Dobby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Dobby is also a trade term used to refer to the strip of closely-woven material often seen on towels (and much less commonly on washcloths). This use refers to a type of loom originally used to create a more intricate weave. See dobby loom.
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Dobby | |
| Gender | Male |
| Eye colour | Green |
| Species | House-elf |
| Allegiance | Hogwarts (also personal loyalty to Harry Potter) |
| Voice actor | Toby Jones |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
Dobby (born June 27)[1][2] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. His name is another name for a brownie in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Dobby is a house-elf, who, unlike most other house-elves, wanted to be freed. He was forced to guard many dark secrets when he was house-elf to the Malfoy family. He (like other house-elves) constantly refers to himself in the third person, for instance: "Dobby has your owl, sir!"
Dobby was realised as a computer-generated creature voiced by Toby Jones in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets film. Despite his appearances in Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince, Dobby's appearance in Chamber of Secrets remains his only appearance in the films to date. Why he was not included in the film version of Goblet of Fire (his procurement of Gillyweed is instead attributed to Neville Longbottom in the film) is unknown, but likely stems from budget reasons since he is realised entirely through CGI.
[edit] Role in the series
Dobby first appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where he was a central character in the story. He served the Malfoy family and its current head Lucius Malfoy.
He knew of Malfoy's plans to re-open the Chamber of Secrets using Tom Riddle's school diary for months before it happened. As an attempt to discourage Harry Potter from returning to Hogwarts, Dobby began to intercept the letters that Harry's friends sent him. Dobby then appeared at Privet Drive to warn Harry and tell him of the danger of returning to Hogwarts, and attempted to persuade him to stay away so he would be safe from harm. For warning Harry he had to punish himself most severely. When Dobby's attempts failed to persuade Harry, he smashed a pudding in the Dursley's kitchen. Being caught in the kitchen with the wreckage, and receiving a warning letter for illegal use of magic, Harry was locked up by the Dursleys, who insisted that he would not return to Hogwarts. They might perhaps have been successful, but Ron, Fred and George Weasley were able to rescue Harry in their father's flying Ford Anglia.
Dobby later tried to keep Harry away from Hogwarts by magically sealing off the hidden entrance to Platform 9¾, but Harry and Ron foiled that plot by piloting the flying car back to their school, a feat that nearly got them expelled. During a later Quidditch match of Gryffindor vs Slytherin, Dobby also enchanted a Bludger to chase after only Harry; it managed to break his arm. Gilderoy Lockhart's attempt to heal it resulted instead in the disintegration of all its bones, and Harry had to spend the night in the hospital wing while new ones grew in their place. While there, Harry saw a Petrified Colin Creevey brought in, and was visited again by Dobby. When Harry — having just returned from the Chamber of Secrets — discovered that Dobby's master was Lucius Malfoy, Harry tricked Malfoy into setting Dobby free. The grateful elf has remained devoted to Harry ever since.
Dobby thereafter demanded to be paid for his services and he found it difficult to find any employment at all. But he later obtained a post at Hogwarts, and is the only paid house-elf on the staff; he receives one Galleon a week and a day off a month. Dumbledore, being a kind-hearted person, offered Dobby ten Galleons a week and weekends off, but Dobby beat him down, expressing that he liked freedom, but "like[d] work better." Dumbledore also said that, far from having to treat him with reverence and fear, as most house-elves did their masters, Dobby was free to call him a "barmy old codger" if he liked. He declined this as well, having developed great love for the headmaster. Since Dobby began his paid job at Hogwarts, he has helped Harry several times, though he has been less destructive than previously. For example, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dobby helped Harry with the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he showed him the hidden Room of Requirement, which Harry used for his Dumbledore's Army meetings. Dobby was also the only house-elf who cleaned Gryffindor Tower since Hermione Granger began trying to set the house-elves free, to further her Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, because the house-elves found the clothes insulting.
According to Albus Dumbledore, Dobby's existence under the Malfoys was as miserable as was that of Kreacher under Sirius Black. This was because Dobby was a very kind-hearted individual who was under the servitude of dark and evil wizards. Meanwhile Kreacher was a much more prejudiced and evil house-elf under the control of a relatively heroic figure. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry inherited Kreacher and ordered him to work in the Hogwarts kitchens with the other house-elves. At Hogwarts, Kreacher's loathing of Harry came into conflict with Dobby's fondness for him; the two house-elves quarrelled, much to Peeves's delight. When Harry needed somebody to follow Draco Malfoy, he was helped unwillingly by Kreacher and willingly by Dobby. Both returned with the important information that Malfoy was in the Room of Requirement.
[edit] Trivia
Dobby is also a name used in Jessica Mitford's autobiography, A Fine Old Conflict. JK Rowling has said that Mitford is her heroine, and says that she collects odd names from her readings. Dobby, the person, introduced Mitford to the Communist Party USA and gave Mitford her only wedding present (a book, not socks). Dobby, the House-elf, has socialist tendencies and insists on negotiating compensation for his work. Hermione, who Rowling said is patterned on herself at that age, also shows a strong similarity to Mitford's pro-worker sentiments for her attempts to organize the House-Elf workers. Rowling's House-Elves are probably a reference to Wage-Slaves as most workers are tied to their "house" mortgage payment and are loathe to challenge their employer or join a trade union.
Some people have also commented on the fact that Dobby looks very similar to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
Dobby also means 'good' in Nadsat, the fictional language used in 'A Clockwork Orange', although there are no indications that this has influenced Rowling.
