Actually they *are* treated like family members. Acto *traditional* beliefs regarding the rights of parents and heads of families. When wizards split off from human society parents *owned* their children. Husbands *owned* their wives. They could beat them to death and usually face no more than an inquery and a great deal of tut-tuttery. Excuse me, but this is ridiculous. There never were times like this, at least not in England. (Husbands had rights over the money and other possesion of their wives, which granted them a great deal of control over the women, but they never "owned" them in any sense akin to how wizards own the Elves.)
And, if Elves *could* be sold, don't you think the Malfoys would have purchased another elf which would be *grateful* to be owned by them and gotten rid of Dobby? They were as stuck with him as he was with them. Well, they didn't liberate him either, and they certainly could have, if life with him became so intolerable they couldn't have stand it. You can hardly say something isn't canon just because it isn't logical. Quite the contrary, actually. :)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2011-02-12 12:27 pm (UTC)And, if Elves *could* be sold, don't you think the Malfoys would have purchased another elf which would be *grateful* to be owned by them and gotten rid of Dobby? They were as stuck with him as he was with them. Well, they didn't liberate him either, and they certainly could have, if life with him became so intolerable they couldn't have stand it. You can hardly say something isn't canon just because it isn't logical. Quite the contrary, actually. :)