For me I have seen a huge theme in this series being
heroism. In the books Harry is seen as a hero is many a lot but also has low
points. But JK also does a wonderful job of lifting up many others to the same
level. Hermonione’s wit and knowledge,
Ron’s wizard’s chess skills, Neville’s ability to stand up for good, Ginny’s
bravery. People are saving the day left and right in these books.
But
one person who was so wonderful to watch grow for me personally was Dobby.
Dobby started out being an interesting character. He was clearly looking out
for Harry and seemed to care so much about him but was putting him in harms way
and making Harry’s life very difficult. We also learned in The Chamber of
Secrets of Dobby’s very hard life. He was a house elf that had little to no
rights. Trying to save Harry alone was causing him to torture himself. It
seemed so sad but very endearing that the deepest desire in Dobby’s heart was
to serve the greater good. But he just couldn’t do so by wizarding laws. It was
such a joy at the end of The Chamber of Secrets to see Dobby get to say no to
the Malfoys and be free. Finally Dobby could be exactly who he wanted to be and
fight for the good that he had in his heart.
What
is even more wonderful about Dobby’s story of freedom is that he continues to
grow throughout the series. He becomes so independent and even leads other
elves. He joins the staff at Hogwarts continues to serve Harry in any way
possible. We see Dobby as kind and
loving when Hermione creates S.P.E.W. She starts knitting hats and scarves for
the elves that work at Hogwarts in hopes of freeing them. But they see it as an
insult and for a long time Dobby is the only elf that would clean the
Gryffindor common room. Dobby was able to get passed the insult because he
loved Harry and his friends so well. This is a development where we see Dobby
really being mature and brave which hasn’t always been his character traits.
Dobby
begins to serve Harry in the last couple books. In the Order of the Phoenix
Dobby helps Harry find the Room of Requirement for Dumbledore’s Army. And in
The Half-Blood Prince Harry rusts Dobby to assist Kreacher in tailing Malfoy. We see here how much Dobby takes serving
Harry seriously. He says he doesn’t even sleep while he is doing something from
Harry. His dedication without falter is unlike any character in the entire
series. Dobby is without a doubt
the most loyal and strongest friend of Harry Potters and he started out a
scared, abused, eccentric enslaved house elf. Dobby is a huge factor in many of
Harry’s defeats against his enemies.
I think it really was a good idea to talk about Dobby for this post. We always think about Ron, Hermione, Snape or Harry first, but the magical creatures are also a big part of the series. It was clever to think about Dobby because he is indeed a great character and he does play a big role in Harry Potter's life. I wrote about Neville, but I liked your view on Dobby because it made me realize that I forgot about so many characters when writing about this post. It is great to see his evolution throughout the books, and it shows that Dobby has been essential in a lot of situations for Harry Potter. He is loyal and we can only feel sympathy for him because he shows so much respect for Harry. Overall, I enjoyed reading your post and focusing on Dobby was refreshing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! As Lea also stated in her comment, I think it was great that you wrote about Dobby for the prompt. With everything that is going on in the series, it is easy to forget the minor characters that have a significant impact. Dobby is a wonderful character in regards to his loyalty and friendship with Harry. Friendship is a central theme throughout the series, one that is of upmost importance. Dobby clearly demonstrates this theme as he continues to grow with Harry at Hogwarts, willing to do anything if it can be helpful to Harry or his friends in any way. True friendship and loyalty is something special in life, which is defined by Dobby’s relationship with Harry.
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