Giants, for example - their "savage" behavior is not supposed to be seen by the reader as something quite natural to their kind. It's supposed to be seen as the result of their being oppressed by the WW.
Why shouldn't readers see it as natural to their kind? Don't they run their own separate society? Hagrid is connected to oppression when he's marked out as a half-giant when he's passing as a wizard, but his own full-giant brother he ties up like an animal and trains to imitate civilized behavior as best he can. (The giants in their own civilization are primitive but human; Grawp seems far less intelligent.)
Regarding Hermione and the elves, I agree the author has her intentionally blunder in the beginning, absolutely. However, I don't see how it's in Book 7 that she's finally able to fight against House Elf subjugation when in that book she accepts the elves as natural slaves and just wants them to be treated kindly by their rightful masters (like Harry). I admit I didn't see anything particularly gutsy or even that noticible in her calling herself Mudblood (without having been shown to find the word all that painful to her before). She calls herself that when talking to Griphook to get him to help in their fight. Hermione's been part of the ruling class as a Wizard. Voldemort's trying to keep her out of her rightful status as a Wizard because her parents are Muggles, but when things are set right she's be back in power--unlike Griphook, who will still be without a wand. Why wouldn't she point out that she's being targetted by evil-doers?
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Date: 2008-07-01 03:06 pm (UTC)Why shouldn't readers see it as natural to their kind? Don't they run their own separate society? Hagrid is connected to oppression when he's marked out as a half-giant when he's passing as a wizard, but his own full-giant brother he ties up like an animal and trains to imitate civilized behavior as best he can. (The giants in their own civilization are primitive but human; Grawp seems far less intelligent.)
Regarding Hermione and the elves, I agree the author has her intentionally blunder in the beginning, absolutely. However, I don't see how it's in Book 7 that she's finally able to fight against House Elf subjugation when in that book she accepts the elves as natural slaves and just wants them to be treated kindly by their rightful masters (like Harry). I admit I didn't see anything particularly gutsy or even that noticible in her calling herself Mudblood (without having been shown to find the word all that painful to her before). She calls herself that when talking to Griphook to get him to help in their fight. Hermione's been part of the ruling class as a Wizard. Voldemort's trying to keep her out of her rightful status as a Wizard because her parents are Muggles, but when things are set right she's be back in power--unlike Griphook, who will still be without a wand. Why wouldn't she point out that she's being targetted by evil-doers?