










































Freaks and Magic: The 
Freakification of Magical 
Creatures in Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series has 
touched thousands of people 

around the world. Teaching 
lessons of humility, benevolence, 
friendship, and numerous other 
values, the series has shaped 
people’s lives, particularly those 
of the children and young adults 
reading these novels as they 
matured. While using the power of words to morally aid and guide readers, 
author of the seven-book series, J. K. Rowling, has also included social 
commentary about the hierarchal foundations of society. Right and wrong 
are directly addressed through the battles between Harry Potter and the 
antagonist, Lord Voldemort; however, more than black and white ideas of 
good and evil are featured within the novels. Rowling clearly critiques the 
wizarding world’s hierarchy, which places witches and wizards in a superior 
position above other magical creatures. She describes the treatment of these 
creatures in a way comparable to the experiences of those who worked in 
freak shows of the nineteenth century, and, through these comparisons, 
Rowling critiques the treatment of both magical creatures and stigmatized 
people.
 Each novel in the Harry Potter series corresponds with a year students 
spend at the wizarding school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 
At age eleven, Harry receives a letter inviting him to attend wizarding school 
for the next seven years. There, he befriends Ron Weasley, a pureblood 
from one of the kindest, yet least respected, wizarding families, and 
Hermione Granger, the most intelligent student in their year despite being 
born to non-magical parents. The trio navigate the hardships of school, 

  -  Cassandra Grosh, Ball State University

Abstract
By comparing the magical creatures within Harry 
Potter to the nineteenth-century freak show, the 
mistreatment and lack of concern for the basic 
rights of centaurs, giants, and house-elves are put 
into perspective due to the now-uneasy feeling 
many acquire when thinking of the exhibition of 
people as “freaks.”

Digital Literature Review, vol. 3 (2016). © Ball State University. All Rights Reserved.
Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce critical edition to dlr@bsu.edu.

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adolescence, and the rise of Lord Voldemort as he, for the second time, tries 
to conquer the wizarding world. 
 Through the experiences of Harry, readers are exposed to various 
magical creatures and the customs of wizards. Readers also gain an 
outsider’s insight to the mistreatment of these creatures. Despite being a 
wizard, Harry is an outsider because he was not raised in the wizarding 
world. Lord Voldemort murdered his parents, and Harry’s wizard hating, 
non-magical aunt and uncle raised him. Despite attempts by Harry’s 
relatives to keep all wizard knowledge from him, he follows the fate 
prophesized for him and continuously battles Lord Voldemort. The seventh 
novel follows Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they choose not to attend their 
final year of school but instead search for the way to defeat Lord Voldemort 
once and for all.
 Through this seven-book series, obvious differences and distinctions 
between wizards and non-magical humans (or muggles, as the wizards 
say) are highlighted. However, a similarity between these two groups 
can be found in their othering of those who appear or act differently 
and their creation of a social hierarchy based upon this othering. During 
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, real-world people with physical 
disabilities were placed on display both in traveling freak shows and 
local human exhibitions (“Appendix 14C”). These people were deemed 
different due to their physical appearances, much like magical creatures 
in comparison to wizards. In both the wizarding and muggle worlds, those 
who are physically different are either persecuted to the point of death 
or ostracized until they are no longer a part of society. Those who are 
considered “ideal” in both the wizarding and muggle worlds have achieved 
this status by shifting “perception…to claim the center” of the ideal spectrum 
“for themselves and banish others to the margins” (Thomson, Extraordinary 
62-63).
 By asserting their dominance in this way, wizards have achieved 
a position of complete superiority over other magical creatures. Part of 
this superiority is maintained through slanderous stories and malicious 
traditions passed down through families, a very important part of the 
wizarding world’s social hierarchy. Power within the wizarding world 
is associated with the age of a family and whether the family is of pure 
wizarding blood. Just as pureblood wizards are more desirable among 

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wizards, the more “desirable” appearance of witches and wizards grants 
them superiority over other magical creatures. 
 The three types of magical creatures examined within this paper —
giants, centaurs, and house-elves—all have physical character traits that 
immediately ostracize them within wizarding society: giants are too large, 
house-elves too small, and centaurs too animalistic. These three groups 
bear some semblance to wizards, but, by “having a human body differently 
configured, the monstrous body exists beyond” acceptance (Weinstock, 
“Freaks in Space” 328, emphasis original). Magical creatures are “at once 
the to-be-looked-at and not-to-be-looked-at” (Thomson, “Staring” 57). 
One is to note how different they are, but it is not acceptable to dwell on 
those differences for too long. Wizards, by creating an ideal image that can 
only be obtained by them, have created the less-than-ideal “in relation to 
what is human” (Weinstock, “Invisible Monsters” 275). Since wizards are 
still considered human, they have been able to create a permanent social 
hierarchy, based solely on physical characteristics, that places them in 
complete control at the top.
 The question is then posed as to who decided wizards are the elite. 
Why are wizards ideal and other magical creatures so easy to critique? 
According to the series, in the fourteenth century, wizards decided it 
was necessary to determine intelligent beings from “beasts.” A being, as 
determined by the wizarding government, The Ministry of Magic, is “any 
creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical 
community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws” 
(Rowling, Fantastic Beasts xix). Centaurs were aligned with wizards in the 
“beings” category while house-elves and giants were considered “beasts.” 
However, centaurs opted to change their classification due to how offensive 
it was to be compared to “hags and vampires” (Rowling, Fantastic Beasts 
xxiii).
 While centaurs asked not to be considered beings, neither centaurs 
nor giants asked to be persecuted by wizards. In fact, many reject the giants 
and centaurs that attempt to integrate themselves into wizarding society. In 
contrast, house-elves welcome their inferior place in society. Only one can 
be found as an exception, and he is shunned by his fellow house-elves for 
seeking freedom and desiring freewill. However, the question of consent 
applies not only to magical creatures but also to those who performed 

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in freak shows. Some consented to their roles (Gerber 48) while others 
were purchased and considered the property of their manager (Thomson, 
Extraordinary 60, 72, 76-77). With the issue of consent, magical creatures 
within the wizarding world serve as the voice freak performers never had.                                                   
 Centaurs are featured frequently within Greek mythology. Myths 
passed down describe centaurs as kind, but violent and unpredictable 
(Buxton 117). However, perhaps the most famous centaur, Chiron, is 
continuously spoken of with praise. Chiron taught and guided famous Greek 
heroes, such as Achilles and Jason. Being both “civilized” and “uncivilized,” 
Chiron was able to guide these heroes, and many others, through childhood 
into adulthood where they became great soldiers (Buxton 110). Chiron 
was able to accomplish teachings no man could, and, despite being from a 
partially wild species, he held a place of great respect during the height of 
Greek civilization.
 Despite the respect and admiration Chiron achieved in the Greek 
world, wizards do not hold a similar regard toward centaurs. Centaurs 
consider themselves more intelligent than wizards, but they are kept at a 
distance due to their wild nature. In fact, despite the notion that centaurs 
are the more intelligent creatures, the text cites Law Fifteen B, a law that 
defines centaurs to be of only “near human intelligence” (Rowling, Order 
of the Phoenix 754). Based solely on the physical difference of centaurs in 
comparison to wizards, centaurs are considered less intelligent than the 
“ideal” or “perfect” specimen of nature, wizards. A law such as Law Fifteen 
B allows for the unjust superiority of wizards above centaurs, and it implies 
that centaurs lack the mental capacity to intellectually challenge wizards.
 The lack of respect centaurs receive from wizards has led to tension 
and even hatred on the part of the centaurs. Centaurs do not appreciate 
being discriminated against, and they are not alone. Real-world laws 
discriminating against those who appear different have existed for centuries. 
Throughout human history, biases have created unfair ideals and unrealistic 
requirements for people to function within society. Those who did not meet 
these requirements were ostracized and considered lesser beings. During the 
eighteenth century, research was conducted to see if the deaf were “capable 
of reasoning” and, consequently, the Academy for the Deaf and the Dumb 
was opened in Scotland (“Appendix 14C”). Both centaurs in the wizarding 
world and the deaf in the eighteenth century were considered to be of “near 

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human intelligence,” and each group was compared to an unrealistic ideal, 
wizards and people who can hear, respectively. Eighteenth-century Europe 
did not see deaf people as fully capable members of society much like the 
wizarding world fails to see centaurs in the same way. 
 Not all magical creatures allow the biases against them to interfere 
with their relationship toward wizards. For a period of time, a centaur, 
Firenze, teaches divination to students at Hogwarts. Some students opt out 
of the course because they do not want a centaur for a professor. One reason 
for this could be their aforementioned classification as “beasts.” Another 
possible reason for a student’s discomfort with centaurs would be the wild 
appearance of centaurs and their foreignness due to physical ostracism. 
Centaurs live in the Forbidden Forest, a dangerous place where students are 
not only unwelcome but can also face punishment for entering (Rowling, 
Sorcerer’s Stone 127). Without the ability to approach centaurs and learn more 
about them, it is impossible for students to understand or feel comfortable 
around creatures portrayed as dangerous, wild animals.
 By teaching at Hogwarts, Firenze attempts to bridge the gap between 
centaurs and wizards. His appearance at Hogwarts is the first interaction 
most students have had with a centaur, and it shows these students that 
not all centaurs are wild and uncontrollable animals. As far as wizards are 
concerned, Firenze’s teaching methods are far from conventional, but he 
shows he is a compassionate creature hoping to aid his students in whatever 
way possible. He is exiled from his tribe for choosing to interact so closely 
with witches and wizards, but he educates these students on the true nature 
of centaurs, a lesson that could not otherwise have been learned by many.
 While the lack of knowledge about centaurs and their physical 
separation from wizards is partially accredited to their arrogance and hatred 
of wizards, the physical difference of centaurs also clearly plays a role in 
this ostracism. Like humans with physical differences who performed in 
freak shows, centaurs are viewed as visual spectacles. Wizards, by placing 
themselves in a social hierarchy far above centaurs, have allowed for 
misconceptions about the supposedly ”wild” behavior of centaurs to be 
considered truth. Even Hermione says she “never really liked horses” when 
discussing her disinterest in taking a class taught by Firenze (Rowling, 
Order of the Phoenix 399). This is intended to be nothing more than a snide 
comment to upset one of her peers, but Hermione’s words say much about 

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how wizards feel in regards to centaurs. Hermione proves herself to be the 
most passionate and sensitive wizard when it comes to the needs of magical 
creatures; she even creates an organization to protect house-elves (Rowling, 
Goblet of Fire 224) and later works for the Department of Regulation and 
Control of Magical Creatures within the Ministry of Magic advocating for 
equal rights of all magical creatures (“J. K. Rowling”).
 Hermione’s comment about Firenze is offensive and inappropriate, 
but it also shows she does not understand all the issues surrounding 
magical creatures. Spectators at freak shows did not see an issue with 
the performances, but, as science and medical understanding advanced, 
people began to realize how inappropriate freak shows were. The idea 
that “freaks” should not be allowed in public brought about the decline of 
freak shows and thus the medicalization of “freaks” in the 1940s (Thomson, 
Extraordinary 75, 78). However, the issue of staring did not dissipate. 
Despite having “freaks” locked away in asylums and hospitals, textual and 
visual media still created platforms to judge and other these people. As 
Hermione grows and becomes more educated, she learns that all magical 
creatures need aid and protection, not just house-elves. She advances her 
opinions and seeks to advance the opinions of others. Unfortunately, the 
medicalization of “freaks” failed to accomplish the same thing.
 Giants, similar to centaurs, are seen as threatening to wizards, but 
there are vastly different reasons as to why each of these creatures are 
considered threatening. Giants are deemed a threat because of their size, 
strength, and irrational behavior while centaurs are threats due to their 
intelligence and blatant lack of concern for the opinions of wizards. Giants 
throughout human history tend to be depicted as villainous monsters that 
desire only to kill and obtain power, and this misconception flows through 
the wizarding world as well. The public opinion of giants is extremely 
negative, and this opinion supports the choice by wizards to place giants 
extremely low on the social hierarchy. Giants are ranked so low that their 
worth in comparison to wizards is never questioned, and, much like 
centaurs, their mistreatment never receives an advocate for change.
 In fact, giants are questioned and judged negatively by Ron. Just as 
Hermione showed her lack of education and understanding in relation to 
centaurs, Ron shows he does not understand giants when he quickly and 
irrationally reacts to learning one of his friends, Hagrid, is a half-giant. 

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Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and professor of the Care of Magical 
Creatures courses, proves himself to be perhaps the most compassionate 
and open-minded of the characters. He serves as a stark contrast to Ron’s 
harsh words describing giants: “not very nice,” “vicious,” and “like trolls…they 
just like killing” (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 430).
 How did Ron form these opinions of giants that vary so drastically 
from the one giant he knows? His opinions were most likely formed 
through stories he heard as a child. Giants are more severely separated 
from wizards than centaurs. While centaurs live in the Forbidden Forest 
just off of Hogwarts’ grounds, giants no longer live in Britain but “abroad…
in mountains” (Rowling Goblet of Fire 430). By having them located so far 
from wizarding civilization, there is no evidence all giants are not violent 
creatures. They stem from “dark regions of uncertain danger,” and the only 
evidence of their interaction with society comes from stories passed down 
through generations (Cohen 19). These stories even affect the opinions of 
people, such as Ron, who are generally good.
 As one can see through Ron’s misconceptions, the ostracism of 
magical creatures simplifies the process of othering these creatures. Similar 
to the idea of ostracizing whole groups, people who work in freak shows are 
never portrayed as from a nearby location. If these people were local, they 
would seem less odd and far less extraordinary. The distant homelands of 
people in freak shows make them more “exotic” and interesting. Describing 
people in freak shows as “from an undefined and strictly non-British region 
of elsewhere” not only makes them seem physically different but also makes 
them appear to be representatives of a whole land of people, a whole land 
of potential “freaks” (Ferguson 245). With the homelands of these “freaks” 
being so far away, no one could know if there were a whole group of people 
in this specific location who looked and behaved differently. Freaks and 
giants are both judged because there is no evidence to contradict the stories 
about their heritage and nature that the audience and wizards are told.
 Hagrid serves to contrast all that readers learn about giants, but it is 
important to note Hagrid himself is only a half-giant, born of a giantess and 
wizard (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 427-428). He exhibits the physical features 
of giants, such as height and size, but, since he is only a half-giant, he is 
considered small for someone of giant heritage. Both his small stature and 
“unwavering loyalty and goodness” sever “Hagrid from his lineage and the 

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past actions of his race” (Strimel 48). While he might be a half-giant, he is 
the “antithesis” of what many giants represent in wizarding society (Strimel 
49). 
 However, despite Hagrid’s visual appearance giving way to his giant 
heritage, news of his heritage is still considered worthy of a newspaper 
headline. In a slanderous article describing Hagrid as a reckless professor 
with little care for his students and his mother as one of the cruelest giants 
to fight alongside Lord Voldemort, the popular wizarding paper, The Daily 
Prophet, tells the community of Hagrid’s true racial heritage (Rowling, 
Goblet of Fire 439). This changed the public perception of Hagrid. While 
some students were not comfortable with his teaching methods prior to the 
article, many become more outspoken after learning of Hagrid’s heritage.
 While Hagrid wished to stay out of the headlines and not draw 
attention, managers and owners of people in freak shows thrived off of 
headlines and talk of their exhibits. Many “freaks” were given stage names 
including “King,” “Queen,” and “General” in order to draw attention to 
the performer. In addition to these titles, some performers changed their 
homelands and names to sound more European. Performers who were 
advertised in a prestigious manner typically boasted of their sophisticated 
language skills and their interactions with various members of royalty 
(Bogdan 29-30).
 The other way that freak shows drew attention to performers was by 
presenting them as “savages.” An example would be the Aztec Children, a 
brother and sister from Central America who suffered from microcephaly, 
a disease categorized by “abnormal smallness of the head” and “incomplete 
brain development” (“Microcephaly”). They received their fame due to 
their racial lineage, much like Hagrid. Central America was “exotic” enough 
to spark interest among audience members, and, like many freakshow 
performers, their foreignness was played upon through their odd dress. 
Their dress was also a part of the international newspaper headlines that 
appeared when a wedding was staged for them in Russia (“Marriage of the 
‘Aztec Children’”). News of their marriage made the Aztec Children an even 
larger sensation and surely brought them more fame and attention than 
they previous had acquired.
 Like the Aztec Children, Hagrid was very young when he first gained 
attention of the wizards around him. Unfortunately, much like the Daily 

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Prophet article, this attention was not positive. As a student at Hogwarts, 
he was expelled for supposedly opening the Chamber of Secrets, home 
to a basilisk, a reptilian creature that was used to kill and injure muggle-
born witches and wizards (Rowling, Chamber of Secrets 246-248). Evidence 
against Hagrid is not provided within the text. In fact, all information about 
the Chamber of Secrets points to nearly anyone besides Hagrid as the 
mastermind behind the attacks. The reader is made aware that one can only 
control the basilisk by speaking Parseltongue, the language of snakes, and a 
language understood mainly by those who are heir to the founder of one of 
the Hogwarts houses, Salazar Slytherin (Rowling, Chamber of Secrets 197). 
 Slytherin house is home to prideful witches and wizards who are 
“cunning” and “use any means to achieve their ends” (Rowling, Sorcerer’s 
Stone 118). Those within Slytherin house have “a thirst to prove” themselves 
and desire “greatness” (Rowling, Sorcerer’s Stone 121). While Hagrid might 
wish to prove himself innocent and a loyal friend, Slytherin house is a place 
where he clearly does not belong. Rowling has since announced that Hagrid 
was sorted into Gryffindor house (“Barnes and Noble”), a house filled with 
“the brave at heart,” so there are no direct ties between him and anyone in 
the line of Salazar Slytherin (Rowling, Sorcerer’s Stone 118).
 When accused, Hagrid does not have the opportunity to undergo a 
trial, which, even for wizards, is atypical. This blatant disregard for Hagrid’s 
rights, education, and well-being serves as evidence of prejudice for his 
giant heritage. The prejudice did not end once Hagrid lost any chance at 
receiving a wizarding education. Nearly fifty years later, the Chamber of 
Secrets was again open, and Hagrid was, for the second time, convicted of a 
crime not supported by evidence. Once again, he did not face trial. Instead, 
he was locked away in the wizarding prison, Azkaban (Rowling, Chamber of 
Secrets 261-262).
 Hagrid’s treatment is clear commentary on the flaws of the justice 
system in relation to those who are different. Readers are forced to question 
the morals of the wizarding world upon the realization that the idea of 
“innocent until proven guilty” is nonexistent here. It is much easier for 
wizards to choose a scapegoat rather than face the unusual concept that 
someone who is physically different might also be morally good. By 
admitting Hagrid’s innocence, the wizards would have to recognize that 
not all giants are violent murderers. The wizarding world would have to 

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acknowledge evidence supporting witches and wizards being just as capable, 
if not more so, than giants when it comes to murder. Giants, no longer 
ostracized due to the end of malicious rumors and stereotypes about them, 
would be accepted into society as evil witches and wizards were slowly 
thrown out. This acceptance of giants would cause a rift within the clearly 
fragile social hierarchy wizards have built around themselves.
 In contrast to the freak performers and managers who falsified 
information to gain attention, some people opt to lie in order to stay out 
of the limelight. Hagrid is the most notable giant within the Harry Potter 
series, but he is not the only giant mentioned. Madame Maxime is the 
headmistress at the French wizarding school, Beauxbatons Academy of 
Magic. Like Hagrid, Madame Maxime is a half-giantess. She never admits 
to it within the series, and, when Hagrid inquires, she becomes incredibly 
offended. Rather than disclosing her heritage, she claims to “’ave big bones” 
(Rowling, Goblet of Fire 429). 
 Madame Maxime clearly fears losing all she has obtained due to 
her heritage. If the wizarding world learned of her giantess nature, she 
would risk losing her position as headmistress due to the fear and hatred 
wizards have toward giants. Unlike Hagrid, she has managed to overcome 
stereotypes throughout her life and prove herself as a powerful witch. 
However, as is evident by the inclusion of only negative descriptions of 
giants, her reputation holds no standing when compared to her heritage. For 
Madam Maxime, being a spectacle will not generate popularity and intrigue 
but rather hatred and ridicule. It is in her own best interest to lie about who 
she is rather than openly advertise herself and her heritage. 
 In stark contrast to giants and centaurs, readers continuously 
encounter house-elves who genuinely enjoy their position and apparent 
enslavement within wizarding society. When describing her role in life, 
Winky, formerly employed by the Crouch family, says, “house-elves does 
what they is told” (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 99). She later admits to being 
“properly ashamed of being free” and not having a master to directly 
and obediently serve (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 379). While house-elves live 
alongside their masters, living adjacent to wizards is far from equality. 
Contracted to lifelong servitude, which, if not freed, is passed down unto 
their children, house-elves live in the cupboards or basements of their 
masters, so they are always available to serve and please in whatever way 

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necessary (Kellner 368).
 Despite living alongside witches and wizards, house-elves do not live 
an enjoyable life. Most live in dirty, cramped, and dark spaces, and they do 
not own anything. Possessions would show an equal status to wizards, and 
that is the opposite of what is desired for most house-elves. In addition 
to not owning any possessions, house-elves also do not have traditional 
clothing; they gather cast-aside linens and wear these instead. House-elves 
gather these articles of clothing over time so they have something suitable 
to wear, even if many would consider clothing and linens that were thrown 
away to be far from suitable. Dobby wore only an old pillowcase, Winky 
and the Hogwarts elves tea towels, and Kreacher a rag (Rowling, Chamber of 
Secrets 12, Goblet of Fire 97, 376, Order of the Phoenix 107). When a master gives 
their house-elf an article of clothing, it is considered a sign of freedom. The 
house-elf is no longer employed and is free to do as he or she wishes.
 The idea of having only non-traditional clothing is also present within 
freak shows. Saartje Baartman, better known by her performance name of 
“The Hottentot Venus,” was considered a freak due to the foreignness of her 
non-Western body, particularly her buttocks and genitalia. To exemplify 
how different her body was from the Western idea of “normal,” she would 
wear only small, tight-fitting clothing while on stage. This allowed for 
the audience to better gaze at her body and see she truly was a “freak” 
(Thomson, Extraordinary 72). Both Baartman and the house-elves were 
forced to wear negligible amounts of clothing in order to further other them 
and make it obvious how little they mattered in comparison to the audience 
and wizards, respectively.
 Not only are house-elves denied proper clothing and suitable living 
conditions, but they are also verbally and physically abused. The most 
obvious example is Dobby’s struggles within Chamber of Secrets. Serving the 
Malfoys, a family known for greed, hatred, and pride, Dobby is continuously 
beaten and mistreated by his master, Lucius Malfoy (Rowling, Chamber of 
Secrets 334-337). Dobby is also forced to physically punish himself whenever 
he speaks ill of his masters or fails to directly follow the orders of the 
Malfoys. When Dobby warns Harry of the imminent danger at Hogwarts, 
he both circumvents a direct order and puts himself in a position where 
he spoke ill of the Malfoys. As punishment, he beats his head against the 
window, bashes a lamp against his head, and states that he would later shut 

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his ears in the oven doors (Rowling, Chamber of Secrets 14-17).
 Winky, the only female house-elf encountered in the novels, is also 
verbally abused when she is released from her duties as the house-elf for 
the Crouch family. When her master, Barty Crouch, Sr., fires her, she cries 
and begs to remain employed (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 138). To most house-
elves, being freed is considered shameful and a sign they have failed to 
accomplish their assigned tasks. Many house-elves believe they exist solely 
to serve, and being free shows they have failed at their reason for existence. 
Winky, shamed and filled with self-hatred due to her supposed failures, 
takes up drinking butterbeer, a popular wizarding beverage, rather than 
accepting her life without employment. While butterbeer has a very low 
alcohol content, it is enough to quickly intoxicate house-elves (Rowling, 
Goblet of Fire 536).
 Dobby, in an effort to help Winky and potentially cease her self-
medication, aids her in obtaining a job at Hogwarts. Once she is again 
an employed house-elf, Dobby thought Winky would find her way again 
and return to the happy elf she once was. Instead of recovering, Winky 
continues to drink and often fails to do any of the tasks she is assigned to 
complete. She wears various articles of clothing and sits on a stool drinking 
her butterbeer (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 536). Having been enslaved her whole 
life, Winky held no identity outside of her duties to the Crouch family. After 
losing her position as the family’s house-elf, Winky lost all sense of identity. 
Without the family who so carelessly cast her aside, she was not able to 
find a purpose in life. Her new position at Hogwarts was not even able to 
bring her satisfaction because her existence revolved around another, now 
nonexistent, employer.
 The third house-elf readers are introduced to in the series, Kreacher, 
is also abused. Sirius Black, Kreacher’s master and Harry’s godfather, is 
verbally abrasive toward his house-elf. The readers are led to believe this 
is due to Sirius’ lack of respect for his deceased family members whom 
Kreacher idolizes and views as his “true” masters. No matter what the 
reasoning behind Sirius’s verbal abuse of Kreacher is, it is not acceptable. 
Sirius, typically portrayed as a kind and caring man despite his desire to 
avenge the death of Harry’s parents, does not see Kreacher as an equal, and, 
because of this, he does not hesitate to yell at or banish Kreacher from his 
sights (Rowling, Order of the Phoenix 110). Being raised in the wizarding world 

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by a pureblooded family, Sirius never saw any reason to consider house-
elves equals or respectable members of society. Dumbledore himself took 
note of this and said Sirius never “saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as 
acute as a human’s” (Rowling, Order of the Phoenix 832).
 The effect wizards have on house-elves is not merely a location on 
a societal hierarchy, and the same can be said for freakshow performers. 
As is exhibited by the treatment of Dobby, Winky, and Kreacher, house-
elves are physically, mentally, and emotionally affected by the treatment 
their masters give them. Despite living lives of servitude, house-elves are 
sentient beings that require care and comfort. Abuse destroys a house-elf 
just the same as it destroys any other person or creature. While freakshow 
performers are performers, it does not mean they do not deserve respect, 
admiration, and care. Not all performers are abused or mistreated, but the 
audiences who gawk at them every day far from respect them. Just like the 
neglect of house-elves can destroy who they are, the neglect of people can 
be detrimental. The inability for wizards and humans to see this shows how 
truly self-absorbed many are. 
 A wizard’s lack of respect for house-elves does not end after abusing 
them. For the Black family, house-elves are considered a way to show their 
status as a pureblood family and as objects of décor. Upon the death of a 
house-elf, the Black family has the house-elf’s head mounted. These heads 
line the halls of the family’s home (Rowling, Order of the Phoenix 61). This 
practice has a very obvious freak element to it, similar to the exhibition 
of deceased children or stuffed oddities. Julia Pastrana, famous for her 
unusual physical appearance and sometimes compared to a bear (Thomson, 
Extraordinary 75), was stuffed, along with her infant son, post mortem to 
be displayed and admired for their physical differences. In the case of Julia 
Pastrana, she was seen as a way for her husband/manager to make a profit 
even after losing her performance abilities (Thomson, Extraordinary 77). 
With house-elves, mounting the heads of the deceased served no monetary 
purpose but showed pre-existing power and wealth as well as a long line of 
pureblood heritage. The mounted house-elves served as a symbol of status 
as well as decorative conversation pieces.
 Despite intensive evidence showing how poorly house-elves are 
treated, not all suffer abuse through their masters. The house-elves working 
at Hogwarts live in the dungeons, but it is because the kitchens are located 

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there. No evidence is provided of abuse, and the employment of house-
elves through Hogwarts started so they would have a good, safe place to 
work (“Transcript”). House-elves at Hogwarts, along with working in the 
kitchens, clean the common rooms of the various houses (Rowling, Order of 
the Phoenix 385). 
 While the house-elves at Hogwarts have living conditions and 
masters much kinder than many other elves, they are still considered 
enslaved. These elves are bound to work for Hogwarts until their death or 
freedom—whichever comes first. Hermione strives to change the working 
conditions of all house-elves. Being a student, her first focus is Hogwarts. 
She creates Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.) in an 
attempt to radicalize the house-elves and show both them and wizards that 
the wizarding world needs to change and appreciate house-elves more. One 
of her goals is to free all the house-elves, so they can then be employed by 
Hogwarts in the traditional sense: a salary, vacation, and reasonable living 
conditions (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 224-225). 
 House-elves are similar to some freak performers in the sense that 
both are exploited due to their lack of life experience. Charles Stratton, 
or “General Tom Thumb,” became a very successful and wealthy “midget” 
due to his work in the freak show. He was able to buy lavish things, wear 
fine clothes, and travel the world—all things he would not have been able 
to accomplish while living with his family rather than in a freak show. 
However, the question needs to be posed as to what Stratton lost. Entering 
the freak show as a child, he never had another life (Gerber 50-51). Much like 
house-elves, Stratton was never truly given a choice as to how he wanted to 
live his life. He might not have felt as if he was suffering, just as house-elves 
think they live satisfying lives, but, without knowing what it is like living a 
life outside of the freak show or outside of servitude, it can never be known 
if Stratton or the house-elves would prefer a different type of life.
 By creating an organization to benefit house-elves rather than giants 
or centaurs, Hermione shows she sees the differences in oppression these 
creatures face. Giants and centaurs recognize they are being wronged and 
denied fair treatment. This is evident through Hagrid’s experiences and 
the hatred centaurs feel toward wizards. However, house-elves feel they are 
doing what they were meant to do. They consent to their enslavement, but 
they do not realize a different type of life is available to them. In a sense, 

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house-elves have been brainwashed to believe there is nothing more to life 
other than servitude. 
 Dobby realizes there is more to life than blindly serving a wizard. 
Appreciating the employment conditions Hermione tries to advocate 
for through S.P.E.W., Dobby opts to seek employment at Hogwarts. He is 
rejected by many of the house-elves because it is considered unacceptable 
for house-elves to seek payment or reward for their services: the idea is that 
a house-elf should willing serve his or her master without objection. Dobby’s 
unwillingness to serve Hogwarts without pay is seen as a character flaw on 
his part (Rowling, Goblet of Fire 98, 379, 381, 538-539). The other house-
elves frown on this because “they are totally incapable of rebellion, even in 
thought” (Morris 352). Since they have always been enslaved and serve for 
life, they know and understand no other life. The house-elves cannot see the 
flaw in their logic, and, because of this, they cannot escape the never-ending 
cycle of servitude within which they are trapped. They fail to realize that 
freedom and thus freewill is what allows them to truly consent to serving 
wizards. Until they obtain both these things, house-elves are nothing more 
than slaves.
 Some may ask why those who performed in freak shows opted to 
do so. House-elves offer modern audiences an interesting comparison 
to freak performers and allow for a level of understanding not otherwise 
available to those who were not alive during the height of the freak show. 
While within a freak show, the performer needed to continuously please the 
audience, no matter what the price might be. People like Charles Stratton 
performed because they knew no other life. Others performed because the 
other choices they had in life were worse than being a “freak.” One such 
person would be Otis “the Frogman” Jordan, a man born without arms. 
Throughout his life, he was unable to financially support himself. One day, 
when a carnival came to town, he did the classic trick of men without arms: 
“the survival skill of rolling, lighting, and smoking a cigarette, all with his 
lips.” This trick gained him a job and financial stability, a comfort he had 
never before enjoyed (Gerber 48). For Jordan, consenting to being a “freak” 
was his only way to survive. He did not do it because he knew no other 
life but rather because he had lived another type of life and suffered for it. 
Dobby can be seen as comparable to Jordan because both were able to enter 
employment and make choices freely rather than feeling trapped.

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 While S.P.E.W. was far from as productive or accepted as Hermione 
might have liked, it does jar the reader and bring questions of societal issues 
to the forefront of the reader’s mind. Up until this point, no one in the 
series questioned whether magical creatures should be treated differently. 
While S.P.E.W.’s focus is the welfare of house-elves, the original name for 
the organization was Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical 
Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status (Rowling, Goblet 
of Fire 224). This title, and later the headline for S.P.E.W.’s manifesto, implies 
Hermione’s concern for all magical creatures, not just house-elves.
 S.P.E.W., more specifically shown through its original title, forces 
readers and wizards alike to question the societal restraints and standards 
of the wizarding world. Hermione recognizes the unjust treatment of 
magical creatures, and, as Harry matures, he too becomes “aware of the 
hidden prejudices of wizard society” (Hall 78). Despite being the hero of 
the series, Harry himself is bullied and ostracized while at Hogwarts. It 
is through the alienation between him and the other students that Harry 
realizes magical creatures are treated unjustly. His own experiences allow 
for Harry to understand and relate to the rejected creatures of the wizarding 
world (Hall 78). This is evident even in the case of Kreacher. Within the 
final novel, Harry shows the house-elf kindness by waiting for Kreacher to 
calm down, asking the house-elf to take his time in talking to him, saying 
“please,” and gifting Kreacher a necklace that belonged to one of his former 
owners (Rowling, Deathly Hallows 173-174). Despite Harry’s lack of respect for 
Kreacher, he learned through his own personal experiences that every living 
thing deserves to be treated properly, even untrustworthy house-elves.
 Through characters such as Hermione, Dumbledore, and, later, Harry 
himself, Rowling calls for the reader to critique witches and wizards. While 
it is not initially evident, the wizarding world is filled with prejudice toward 
other magical creatures. Characters that readers grow to love are ostracized 
and mistreated due to their physical and racial differences—differences that, 
in a society that credits itself for extreme intelligence and sophistication, 
should not be considered character flaws. Rowling clearly opposes the 
wizarding world for its self-righteous social hierarchy, and she aims to 
educate and inform readers as to the underlying prejudices within not only 
the wizarding society but the real-world society as well. As Dumbledore said, 
“we have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long” (Rowling, Order of 
the Phoenix 834).

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