Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be taking a look at one of the most beloved, innocent, and selfless characters of the entire
series- Dobby. More specifically, we’re going to be discussing Dobby’s death- and
how it’s portrayal differed from book to film.
Dobby, the big-hearted house-elf, first makes his way in to our lives in the Chamber of
Secrets- when he enters the home of #4 privet drive at one of the most inopportune times.
You see, the day Dobby decided to visit Harry Potter at the Dursley residence happened to
be the same day that Vernon Dursley- Harry’s terrible uncle, had a very important business
dinner with clients.
The Chamber of Secrets was the first example of Dobby exhibiting extreme heroism- as he
tries desperately to prevent Harry from returning to Hogwarts- hoping to save his life. The
actions he took in visiting Harry were technically in defiance of his current masters.
"Harry Potter must NOT go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year!"
Dobby, who served the Malfoys, knew of the plan to reopen the Chamber of Secrets during
Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts. For this reason, he began to intercept Harry’s
mail. When Harry finds out what Dobby had been doing, he was furious, but Dobby’s
actions were entirely selfless- he just wanted Harry to be safe. When Harry refuses Dobby’s
request, he ends up dumping Aunt Petunia’s pudding all over the house guests.
As I mentioned, this was just the first example of Dobby acting selflessly to protect Harry.
Dobby’s big-hearted nature quickly becomes apparent to the reader- earning a special
place in our hearts. Unfortunately, however, Dobby eventually became another one of the
casualties suffered in the wizarding war- sacrificing himself to protect Harry and his
friends- helping them to escape from Malfoy Manor. In this video, I want to discuss Dobby’s
death- and how it varied from book to film.
Here’s the thing: Dobby, though crucial to the story, is considerably less developed
in the film than in the books. This is ultimately one of the reasons that his death wasn’t
as impactful as it should have been. In the film, Dobby was barely anything more than
the Malfoy’s former house-elf who warned Harry about the Chamber of Secrets - and later
appearing once again to save them from the Death Eaters. The Dobby of the books was just
SO much more than that, which is one of the reasons why his death was so heartbreaking.
Dobby’s whole story was glossed over- and his death simply didn’t have the emphasis
that it should have. Instead of an astounding, selfless act of heroism, Dobby’s death served
as more of a transition point between the two Deathly Hallows movies. It just didn’t
have the ‘impact’ that it deserved- as the focus wasn’t placed on him- but moreso
the trio and the continuation of the plot. The books bear a very different representation-
starting with the sheer heroism exhibited by Dobby by returning to the home of his old
masters.
‘Dobby’s enormous, tennis-ball-shaped eyes were wide; he was trembling from his
feet to the tips of his ears. He was back in the home of his old masters, and it was
clear that he was petrified.’
Returning to the Malfoy manor required just as much courage as any worthy Gryffindor,
and it served as a testament to just how far Dobby would go to help Harry. But here’s
the thing- not only did Dobby have to return to the manor, he ended up having to defy his
old masters- even going as far as to try to intentionally harm them. You see, it was Dobby
that dropped the chandelier that hung above Bellatrix:
“At the last word there was a peculiar grinding noise from above. All of them looked upward
in time to see the crystal chandelier tremble; then, with a creak and an ominous jingling,
it began to fall. Bellatrix was directly beneath it; dropping Hermione, she threw herself aside
with a scream. The chandelier crashed to the floor in an explosion of crystal and chains.”
“As Narcissa dragged Draco out of the way of further harm, Bellatrix sprang to her feet,
her hair flying as she brandished the silver knife; but Narcissa had directed her wand
at the doorway. ‘Dobby!’ she screamed, and even Bellatrix
froze. ‘You! You dropped the chandelier –?’
The tiny elf trotted into the room, his shaking finger pointing at his old mistress.
‘You must not hurt Harry Potter,’ he squeaked.”
But Dobby didn’t stop at dropping the chandelier- he also stripped them of their wands:
"Kill him, Cissy!" shrieked Bellatrix, but there was another loud crack, and Narcissa's
wand too flew into the air and landed on the other side of the room.
"You dirty little monkey!" bawled Bellatrix. "How dare you take a witch's wand, how dare
you defy your masters?"
"Dobby has no master!" squealed the elf. "Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save
Harry Potter and his friends!"
Though Dobby was filled with more fear than he could have ever imagined- he still stood
his ground in the face of his former masters. Not only was this his opportunity to save
his friends, but it was a chance for him to declare his independence in front of the people
that enslaved him for so many years. It was heroism exhibited in its purest, noblest form.
Tragically, however, standing up to the people that mistreated him for so many years ended
up being one of the last things Dobby ever did- for his death was near.
“Hoisting the groaning goblin, who still clung to the sword, over one shoulder, Harry
seized Dobby's hand and spun on the spot to Disapparate. As he turned into darkness he
caught one last view of the drawing room of the pale, frozen figures of Narcissa and Draco,
of the streak of red that was Ron's hair, and a blue of flying silver, as Bellatrix's
knife flew across the room at the place where he was vanishing”
And what happened next was truly heartbreaking, as Harry notices that, though they were able
to apparate out of Malfoy Manor- the knife that Bellatrix had thrown apparated with them-
striking Dobby.
"DOBBY!"
The elf swayed slightly, stars reflected in his wide, shining eyes. Together, he and Harry
looked down at the silver hilt of the knife protruding from the elf's heaving chest.
"Dobby ¨ no - HELP!" Harry bellowed toward the cottage, toward the people moving there.
"HELP!"
He did not know or care whether they were wizards or Muggles, friends or foes; all he
cared about was that a dark stain was spreading across Dobby's front, and that he had stretched
out his own arms to Harry with a look of supplication. Harry caught him and laid him sideways on
the cool grass.
"Dobby, no, don't die, don't die ¨C "
The elf's eyes found him, and his lips trembled with the effort to form words.
"Harry... Potter..."
And then with a little shudder the elf became quite still, and his eyes were nothing more
than great glassy orbs, sprinkled with light from the stars they could not see.
The Harry Potter series certainly doesn’t shy away from characters dying, but I will
say this- Dobby’s death was one of the most significant. The actions he took to save Harry
and his friends exhibited a level of bravery shown by almost no other character in the
series, and I think that it’s a shame that the films failed to emphasize this. It was
a disservice to his character, as Dobby made the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that his
friends were safe. If there’s one thing that we can take away from Dobby’s death-
book or film - it’s that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Dobby, the tiny, formerly
enslaved house elf, defied some of the most powerful death eaters in the wizarding world-
saving the lives of his friends, and helping to secure the future of the wizarding world.
Rest in peace Dobby.
And that’s it for this video ! What do you guys think? Did you notice that Dobby’s
death was rather understated in the film? Were there any other deaths that didn’t
get the attention they deserved? Let me know in the comment section below.
Until next time
Dobby has come to protect, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door.