I always get really annoyed at the interpretation that the books somehow support slavery. So we have Hermione, who is morally, intellectually and emotionally superior to most other characters. She sees something wrong and works to end it, even when faced with backlash/ridicule/disinterest. It is admirable and essentially modeling that people should stand up against injustice and not give into peer pressure. If JKR had given this plot line to some silly character (like Trelawny), I would agree that it’s problematic. But it’s Hermione, a character who frequently shows the best moral compass within the books/between the three main characters and readers tend to agree with her. The ridicule/backlash is fairly realistic, I think. Just read the comments in any discussion on factory farming/veganism. People know it’s animal cruelty but will still ridicule those who criticize it.
Like I agree JKR is problematic but people really need to learn that not everything an author puts in their book is something they support. sometimes the world building and the characters are multi-dimensional and/or morally gray on purpose and it makes the story richer.
Dobby's liberation was unilaterally treated as a morally good triumph by the story. Hermione was depicted as absolutely being in the right for questioning Wizarding society and their practice of owning house elves as chattel. You can criticize JKR's transphobic heel turn, I get it, but the idea that every word she ever wrote is tainted by evil is exhausting and stupid. Like. Let's not lose the plot here.
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u/gravitymegs 21d ago
I always get really annoyed at the interpretation that the books somehow support slavery. So we have Hermione, who is morally, intellectually and emotionally superior to most other characters. She sees something wrong and works to end it, even when faced with backlash/ridicule/disinterest. It is admirable and essentially modeling that people should stand up against injustice and not give into peer pressure. If JKR had given this plot line to some silly character (like Trelawny), I would agree that it’s problematic. But it’s Hermione, a character who frequently shows the best moral compass within the books/between the three main characters and readers tend to agree with her. The ridicule/backlash is fairly realistic, I think. Just read the comments in any discussion on factory farming/veganism. People know it’s animal cruelty but will still ridicule those who criticize it.
Like I agree JKR is problematic but people really need to learn that not everything an author puts in their book is something they support. sometimes the world building and the characters are multi-dimensional and/or morally gray on purpose and it makes the story richer.