Why do so many people love Dobby?

I just burst out laughing. Way to diss a dead character, gosh.

Hahaha

Umm bleh

I'm not that big a fan of Dobby. He can be cute but he can also be just damn irritating, particularly in Chamber of Secrets.

I think people love him because he's just so innocent I guess. He's unwaveringly loyal to Harry and a bit of an "oddball". And everybody loves an oddball. And he has his moments... like when he didn't sleep when he was watching Malfoy in HBP. And in the end he payed the ultimate price... died for Harry. There are a lot of worse characters to love.

But still, that's me kind of playing Devil's Advocate. I never loved him. I didn't cry when he died. I was upset. But i didn't cry.

Same goes for Hedwig too. I mean she was a nice old bird. But ultimately what did you do that caused so many people to love her? She didn't really have a personality other than that she was proud.

Wow I sound like such a heartless ***** in this question.

I need some chocolate or something. Soften my cold, dead heart.

Lol. Oh come on, house elf's are naturally irritating! But Dobby has a different quality about him that sort of goes against the typical house elf. We see a lot of open acts of bravery that most humans (wizards?) wouldn't do. He was like the mouse that doesn't scurry and fear things. Ok bad analogy, but you get the picture. He has been helpful and faithful to harry throughout the series. That's one of the reasons and I guess you can also argue that Dobby was a symbol of freedom.

And I think a lot of the love for Dobby is a little cheated since we read the book from Harry's point of view. Harry is obviously going to be very grateful for all the things Dobby has done. But an outsider, like for example Ron, would find Dobby's excessive attention towards Harry annoying and irritating.

I Love Dobby

I can't really say that I love Dobby (he really annoyed me at times, actually), but he was very different than most house elves. Like Arabesque said, he didn't just sit there and take being a slave to the Malfoys. He risked getting in a lot of trouble in COS to "save" Harry. He always tried to help Harry in whatever way he could. You couldn't really expect him to know that breaking someones' arm isn't the best route to go in saving him, because he was raised quite differently from humans.

Though yes, I can't really say that I understand the people who said that they cried for an hour after Dobby's death. He wasn't even really that major of a character. In all honesty, I like Kreacher quite a bit more than I like Dobby.

Despite the fact that he failed, he at least *tried* to help Harry in COS. Anyone who was on Harry's side was loved by most of the fans.

Plus he's a little house elf with small ears and a high-pitched voice. How could you not at least find that *somewhat* cute? I think the reader really began to appreciate Dobby in GOF when he began working at Hogwarts and collecting all of Hermione's planted clothes. It showed a new, less violent, side of Dobby.

He may have been a bit annoying, but his death was sad :(

I pretty much agree with Alex. His antics in COS were annoying at first, especially when it seemed like Harry was never going to make it to Hogwarts, but funny when you start thinking about them.

His fighting with Kreacher in HBP was funny, I thought. But really, he's a great house elf. He's not like Winky. He sees the way his masters treat him, and the way other masters treat their elves, and he wants to be free. He's got energy and drive, he may be a bit weird but he knows what's right.

Yes, his methods for protecting Harry in COS were pretty weird and hard to differentiate from plots to kill Harry, but he had the right idea. He didn't stay passive when he knew what L Malfoy was planning. He knew what was right, and he did it, at the cost of pain and death.

He had the right idea: no one should be forced to blindly obey masters. He was always fighting that. That's why I like Dobby. I don't love him, but I was sad when he died the way he did.

Yeah, Kreacher's cool too, Kelly. I liked how he was always muttering really loudly about the Order, and crying over Mrs Black's old things. Kreacher was a good guy.

I didn't like him either, I didn't cry when he died, however, I still found it very sad and touching when he died. I mean think about it.

He had great motives, perhaps that's why people like him. because they recognize that he is good-hearted (I don't think that's a word).

I wouldn't question it though, that people take notice in him, and also, we have become aware of what he seeks...which is freedom ...and we also know that he used to serve the Malfoy's..

I think people like because he has a very VERY good story, even though the character himself isn't the MOST likable (to some)

as well as we pity him.

I completely Agree!! I HATE DOBBY! On the second Movie when Malfoy was hitting him to come on at the end, I thought it was awesome! Also I hated that he got freed.

I also cheered when he died and it was in the movie theater and people also there like literally got MAD at me for it!! bwahahaha! It's funny how people thought I was heartless of me for being happy that he died when he is a MADE UP CHARACTER! Like people acted as if I cheered over a real person dying or something haha! Very Entertaining!

So to answer your comment Kasha, You Are Not Alone!

Cheers from Columbus Ohio!

I actually agree with you. I thought he was annoying. I was sad when he died and felt guilty about thinking bad things about him. But for the most part, he really is annoying.

I have warmed up to him, though. Mostly I think it's because he died. But I think his good intentions say a lot about him. The fact that he's willing to do anything Harry asks without question. He has a good heart. And he can be really cute. The whole sock thing always gave me a good laugh.

Dobby is a representation of a freed slave. He WAS a freed slave and he had more loyalty toward Harry than most of the characters in the book. Not to mention, he saved Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ollivander, Dean, and Luna. If you can't stand him, that's your problem.