Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

The Theme of Enslavement in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Enslavement, slavery, or more specifically, a slave, is described by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "a person held in servitude as the chattel of another" and "one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence." Slaves are not given the right to leave the people who enslaved them. They also are not allowed to refuse to work and they do not receive compensation or salary.

Enslavement is one of the themes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. J.K. Rowling illustrated enslavement through the story of the house elves. In Harry Potter's world, house-elves are slaves of the wizard families who own them. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger learned more about the enslavement of house-elves beginning from the introduction of Winky, a house-elf of Mr. Crouch, one of the old and wealthy wizard families in the magical world. Rowling describes enslavement through Winky who illustrates the life of house-elves in the following quotation, "House-elves is not paid, sir!... House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter… House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter… but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir." (64) Through Winky's words, the readers get a glimpse of what it is to be a house-elf enslaved and committed to their masters. They are treated as slaves. They are not paid and they think that it's alright. They are not paid for the service that they do because they are considered as property of people whom they serve. They think they are not allowed to have fun perhaps because having fun can conflict with their duty as slaves. Their lives revolve around doing whatever their masters tell them to do. They do what they are told regardless of their personal preferences and fears. What is ordered should be done and nothing less is accepted.

Slaves are not treated as human beings with equal rights. Rather, they are considered by their masters as property which can be dispensed at any time. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this is demonstrated by what Mr. Crouch said to Winky, "I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me… I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and her master's reputation." (Rowling 90). Mr. Crouch's words are laden with meaning as to how he sees his house-elf slave; the house-elf is nothing but a property that can be dispensed at any moment.