Victorian Philanthropy in Harry Potter and Nicholas Nickleby:

The Freedom Illusion

By Haley Garland
The Victorian work of Charles Dickens and the contemporary work of JK Rowling share a
few aspects, including the male orphan protagonist, the English setting and characters, long
serializations, and a collection of intriguing names. But deeper similarities are present,
specifically in the oppressed servitude expressed through The Life and Adventures of Nicholas
Nicklebys creature-like character Smike, and Harry Potters literal creature character Dobby.
Nicholas rescues Smike from his abusive masters, taking the role as Smikes kinder master,
caring for him and treating him as an incapable lesser being. Harry tricks Dobbys master into
setting him free, giving him the option of going out on his own and never directly treating him
as if independence is unattainable.
I argue that the house-elf race in the Harry Potter series is JK Rowlings representation
of a Victorian philanthropic charity case, her not-so-different neo-Victorian resurrection of the
exploited, lower-class of Charles Dickens novels. Using sociological criticism, specifically a
Marxist reading, I explore the relationship between Harry Potters house-elf companion, Dobby,
and Nicholas Nicklebys creature-like, abject companion, Smike. Where Dickens, and therefore
Nicholas, is unable to see Smike as having the ability to function on his own as an independent
part of society, Rowling and Harry give Dobby the opportunity of freedom and he cautiously
takes it, a minor, incomplete redemption of the forlorn Victorian working class. In Victorian
fashion, it takes a higher class to rescue such a hopeless creature when the vast majority
claims to be happy with their current situation. This illusion of happiness, and the rejection of
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major changes in their lives that result from their new-found freedom, are products of a society
that divides the classes and ingrains ones role into their very being, particularly with the lower
classes. Though Dobby is, as Harry carves into his gravestone, a Free Elf, he, like Smike,
continues to serve and please those who rescued him up until the moment of his death. While
Rowling is kinder to her lower class in certain aspects than Dickens is to his in Nicholas Nickleby,
the overall message remains: workers will continue to serve the classes above them even when
they think they are free, and the classes above them will benefit.
A literary comparison of Charles Dickens and JK Rowling is not a novel idea, as James
Washik explains in Oliver Twisted: the Origins of Lord Voldemort in the Dickensian Orphan. As
previously mentioned, aspects of Rowlings work as a whole have been said to be Dickensian,
from the facility for naming to vivid characterizations and theme of young orphans
improving themselves through the kindness of others. Superficial parallels have been drawn
between characters, as well, with Harry Potter and Oliver Twist being said to be so similar due
to their Englishness, lack of parents, and triumph of good over evil. However, the similarities,
Washik argues, stop there. Instead, one must turn to Tom Riddle, the child who becomes Lord
Voldemort, for the true inheritor of the Dickensian model. To sum it up, both children are
orphans, a locket and a ring are important to the identities of both, the original caretaker of
each boy is chiefly identified by their association with a bottle of alcohol, and finally, for
both characterizations depend upon the innate goodness or wickedness of the character, tying
such depictions to a natural inclination toward that morality or lack thereof. Such an analysis
paves the way and lends support to additional examinations of Rowlings and Dickens
characters, such as Dobby the Smike, two Victorian charity cases.
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The house-elves in the Harry Potter series have been read as specific groups that make
up the lower class, including slaves, racial minorities, and women of the past and present. In her
article Harry and The Other: Answering The Race Question In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter,
Jackie C. Horne argues, of course, for the racial reading of the house-elves, stating that they
share characteristics with black characters in twentieth-century popular culture (81). Dobby
the Free Elf is used not as a model of what a free elf can accomplish, but is instead used as
a source of humor in the novels. With his mismatched clothes, desire for lower wages and
declaration that his freedom gives him the right to do all that Harry requests of him, Dobby is
an invitation to the reader to laugh at the elves.
Winky, another free house-elf in the series, is identified as a happy darky in Jackie C.
Hornes article (81). On top of the darky dialect in which all house-elves speak, Winky is
portrayed as having been content with her enslavement, and disgraced (Harry Potter and The
Goblet of Fire 260) by the freedom she gains upon the acquisition of an article of clothing.
Horne also points out that this method used to set house-elves free keeps all of the power in
the hands of the oppressor, rather than allowing agency to the oppressed (81). Winky and
Dobbys contentment with, or even desire for, being controlled is explained well by Travis
Prinzi: Rowlings house-elves love of enslavement is a commentary on the damage that can be
done to an entire group of people by taking away their freedom for extremely long periods of
time (22).
As previously mentioned, women are an oppressed group that house-elves can be
interpreted as, and this point is argued by Rivka Temima Kellner in her article "J. K. Rowling's
Ambivalence Towards Feminism: House ElvesWomen In DisguiseIn The Harry Potter
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Books." Several key characteristics of the house-elves are brought up, including their lack of
culture and assumed acquisition of the owners surnames (368), that they are set free through
the gift of a clothing item, and women are stereotypically obsessed with clothing, and that
Hermione is a House Elf Suffragettethe only one interested in sticking up for the elves, and
herself a female (377). It is with Hermiones awkward attempts (378) to raise awareness of
the troubles experienced by house-elves that Kellner suggests Rowling fails to take her own
characters actions seriously.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ron and Harry scoff at the name of Hermiones
organization, SPEW (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) (376), which Kellner likens to
men who pay little attention to their wives concerns with womanly issues. She says that
Rowlings mocking account (J. K. Rowling's Ambivalence Towards Feminism 383) of
Hermiones efforts marks the authors contradictory feelings towards feminism, which results in
mixed messages being sent to the reader.
What Kellner fails to mention is the real-life SPEW, or Society for Promoting of
Employment of Women, which was founded in London in 1859 and survives to this day, under
the new name Society for Promoting the Training of Women (Albisetti 287). Rowlings
undoubtedly frequently missed reference to a philanthropic success story inside a fictional
organization, which is mocked by the series characters, naturally sends a negative message to
the audience.
With that being said it could, and will, be argued that the Victorian philanthropy present
in the Harry Potter series, as shown through the house-elf race, parallels the charity present in
Dickens Nicholas Nickleby. The middle class characters of the stories help the lower class, but
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not in a way that is ultimately, primarily, beneficial to those in need. Rather, the helpers
continue to benefit from those below them, perpetuating the Dickens charity model that one
must share their wealth, and, well, thats good enough. The abject sidekicks think they are free,
but they are not truly at liberty.
The similarities between Dobby and Smike are plentiful, with the key points being that
they each represent the lower class, they initially receive no pay and are physically punished by
their masters, to whom they are bound by some force, they are rescued by a member of the
middle class who becomes their best friend, they are satisfied with their position in society
after the rescue, and with their death comes benefits for the hero.
Where the house-elf race, and therefore Dobby, has been interpreted as slaves, racial
minorities, and women, Smike, the creature-like malnourished boy, represents the neglected
orphans of Queen Victorias England. Smike can also be read as the lower class as a whole, who
were not paid a decent living wage. When Smikes disappearance is discovered, Mr. and Mrs.
Squeers react so frantically because the manifold services of the drudge, if performed by
anybody else, would have cost the establishment some ten or twelve shillings per week in the
shape of wages (Dickens 140). The wretched creatures (133) orphan status allows them to
take such extreme advantage of him, yes, but it was not uncommon for laborers to be kept
poor due to their being denied fair pay. The cultures familiarity with the image of the slums of
London has perhaps made it into a clich. Dobby, too, is initially exploited through his lack of
compensation, which Hermione rightfully calls slave labor (Goblet of Fire 182).
Slaves, indeed. Both Dobby and Smike are physically punished for disobeying their
masters. In a particularly memorable Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets scene, Dobby
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had to punish himself (13) by banging his head furiously on the window in response to
almost speaking ill of his family (owners might be a more appropriate word). Smike, on the
other hand, is directly punished by his master, Mr. Squeers, who gives him a box on the ear
(Dickens 83) when Mrs. Squeers cannot find her spoon with which to administer the brimstone
and treacle, and given another box when Smike suggests the spoon might be in his mistress
pocket (it is). Dobbys ears take a beating as well, as he states hell have to shut his ears in the
oven door for visiting Harry Potter(Chamber of Secrets 13). One might say that a notable
difference in all this abuse is that Dobbys is self-abuse, and that it illustrates damage that can
be done to an entire group of people by taking away their freedom for extremely long periods
of time (Prinzi 22). While this is true, it might say more about the wizards preference for
convenience when it comes to controlling their slaves than it does about the slave himself. The
bourgeoisie will benefit from a laborer who truly performs all the labor himself.
Both Dobby and Smike are bound to their masters, but by chains of a different sort.
Smike is bound by sheer fear and lack of resources, while Dobby is bound by magic. When
Smike escapes the first time, he is found, returned to the Squeers, and beaten (Dickens 142),
and it is unlikely he would have fled again, were it not for Nicholas. Similarly, Dobby must stay
with his masters because A house-elf must be set free *or+ will serve the family until he dies
(Chamber of Secrets 13), and the servitude is even passed on to the elfs descendants. (One
cant help but wonder how the elves find the time to mingle in a way that might produce a baby
elf, but one would be advised not to meditate on this too much.) Two lowly creatures trapped
by invisible forces that enable oppression, Dobby and Smike require a more privileged soul who
will take pity on them, moving them into a less obvious state of enslavement.
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The freeing of Dobby and Smike is credited to the heroes of the story and told as
rescues. Clever Harry Potter quickly thinks, at the last moment, to hand Lucius Malfoy Tom
Riddles Diary, containing a dirty old sock that he knew would be tossed to Dobby in disgust
(Chamber of Secrets 228). Harry Potter has freed Dobby! the elf shouts, gazing at Harry
lovingly. Least I could do, Dobby, responds Harry because, really, it was the very least he
could do. This small, almost effortless act of kindness is regarded amongst the readers one of
Harrys finest moments, in which he shows how caring he can be. All Harry did, though, was
place a grimy sock between the pages of a book and hand it to a terrible, thoughtless man.
Harry risked almost nothing when he did this, since Harry is The Boy Who Lived and, at this
point in the series, feels practically invincible and untouchable (he had just slayed a basilisk with
the Sword of Gryffindor, after all (216)). This rescuing of a helpless creature is admirable only to
those who think its sweet that that nice Harry Potter boy could think a house-elf deserves
rights and has feelings, as if it were a sentient being, or something!
Nicholas has a lot more to lose when he saves Smike than Harry does when he indirectly
gifts Dobby his slimy, filthy sock (Chamber of Secrets 228). Even though he has nowhere else
to go for work and lodging, Nicholas defends Smike and stops the revenge beatings given out by
Mr. Squeers (Dickens 142). The brawl results in Smike being able to slip out of the school
unnoticed, and gives Nicholas an impressive story to tell the brawny John Browdie. The
audience, of course, is quite impressed as well, and cant help but applaud Nicholas Nickleby.
He felt sorry for that poor Smike! The poor boy who Nicholas later recognizes as some
motionless object (146), and who declares, while on his knees, You are my homemy kind
friendtake me with you, pray. In these scenes, it would appear that Smike does not exist for
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his own meritas a character meant to show the audience what horrors can become of
abandoned childrenbut exists only to feed the goodness of Nicholas. What is a hero if he has
no one to save? The protagonist thrives off of the neediness of the sidekick, and the latter is
perfectly fine with this.
After being given the gift of freedom, Dobby disappears for a book and returns in The
Goblet of Fire, apparently having spent that year away wanting paying for his work (72). A
house-elf demanding pay, that sure seems like progress. And it is, sort of. Dobby finds a job at
Hogwarts, where he receives one galleon a week and one day off a month, and thats only after
he beat *Dumbledore+ down from ten galleons a week and weekends off (260). Dobby likes
freedom, he says, but he isnt wanting too much he likes work better. The elf is
theoretically free, but he is bound to the mindset that he ought to be working because he likes
it, and that it somehow wouldnt be beneficial, but would instead be harmful, to accept higher
pay. Dobby is no longer under the ruling of the Malfoys, and that is good enough for him.
The same can be said for Smike, who follows Nicholas anywhereeverywhereto the
worlds endto the churchyard grave (my emphasis) (Dickens 146). Smike is content with his
existence, as long as he is away from the grips of the Squeers and near his beloved Nicholas. It
is true he acquires a job and pay, but that job was not even his choice, and the money is never
seen as his. Mr. Crummles notices that Smikes capital countenance (254) would make a great
Apothecary in Romeo and Juliet, and comments that this would simply be ruined if Smike
were to gain weight and health. After learning that Nicholas can translate French and act a bit,
Mr. Crummles tells him With your own salary, and your friend's, and your writings, you'd
makeah! you'd make a pound a week! (258) Nicholas agrees, and off they go to the world of
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theater, where Smike ever so slightly improves his worth by memorizing the impressive line
Who calls so loud? (299) and Nicholas wins the heart of the audience with his patience of
kindness.
Inevitably, Smike and Dobby die. One might argue that Dobby has a heros death, but
one might argue in return that no, he does not. HarryPotter are Dobbys last words as he
bleeds to death from the stab wound made by Bellatrix Lestranges dagger, which was meant
for Harry (Deathly Hallows 509). Even though he is without an official master, the house-elf
sacrifices himself, enduring physical suffering at the hands of a member of a higher class, for a
member of a higher class. It may seem as if Dobbys saving Harry is proof that hes capable of
independent thought and of disobeying Harry (in Chamber of Secrets, Harry told Dobby
promise never to try to save my life again (228)), but its also proof that Dobby is still taking
orders. Aberforth Dumbledore, brother of the late Albus, sent Dobby to help Harry, which The
Boy Who Lived is able to figure out due to his extreme cleverness (Deathly Hallows 596). Not
only does the elfs death save Harrys life, help Harry look even smarter and more wonderful,
but it assists him in gaining the trust of the goblin Griphook.
Goblins are also below witches and wizards, so Griphook is naturally suspicious of Harry
and reluctant to lend his help, which is necessary if Harry has any hope of being amazingly
heroic. Goblins and elves are not used to the protection or the respect that you have shown
tonight. Not from wand-carriers, (Deathly Hallows 522) the goblin tells the wizard. The
message to the audience here is pretty clear: Treat those who are seen as beneath you like
they, too, have feelings and value their lives, and you will receive something in return.
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Smikes death, which is a very unheroic one, leads to good things for the Nicklebys as
well. When Ralph Nickleby learns that Smike was his son, that his son was taught to hate his
own parent and execrate his very name (Nicholas Nickleby 729) by Nicholas, and that his son is
now dead, Ralph begins to feel an insupportable agony. He cannot bear the thought that,
though he was initially a careless, indifferent, rough, harsh father, he might have come to
enjoy the boys company. It is all too much for him, and Ralph does everyone a favor and
commits suicide by hanging (731). Thats all very convenient for Nicholas, who benefits quite a
bit from this, and now has one fewer evil uncle to deal with.
Additionally, the cause of Smikes death is quite pathetic and demonstrates his belief
that hes stuck in the lowly class in which he has (almost) always existed, and that he has no
hope of improving. You will forgive me, Smike tells Nicholas on his death bed, though I
would have died to make her happy, it broke my heart to seeI know he loves her dearlyOh!
Who could find that out so soon as I? (Dickens 690) He then confesses his absorbing,
hopeless, secret passion for Kate and requests to be buried with a lock of her hair tied around
his neck. This might be read as romantic, or, instead, as a message to readers that classes
shouldnt mingle in romantic ways and that the member of the lower class might as well just
die, because that would be much more beneficial to the other than if they were to marry. This
saves Kate the trouble of having to reject her poor cousin.
Without a revolution from the lower class, or the proletariat, there will be a divide in the
classes. The laborers will serve the bourgeois, the owners of land and capital. At first glance, JK
Rowlings Harry Potter series seems to oppose such a division of class, with a war fought
between those who despise all but the pure bloods, and those who want peace and see no
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need for prejudice and segregation. The other races (or species, really) are often overlooked. By
the series end, there is harmony in the Wizarding World for humans, but what of the house-
elves? What of the goblins or, even, the centaurs? These creatures are not mentioned in the
final chapter, when Harry and Hermiones children board The Hogwarts Express and Harry tells
his son, Albus Severus, that he is named after two men, one of them probably the bravest man
[Harry] ever knew (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows 796), but neither of them a house-
elf.
Dobby, the poor creature, may have been free, and he may have been given the
respect of a hand-dug grave (in which Harry lowers himself to the place of the laborer, to honor
the laborer) (511), but in the end, he is forgotten. In the short epilogue, the readers find closure
for many of the witches and wizards, but not for those who silently work and die so the humans
can live comfortable. Conversely, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby ends on the note
of Smike: The grass was green above the dead boys grave Through all the spring and
summertime, garlands of fresh flowers, wreathed by infant hands, rest on stone; and when the
children came to change them lest they should wither and be pleasant to him no longer, their
eyes filled with years and they spoke low and softly to their poor dead cousin. (752). Here, he
is quite literally beneath them, his grave trodden by tiny feet that know not the extent of his
sufferings. If Rowling and Dickens were true advocates for the weak, for the wretched worker,
why must said workers sacrifice themselves so that the seemingly strong hero can live on, even
when they were meant to be free from the grips of their masters? The answers is that they
were never free, but forever under the control of the oppressive, divided social hierarchy.

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Works Cited
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Young Women In Mid-Victorian Europe." History Of Education 41.3 (2012): 287-
301. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
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Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Chapel Hill: Project Gutenberg,
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Horne, Jackie C. "Harry and The Other: Answering The Race Question In J. K. Rowling's Harry
Potter." The Lion and The Unicorn 1 (2010): 76. Project MUSE. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Kellner, Rivka Temima. "J. K. Rowling's Ambivalence Towards Feminism: House Elves
Women In DisguiseIn The Harry Potter Books." Midwest Quarterly 51.4 (2010):
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Prinzi, Travis. "Don't Occupy Gringotts: Harry Potter, Social Upheaval, and the Moral
Imagination." Reason Papers 34.1 (2012): 15-24. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
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