Among the non-human creatures in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, one of my all-time favorites is none other than Dobby the House Elf. This character was introduced to us in the second book, and I think it’s quite safe to say that Dobby has won the hearts of many Potterheads like myself. And I think it’s also quite safe to say that there are many things that we can learn from Dobby, especially with regard to the faith that we have. Sounds clichéd? Maybe.
For those of us who are familiar with the Harry Potter series, we’d be fully aware of this fact: Dobby was enslaved. At the beginning of the second book, where we are introduced to Dobby, we learn that he is enslaved to a family in the wizarding world, whom we later discover to be the Malfoy family. During his enslavement to the Malfoys, Dobby is tortured and abused, both physically and mentally, on an almost daily basis. Dobby suffered much under his enslavement.
The only way for Dobby to be set free is if the Malfoys were to present him with clothes. Dobby possessed no clothes at all during his enslavement to the Malfoys. The only thing he could wear was a filthy old pillowcase, which was a mark of his enslavement. The mark of a free elf would be his clothes, and until the day where he is presented with clothes by the Malfoys, Dobby was bound to serve them.
However, for all Potterheads like myself, we know that Dobby’s story has a happy ending (at least in the second book). Dobby was set free! And unlike most House Elves, who seemed to think that it was most shameful for a house elf to be set free, Dobby was overjoyed to be set free! He gladly accepted the sock that set him free, and he was most happy to welcome freedom into his life.
In a way, just like Dobby, we are all enslaved. We are enslaved by our attachments to wealth and power, by our addictions to sin, and our desire for success in this life. Just like Dobby, our souls suffer because of our enslavements. However, the good news is that just like Dobby, we have also been set free by our Lord and Master.
On the day of our Baptism, we are given clothes, our Baptismal Garment, and are set free from original sin. Our Lord and Master also gives us freedom from our sins through the shedding of His blood. But this freedom needs to be caught and accepted, just like how Dobby had to catch and accept the sock which gave him his freedom.
What about us? Do we wish to be set free from our sins and addictions which enslave us? Do we want to accept the freedom that our Lord and Master offers us?
However, as I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, freedom does not simply mean the ability to do whatever we want. The Catholic understanding of freedom means freedom to choose the good, freedom to choose not to allow our addictions and sins to enslave us. It’s quite like putting a bunch of drugs in front of someone who is addicted to drugs. The drug addict may be free to take the drugs, which will harm his body. But he may not be free to walk away from the drugs, and begin his journey on the road of recovery.
Dobby was happy to accept his freedom, and to put on his new clothes (even though it was a filthy old sock) to show the world that he dared to be different from the rest of his kind. He wasn’t afraid to be set free. How about us?
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Originally published at The Barefoot Journey Home.
