 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:51.519 again in the story, because he does appear again many times, 211 00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:58.720 and each time he is free. Each time he is 212 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:03.600 acting on his own volition. He is making his own choices. 213 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:09.559 In Goblet of Fire chapter twenty three, the your Ball 214 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:15.159 Derby appears at Hackwarts. He has obtained a position as 215 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.919 a house health in the kitchens. This is interesting because 216 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:23.000 it suggests that free house ELFs, those who have been liberated, 217 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:26.720 can still choose to work. They are not forced to work, 218 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:31.360 they are not compelled by magic. They simply choose to 219 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:35.320 And this choice, this act of choosing to work, is 220 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:39.960 fundamentally different from the servitude they experienced before. It is 221 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:44.879 work freely chosen, what performed for reasons of their own choosing. 222 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:50.519 And this this is what freedom looks like in its 223 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:55.960 most basic form. Darby tells Harry that he has been 224 00:16:56.039 --> 00:17:01.360 working for a small wage. He mentioned and this is 225 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:06.200 a delightful detail. He mentions that he has been requesting 226 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:13.440 every other saturday off. Every other saturday. Can you imagine 227 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:20.000 a house elfful who has been enslaved for centuries asking 228 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:25.799 for time off. It is quite remarkable, and this is 229 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:30.680 another piece of evidence for our exploration tonight evidence that 230 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:35.039 Dobby's freedom was not just a legal technicality. It was 231 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:38.960 not just a change in paperwork. It was a fundamental 232 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:43.920 transformation in how Dobby understood himself and his place in 233 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:48.359 the world. Let us move now to another important moment, 234 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:52.640 and this one, this one is rather sad. So let 235 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:58.039 your mind stay calm, let your breathing remain slow and steady. 236 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:02.720 There is no need to feel alarm. It is just 237 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:07.759 a story, just words on a page, just a sleepy 238 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:12.039 podcast host rambling on in the dark. In Order of 239 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:17.119 the Phoenix, we see Dobby again. He has continued to 240 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:21.640 work at Hogwarts. He is still free, and he is 241 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:25.920 still choosing to serve. But now he is also choosing 242 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:30.279 to help Harry. And this is where something rather interesting happens. 243 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:36.640 Because Dobby free, Dobby comes to Harry with information. He 244 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:40.519 tells Harry about the Room of Requirement. He tells Harry 245 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:43.000 that he has discovered a way to enter the hidden 246 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:47.079 room the Dumbledore's army has been using for their meetings. 247 00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:52.519 Now this is significant because it shows that Dobby's loyalty 248 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:56.000 to Harry is not the same as the compulsive obedience 249 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.960 of an enslaved houseelf. It is a freely chosen lawyer. 250 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.200 It is a bond that Dobby has decided to maintain 251 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:08.359 of his own free will, and that that is a 252 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:13.559 very different thing. An enslaved houseelf serves because it has 253 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:17.799 no choice. Her free house elf, who chooses to serve, 254 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:22.359 who chooses to help, who chooses to be loyal, is 255 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:26.160 making a moral decision. It is an act of agency, 256 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:31.200 an act of will. And this distinction, this important distinction, 257 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:36.319 is at the heart of tonight's exploration. Let us consider now, 258 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:42.400 in the quiet, slow, plodding way, that this podcast encourages, 259 00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:46.839 what Dobby's freedom might have meant for the wider house 260 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:51.799 elf population. In Order of the Phoenix, Chapter nine where 261 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:58.400 introduced to sp en g and Hermione Granger. Dear wonderful, 262 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:07.160 well meaning Hermione Granger begins her campaign for house elf rights. Now, 263 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:11.599 I want to be careful here because this is not 264 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:17.119 a topic that invites strong emotions. This is a sleepy podcast. 265 00:20:18.119 --> 00:20:21.720 We are here to drift off to sleep. So let 266 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:25.799 me describe Hermione's campaign in the most boring terms possible. 267 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:32.759 Hermione starts a society, the Society for the Promotion of 268 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:37.240 Elfish Welfare. She knits hats. She places them in the 269 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:40.720 gryffindor common room. She hopes that house else will find 270 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:44.799 them and wear them, thereby becoming free. The house elves 271 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:49.359 do not appreciate this. In fact, the house elves are 272 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:53.039 quite offended by Hermione's efforts. They refuse to clean the 273 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:55.519 gryffindor common room because they do not want to touch 274 00:20:55.559 --> 00:21:00.079 the hats. They see Hermione's gifts as an insult, an 275 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:04.160 attempt to trick them into freedom that they do not want. 276 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:09.000 And here here is where we see the complexity of 277 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:14.480 the house elf situation. Darby is free, Darby is happy 278 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:18.519 to be free. But not all house elves want to 279 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:24.200 be free. Not all house else see freedom as something desirable. 280 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:30.279 Many house else, perhaps most house elves are contempt with 281 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:36.240 their servitude. They have been raised in it, They understand it. 282 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:41.720 It is all they know. This is rather sad when 283 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:46.839 you think about it, But it is also rather complicated, 284 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:50.759 because if a house elf does not want to be free, 285 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:55.160 if a house self is content in its servitude, can 286 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:58.559 is it right to force freedom upon it? Is it 287 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:02.720 right to insist that all ourselves should want what Hermione 288 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:07.440 wants them to want? These are questions that have no 289 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:12.440 easy answers, and to night, we are not here to 290 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:19.000 find answers. We are here to explore the questions, slowly, gently, 291 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:23.359 in the most boring way possible. Let us return now 292 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:28.400 to Dobby. Because Dobby, despite being free, despite having the 293 00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:32.319 option to live a life of his own choosing, continues 294 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:37.480 to serve. He continues to work, He continues to be 295 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:42.240 loyal to Harry Potter, and this suggests something rather interesting 296 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:46.640 about the nature of freedom. It suggests that freedom is 297 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:50.119 not about what you do, it is about why you 298 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:57.359 do it. Dobby works, Dobby serves, Dobby helps, But he 299 00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:00.759 does these things because he wants to, because he has 300 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:05.480 chosen to, because he has decided that these are the 301 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:11.960 things that give his life meaning, and that that is 302 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:18.279 a rather profound realization for a sleepy podcast about a 303 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:23.200 household in a children's book. Let us move on now 304 00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:28.119 to another piece of evidence, another moment from the book 305 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:34.039 that sheds light on Dobby's freedom and its implications. In 306 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:39.720 Order of the Phoenix, chapter twenty three, Christmas at Hargwatts, 307 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:45.119 we see a rather touching scene. Harry gives Dobby a 308 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:52.960 pair of socks for Christmas, and Dobby is overwhelmed with gratitude. 309 00:23:53.480 --> 00:23:58.119 He treasures these sucks. He considers them the greatest gift 310 00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:02.240 he has ever received. Now, this might seem like a 311 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:07.720 small thing, a minor detail, a throwaway moment in a 312 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:13.359 very long book, but it is actually quite significant because 313 00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:21.279 Harry gave Dobby socks socks, and Dobby treasures them because socks, 314 00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:25.559 clothing is what freed him. Socks are the symbol of 315 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:29.880 his liberation. Socks represent everything that Doarpy has gained since 316 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:34.279 leaving the Malfoys, and Harry understood this. Harry, who was 317 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:38.319 only fifteen at the time, understood that for Darpy, socks 318 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:43.359 were not just socks. They were a reminder of freedom, 319 00:24:43.559 --> 00:24:46.720 a reminder that someone cared enough to set him free. 320 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:52.400 This is quite beautiful, actually, in a very quiet, very sleepy, 321 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:57.759 very understated way. Let your mind wonder. Now the Chamber 322 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:01.599 of Secrets again, to the moment just after Dobby is freed, 323 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:06.599 when Lucius Malfoy is furious, when he reaches for his 324 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:11.839 wand when he threatens Harry, and when Dobby tiny free, 325 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:15.839 Dobby steps in to protect him. This is the first 326 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:19.200 act of free will that Dobby performs after his liberation. 327 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.240 His very first choice as a free being is to 328 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:30.759 protect someone, to stand between danger and someone he cares about, 329 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:36.359 to use his freedom not for himself, not for his 330 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:41.920 own benefit, but for someone else. And this, this is 331 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:46.920 the essence of Dobby's character. This is what makes him 332 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:53.279 so special. This is what makes his freedom so meaningful. 333 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:56.920 Because Dorby could have used his freedom in any number 334 00:25:56.960 --> 00:26:01.200 of ways. He could have simply walked away. He could 335 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:04.680 have disappeared into the magical world and never spoken to 336 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:08.720 another wizard again. He could have chosen to focus entirely 337 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:13.000 on his own needs, his own wants, his own desires. 338 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:17.440 But he didn't. Instead, he chose to help. He chose 339 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:21.160 to serve. He chose to be loyal, He chose to 340 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:27.359 put others before himself. And he made these choices freely, 341 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:34.599 without compulsion, without magical binding, without anyone forcing him to 342 00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:42.279 do so. This is rather extraordinary. Now, let us consider 343 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:45.079 one more thing before we move toward the end of 344 00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:49.720 tonight's episode, and this is perhaps the most important piece 345 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:54.599 of evidence of all. In Chamber of Secrets, in the 346 00:26:54.720 --> 00:27:00.160 chapter The Very Secret Diary, when Harry destroys the diary 347 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:04.200 and the memory of Tom Riddle is defeated, Dorby appears. 348 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:08.400 He comes to help Harry. He helps Harry find a 349 00:27:08.440 --> 00:27:11.920 way out of the Chamber of Secrets. He helps Harry 350 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:16.559 and Ron and Genie escape, and after they escape, after 351 00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:21.640 they return to the service, Dorby is there waiting, ready 352 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:25.400 to help, ready to serve. But here is the thing. 353 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:29.960 At this point, before Harry has given Lucius Malfoy the sock, 354 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:35.880 Doarby is still enslaved. He is still bound, He is 355 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:40.480 still a servant of the Malfoy family, and yet he 356 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:46.119 defies his master again. He comes to help Harry again, 357 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:51.079 He puts himself at risk again. He does all of 358 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:56.119 this while still being bound by magical compulsion. This is 359 00:27:57.039 --> 00:28:00.640 the same thing we saw at the beginning of the book. Dobby, 360 00:28:01.079 --> 00:28:05.839 even while enslaved, is capable of moral choice. He is 361 00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:10.839 capable of defying his master. He is capable of putting 362 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:16.200 others before himself. And this this is the central paradox 363 00:28:16.279 --> 00:28:20.799 of Dobby's character. He is enslaved, but he is not 364 00:28:21.079 --> 00:28:25.799 entirely controlled. He is bound, but he is not entirely broken. 365 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:30.759 There is something inside him, some spark of defiance, some 366 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:34.839 kernel of moral courage, that the magical bonds of servitude 367 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:40.759 cannot entirely suppress. And this, this is rather profound if 368 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:44.160 you let yourself think about it, which of course we 369 00:28:44.279 --> 00:28:48.319 won't because this is a sleepy podcast and we are 370 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:51.960 here to drift off to sleep, not to have profound 371 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:55.880 thoughts about the nature of freedom and the human or 372 00:28:56.000 --> 00:29:01.319 rather the house elf spirit. Let your mind wander now, 373 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:05.960 let the details blurer together, learn the specific words in 374 00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:10.759 chapters and quotes fade into a gentle hum of background noise. 375 00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:15.680 We have covered quite a lot tonight. We have looked 376 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:19.599 at how Darby first appeared. We have examined the moment 377 00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:24.200 of his liberation. We have explored what freedom meant for 378 00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:29.559 Dobby personally. We have considered the wider implications for the 379 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:34.000 house elf population. We have looked at sp e W 380 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:40.200 and Hermione's campaign. We have examined Darby's choices after his freedom, 381 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:46.480 and we have considered the paradox of his pre freedom defiance. 382 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:52.160 There is more, of course, there is more. There is 383 00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:56.519 always more to say about these books. There are always 384 00:29:56.519 --> 00:30:03.119 more details to examine, more quotes, consider, more tangents to explore. 385 00:30:04.039 --> 00:30:07.519 But to night to night, I think I have done enough. 386 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:13.240 We have been thorough. We have been plooding, We have 387 00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:19.160 been appropriately boring, and now it is time to rest. 388 00:30:19.880 --> 00:30:24.039 So let me leave you with one final thought. And 389 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:27.640 it is a simple thought, the kind of thought that 390 00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:31.880 is easy to hold in your mind as you drift 391 00:30:32.119 --> 00:30:38.279 toward sleep. Dobby was free and he was happy, and 392 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:44.440 he used his freedom well. He helped others, he made choices, 393 00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:49.000 he lived his life on his own terms. And even 394 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:52.759 though his story ends sadly, and we will not talk 395 00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:57.720 about that to night, because this is a sleepy podcast 396 00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:03.000 and some things are too sad for bed time, even 397 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:09.599 though his story end sadly, his freedom was real, His 398 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:16.799 freedom mattered, His freedom was worth having, and that that 399 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:20.240 is enough for to night. So close your eyes now, 400 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:24.640 Let the soft rhythm of my voice carry you towards sleep. 401 00:31:25.960 --> 00:31:29.119