- Joined
- Oct 26, 2024
It seems like this when you try to read it as an allegory for slavery because house elves were never meant to be slaves in the literal sense. They're tradwives. Hermione is essentially a feminist trying to persuade a bunch of religious conservative housewives to leave their husbands and seek financial independence, and getting bewildered when her well-meaning efforts are rejected. SPEW is referencing the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women. That's why the house elves get extremely insulted and refuse to clean the Gryffindor dorm after she starts trying to covertly give them clothes. It's a tongue-in-cheek commentary about the history of British feminism built on top of some loose mythology from a Brothers Grimm fairytale.Slavery (of house elves) was taken as natural wizard rights of property ownership by literally EVERYONE except some weird girl who quickly found out that all natural order would break down completely if they were freed.
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