Wizarding Research Paper

HIERARCHY OF THE ACCEPTED: THE CREATURE DILEMMA

Magical creatures within wizarding society are treated with displays of discrimination rather than acceptance, often without a chance to prove themselves or their merit in any sense of the Foucaultian terms described. Although these creatures are othered by Wizards, there is a consistent theme among those creatures more accepted into wizarding institutions. This condenses into a hierarchy of allotted rank, which can be observed first and foremost by a class of half-humans throughout the series. One of the three examples of half-humans I will use as an example is Remus Lupin. Lupin, a werewolf bitten and converted at a young age by Fenrir Greyback (HBP, 335), started life as a human with magical

“’Kreacher is what he is made to be by wizards, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby’s. He was forced to do Sirius’s bidding, because Sirius was the last of the family to which he was enslaved” (OTP, 832). Kreacher, the Blacks and later Harry’s house elf exhibits rebellion many times within his time in the last 3 books. His first act of rebellion is small, bad mouthing the people within his household and stealing trinkets and heirlooms of the Blacks that he thought ought not to be lost to Sirius’s clearing of Grimmuald Place (OTP, 108, 110). Kreacher next rebels by telling Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy important secrets about the Order of the Phoenix and Sirius Black, in part causing the death of Sirius and the fight at the Ministry between Harry and the Death Eaters to take place (OTP, 832). Finally, Kreacher rebels by leading the house elves to a march against Voldemort’s army in the Battle of Hogwarts, after being treated kindly by Harry and his friends. Why Kreachers rebellion throughout is so important is because without his hoarding, Mundugus would never have been caught and the location of the locket of Slytherin may have never been found (DH,

Throughout the second novel Dobby sneaks out to warn Harry Potter of the Malfoy’s eventual plot to open the Chamber of Secrets, rebelling and defying his enslavement to protect the child that brought him hope (CS, 13, 176). When Harry trick Lucius Malfoy into gifting Dobby a sock, thereby letting Dobby pursue his dream of entering wizarding society and pursuing a rank, and a personal reward for him, in the form of a job (CS, 338). Because of the kindness Harry showed to Dobby, Dobby protected him, effectively making sure Potter stayed The Boy Who Lived to the house elf’s dying breath (DH,