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This is why Rowling fails, you know
Nov. 28th, 2009 12:31 pmJust tripped over a particularly clear moment of idiocy on Wikipedia, pointing to a Rowling chat transcript. It's about Gryffindor's sword, and the goblins.
Now, I recall fairly clearly that there was, shall we say, cultural conflict at work in that case. A goblin work was handed to someone for money. In human understanding it was sold. In goblin understanding it was leased.
(See, we even have human ideas for the difference.)
So later on, when Gryffindor died and the sword was not returned, the goblins came all over pissed, because that, by their lights, was theft.
The wiki entry says "Gryffindor did not steal the sword from Ragnuk and that this belief is merely part of Griphook's goblin mistrust and prejudice against wizards." Rowling herself said "Griphook was wrong - Gryffindor did not 'steal' the sword, not unless you are a goblin fanatic and believe that all goblin-made objects really belong to the maker."
Which tells me that the writer herself could not wrap her brain around the idea that by goblin laws the goblins were right, and that, while the humans were right by their own laws, those laws were not the only ones involved in this case and not the only standard by which it should be judged. This despite having written the situation herself.
That, right there. That's how she could write the house elves the way she did and not think it was problematic.
Now, I recall fairly clearly that there was, shall we say, cultural conflict at work in that case. A goblin work was handed to someone for money. In human understanding it was sold. In goblin understanding it was leased.
(See, we even have human ideas for the difference.)
So later on, when Gryffindor died and the sword was not returned, the goblins came all over pissed, because that, by their lights, was theft.
The wiki entry says "Gryffindor did not steal the sword from Ragnuk and that this belief is merely part of Griphook's goblin mistrust and prejudice against wizards." Rowling herself said "Griphook was wrong - Gryffindor did not 'steal' the sword, not unless you are a goblin fanatic and believe that all goblin-made objects really belong to the maker."
Which tells me that the writer herself could not wrap her brain around the idea that by goblin laws the goblins were right, and that, while the humans were right by their own laws, those laws were not the only ones involved in this case and not the only standard by which it should be judged. This despite having written the situation herself.
That, right there. That's how she could write the house elves the way she did and not think it was problematic.
