Early in HP2, Harry arrive at the Weasley household, and sees dishes washing themselves and (in the movie) a jumper knitting itself. Wizard houses should look after themselves, so what is the point of house elves?

I love the organisation SPEW, Society for the Promotion of Elfin Welfare, but a self respecting wizard society, skilled in magic, would not need house elves.

Someone must cook mustn't they? Who can cook the food in Hogwarts if not the House Elves. I mean, there are 4 house and about hundreds of members in each. Who can make 400 meals with magic? - The Elves. They also move trunks and baggage to and from rooms, clean dormitories, and presumably other areas of the castle as well.

They do other jobs to, not just home jobs. Remember when Harry ordered Dobby and Kreacher to follow Draco? Well they do similar things too.

Here's a definition for a House Elf:

"A house-elf is a magical creature which is devoted and loyal to the one designated as their master. They serve wizards and witches, and must do everything that they command until they are freed by their masters.
House-elves have their own brand of powerful magic, which allows them to perform tasks, such as Apparating, where wizards and witches cannot. More than just a mere housekeeper, a house-elf is a ruthless protector of the master, and will attack threats and enemies with great fury and strength."

__________________

Don't them let me get teary, the world looks dreary,
but when you wipe your eyes, see it clearly.
There's no need for you to fear me,
if you take your time to hear me,
maybe you can learn to cheer me.
It ain't about black or white, 'cause we're human,
I hope we see the light before its ruined...
...my ghetto gospel...

R.I.P. 2pac

Even with magic Molly has a lot of work to do keeping the house clean and food cooked, she is constantly asking the kids to help prepare meals and clean. She has relatively small house, the Large Mansions, like the Malfoys the house elfs did the cooking and cleaning, we see the older witches and wizards have house elves as companions as well. Hogwarts has the most house elves that do the cooking and cleaning in the school, really don't see Dumbledore using cooking and cleaning spells.

SPEW is great, magical creatures should not be enslaved that way, but the books really don't give a solution to the house elf enslavement. JKR says in an interview that Hermione worked for the Magical Creature Department of the Ministry, so she could correct those injustices, but she does not say how they done, only that they were done.

__________________

The Weasleys, I've noticed when it comes to House Elves, are a family of enablers. They don't personally like the idea of a helpless and vulnerable creature doing their bidding for the rest of their families existence but they don't necessarily care if other Wizarding families harbor a House Elf. Not saying they're hypocrites! They most likely just don't like thinking about it. Plus, when a family has a House Elf in their care, it's like a status symbol; you have a House Elf, you must be rich.

Why does this thread exist?

__________________

I agree with Her, its a status symbol, so if you have one you're rich especially if you have more than 1! but also you have someone to do your cooking, cleaning, and someone to defend you.

__________________
Name: Cretia
Wand: 12.8 inches unicorn hair core
House: new student
Blood Status: Half Blood
Animagus: Rabbit
Patronus: Rabbit
Signature Spell: Protego
Favorite Subject: Transfiguration
Quidditch Position: Seeker

They exist to serve us and wipe rich guys arses.

__________________
- yayyyyy!!!!!

As roughly as he put it, he's right. In some cases it might be enslavement but the way I see house elves, their only goal in life is to serve. There could very well be families who are nice enough to employ them for pay, but the elves just refuse it because it's how they are.

Dobby was a special case because the Malfoys were mean to him. In other situations, "liberating" the house elves would take the meaning out of their lives, and they'd end up drunk and miserable like Winky.

__________________

You hit the nail on the head. Its to help characterise the wizarding society as not wholly self respecting. There is a reason why Dobby is initially found with the Malfoys and his story focuses on the mistreatment and enslavement of him. It just adds to the repulsiveness of the Malfoys and some of the other old pure blood families such as the Blacks.

The fact that Hogwarts has a whole Kitchen full of them is interesting but resolved when Harry pays them a visit. Dobby is in fact "happy" here even though strictly he is not free which is a vast contrast to at the Malfoys when he longed for freedom.

Overall, they are a plot device, just as other characters are :P

That's not what you said last night when you asked me to be your personal house elf slave.

WHAT NOW BECCS?

__________________