Violence in Wuthering Heights
In ''Wuthering Heights'' by Emily
Bronte, the characters that spend time at Wuthering Heights find themselves
thinking and acting in increasingly violent ways. In this lesson, we will learn
about some examples of violence in the story.
Violent
Thoughts and Actions
Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte is not only a
dysfunctional love story, but lends itself to a great deal of violence that
inevitably envelopes the guests and residents of Wuthering Heights. Even
mild-mannered people like Lockwood and Isabella begin to have cruel and violent
thoughts even after a short time in the Heights. In the beginning, the violence
is directed at the one who is perceived as being the perpetrator who created
bad feelings, but over time, the violence becomes more calculated and indirect.
Let's look at some examples of violence from Wuthering Heights.
Lockwood's
Dream
Lockwood,
the man who is renting Thrushcross Grange, appears to be a meek and mild man,
but when he goes to Wuthering Heights, his demeanor changes. He begins to take
on the violent nature of his hosts. Violence is even apparent in his dreams.
Lockwood's dream is religious in nature, but when Lockwood is accused of
committing the unforgivable sin of being unforgiving, the congregation begins
to turn on him. 'In the confluence of the multitude, several clubs crossed;
blows, aimed at me, fell on other sconces.' As they attempt to beat him with
their pilgrim staves, they end up hitting each other and the entire church
disintegrates into chaos. The violence doesn't end there. Lockwood thinks he is
awake, but enters a second nightmare in which the ghost of Catherine grabs his
arm through the window. Out of fear, Lockwood rubs her wrists against the glass
until they bleed.
The
fact that Lockwood begins to think violent thoughts nearly as soon as he enters
Wuthering Heights establishes the tumultuous and violent nature of that
residence.
Hindley
Flogs Heathcliff
It
all started with sibling rivalry. After their father's death, Hindley takes
over as the Master of Wuthering Heights and turns Heathcliff into a servant.
For the most part, Hindley ignores Heathcliff, but when he gets into trouble,
Hindley flogs him. When Edgar Linton comes to Wuthering Heights for dinner,
Heathcliff is already upset because of the attention Catherine is giving him,
so when Edgar mentions Heathcliff's hair, he reacts by throwing apple sauce at
Edgar. 'He was in a bad temper, and now you've spoilt your visit; and he'll be
flogged: I hate him to be flogged!' says Catherine to Edgar. After Heathcliff's
flogging, Hindley tells Edgar that he should flog Heathcliff the next time that
happens.
Heathcliff's
upbringing from the time his father dies is in the hands of his cruel, jealous,
drunk brother. Heathcliff learns to control others through violence by watching
the way his brother treats him.
Heathcliff
Abuses Isabella
After
Edgar marries Catherine, Heathcliff swears vengeance on the entire Linton
family. He goes so far as to marry Edgar's sister, just so he can abuse her. On
their first night together at Wuthering Heights, Isabella realizes what she has
gotten herself into when Heathcliff promises '…that I should be Edgar's proxy
in suffering, till he could get hold of him.' When Isabella finally has enough,
she sides with Hindley in a brawl between Hindley and Heathcliff and then
taunts Heathcliff about his failed relationship with Catherine. Unable to
handle her insults, '…he snatched a dinner-knife from the table and flung it at
my head. It struck beneath my ear, and stopped the sentence I was uttering…'
prompting Isabella to finally leave him.
Wuthering Heights Violence Authority and Desire
English Literature Essay
Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, published in 1847, is a novel
that centers around two characters, Catherine and Heathcliff, and the obstacles
that they must overcome in order to be together. Bronte explores many themes
throughout Wuthering Heights, including that of revenge, family and betrayal.
Further, the novel is based upon concepts of violence, authority and desire,
which are believed to be key within the novel and therefore I shall further
discuss these themes.
In looking at the concept of violence within Wuthering Heights,
it is considered to be a rather destructive novel not only for the time it was
written but also for contemporary readers. It seems as though the majority of
the characters within the novel take part in acts of violence. The relationship
between Cathy and Heathcliff is full of violent passions and rather aggressive
rows. Their meetings appear to be somewhat animal-like. Likewise, Heathcliff’s
relationships with Isabella and Catherine are equally presented with harshness
and cruelty, but lack the element of romantic passion that he has with Cathy,
There are many examples of violent situations within the novel, one in
particular being in Chapter 7 (see fig 1, attached) whereby Heathcliff is
jealous of Edgar Linton and throws applesauce in his face. The violence is
answered with more violence as Hindley takes him upstairs and beats him, and
upon returning he tells Linton that next time he should beat him himself. The
effect of the violence on the readers is its ability to shock; one may argue
that this level of violence is required in order to maintain the shock factor.
Further, it has an impact on the characters too in that they become mentally
able to tolerate the frequent acts of violence that they experience and
participate in. The violence within the Linton and Earnshaw households create a
permanent sense of threat for the characters within the novel and also for
readers of Wuthering Heights.
The theme of desire explored in
Wuthering Heights is most evident through the portrayal of love and passion.
Arguably the greatest love within the novel is between Catherine and
Heathcliff; despite it being all-consuming it is also rather destructive. In contrast
to this, the love portrayed between Catherine and Edgar is seemingly more civilized
than passionate. Their love shows peace and comfort, and is more socially
acceptable, but nonetheless it doesn’t stand in the way of Heathcliff and
Catherine’s more profound connection. We are introduced to this dilemma within
Chapter 9 (see fig 2, attached). We are shown Catherine’s love for Edgar is
rather superficial in that readers are made aware prior to this of her true
feelings towards Heathcliff. This chapter strongly questions the idea of
marriage, not only the reasoning behind it but also the necessity of it.
Catherine marries Edgar although she loves Heathcliff considerably more. Yet,
as long as he is still in her life she can exist. It is suggested that Catherine’s
love for Edgar is superficial, whereas her passionate love for Heathcliff is so
strong that it does not require the bond of marriage to secure it.
Wuthering Heights contains
elements of a patriarchal society in that there is a social system in place
whereby the father of the household has ultimate authority over women,
children, and property. From a feminist perspective this could arguably be seen
as an unjust social system as it is oppressive towards women. It seems as
though all the male characters portray this element of patriarchy; Mr. Earnshaw
is an example of a patriarchal figure as he brings back a young child and
expects Mrs. Earnshaw to treat the child as her own, however Mrs. Earnshaw was
ready to fling it out of doors. She did fly up asking how he could fashion to
bring that gypsy brat into the house. This immediately suggests Mrs. Earnshaw’s
unhappiness in taking the child in, but as Mr. Earnshaw is head of the
household she cannot object to this. Further, Heathcliff is also a patriarchal
figure in that not only does he imprison Cathy and Nelly but he also treats
Isabella in a cruel manner and isolates Cathy after her marriage to Linton.
Linton himself is not any different from the other male characters within the
novel as he confines his daughter to the boundaries of Thrushcross Grange and
also makes Catherine choose between himself and Heathcliff thus restricting her
identity. Furthermore, Hindley too oppresses and degrades the new Heathcliff.
Bronte creates all the male characters in this way as arguably she could be
trying to make a statement of the time by presenting us with such a dominant
patriarchal figures within her novel.
The readers of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering
Heights have different views of the character of Heathcliff. His state of mind
changes throughout the novel and his personality takes a dramatic alteration
during Volume I. This essay will look at the character of the misanthropist,
Heathcliff, and how the readers view him at different stages in the book.
In chapter 1 of Wuthering Heights, the
character Lockwood meets Heathcliff. Straight away Lockwood has an instant
opinion of Heathcliff. Lockwood describes Heathcliff as quite abrupt in his
manner of speaking. His tone of voice is described as a ‘genuine bad nature’.
The reader, at this point, doesn’t like
Heathcliff too much. He is seen as rude and aggressive. The reader views him as
unfriendly, brooding character. Lockwood also says that the house looked like
it belonged to ‘a homely, northern farmer’.
This image is Lockwood’s stereotypical
view of Heathcliff. Heathcliff’s appearance is also spoken about. Lockwood
calls him a ‘dark-skinned gypsy’. This term would suggest that Heathcliff is an
outsider, someone who has no friends and is left out of everything.
However, he is also said to have an
‘erect and handsome figure’. The personal appearance of Heathcliff contradicts
with his personality. Heathcliff is a character of many contradictions. By the
end of chapter one, the reader sees Heathcliff as a cruel and vulgar character.
In chapter 3, Lockwood reads part of
Catherine’s diary. From it he finds out about the traumatic childhood
Heathcliff experienced, and his stepbrother, Hindley, had treated him badly. I
can see this from a quote that Catherine says, “Poor Heathcliff! Hindley calls
him a vagabond, and won’t let him sit with us, nor eat with us”. These are
harsh actions from Hindley, as Heathcliff is cast aside as a loner.
The term vagabond refers to the tramp
status that Heathcliff has attained. By the end of this chapter, the reader has
slightly changed their view of Heathcliff. We see love and compassion deep in
Heathcliff’s soul that is shown when the name Catherine is mentioned.
Heathcliff’s character encourages sympathy and repulsion.
We can tell that Heathcliff is in
agony, after the appearance of her ghost. He calls out her name, pleading for
her to return ‘once more’. However, we also discover his cruelty and his
calculating and manipulative side. The next chapter shows an important part of
Heathcliff.
Nelly Dean, the housekeeper, is
introduced. She begins to tell Lockwood about Heathcliff and his history. We
see the terrible time that Heathcliff experienced as a child. When brought home
by Mr.
Earnshaw, Catherine welcomes him
lovingly. However, the sight disgusts Hindley. Heathcliff is described as a
‘dirty, ragged, black-haired child’ He is also called a ‘gypsy brat’ and is
constantly referred to as ‘it’. This use of words dehumanizes Heathcliff.
The reader now feels sorry for
Heathcliff and pathos, due to his upbringing. Heathcliff is depicted as having
a ‘cuckoo’s’ history. This is significant, because the cuckoo bird is known for
stealing the nests of other birds. This reflects how Heathcliff usurps the
roles of the other people.
It becomes relevant later in the book.
Heathcliff and Catherine are seen as really close friends. They are very mischievous
together, and the reader can automatically see how much Heathcliff cares for
Catherine. Their love for one another seems to go slightly beyond and brother
and sister relationship.
The end of chapter 4 shrouds Heathcliff
shrouded in mystery. He is known to despise company and society, but enjoy
isolation and solitude. The stormy moors reflect the character of Heathcliff
with pathetic fallacy. Heathcliff is an outsider.
Hindley rejected him, and even
Catherine spits at him when she first see him.In chapter five, Mr. Earnshaw
dies, causing the protection of Heathcliff to disappear. Hindley is now free to
torment Heathcliff more.
The reader can still feel sympathy for Heathcliff.
Chapter six shows the start of the slow separation of Catherine and Heathcliff.
Without the protection from Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley treats Heathcliff horribly.
There is a lot of evidence for this,
but one of the more horrible things Hindley does is when Catherine and
Heathcliff are out in the moors at night. Hindley tells the other staff to
“bolt the doors” and he made sure “nobody should let them in that night”. This
is something wicked that Hindley does, as the children are only young, yet he
still leaves them out on the dangerous moors. Heathcliff is essentially victimized
by Hindley, who takes every opportunity to exact revenge upon his old enemy.
Heathcliff’s words are violent and
malicious. This represents his extreme character, which hints at his envy and
bitterness towards Edgar, whom Catherine is spending a lot of time with. An
important chapter is chapter seven as it shows the changes that are occurring
in Catherine, which eventually cause the changes in Heathcliff. Catherine has
been spending a lot of the time with the Linton’s.
She has changed dramatically, so that
she is hardly recognizable compared to her previous self. From her time with
the Linton’s, Catherine had become more mature. She still cares for Heathcliff,
but is spending less and less time with him. She has become very shallow and
judges Heathcliff on his appearance.
Catherine says, ‘Why, how very black
and cross you look! And how – how funny and grim’. This shows that Catherine
has changed. She is treating Heathcliff differently. From this point, the
reader can tell that their love for one another will be unfulfilled.
Heathcliff has lost the one person that
he ever loved and will ever love. Catherine alteration is starting to change
Heathcliff. He now feels different and wants to fit into Catherine’s new life.
He says to Nelly, ‘I wish I had light hair and fair skin, and was dressed and
behaved as well’.
This shows that Heathcliff is thinking
of his appearance and is letting Catherine’s words get to him. Chapter eight
shows how the whole situation evolves. Heathcliff argues with Catherine about
the Linton’s. This is the first sign of a break down in their relationship.
Heathcliff says what he truly thinks of
the Linton’s. He calls them ‘pitiful, silly friends’. Catherine is
mean-spirited towards Heathcliff. This is a big turning point, as it shows that
Catherine is starting to become like the Linton’s, and is growing further away
from Heathcliff.
She says ‘You might be dumb or a baby
for anything you say to amuse me, or for anything you do either’. This has
shown a completely different side to Catherine. Another factor in chapter eight
is that Hareton, Hindley’s son, is born. Soon after, Frances, Hindley’s wife
dies.
This causes Hindley to go into an
alcoholic state. He becomes more aggressive and tormenting toward Heathcliff. A
part of Nelly’s descriptive says, “His treatment of the latter was enough to
make a fiend of a saint”. This emphasizes the hatred of Hindley towards
Heathcliff, as he says Nelly says that his treatment of Heathcliff could have
turned a saint into a fiend.
At the end of the chapter, the reader
can sympathize with Heathcliff.In chapter nine, we see that Heathcliff is a
vengeful person, and he has a strong desire for revenge, due to the tough times
he has been going through with Catherine continuing to see the Linton’s and
Hindley still treating him badly.. This transcends any emotion and relationship
between any other members of the family.
Heathcliff has broken down since losing
Catherine. His state of mind is weak, and he is confused. By the end,
Heathcliff has left Wuthering Heights.In chapter 10, Heathcliff has returned
after a few years.
Catherine and Heathcliff’s reunion is
very emotionally painful. It is clear that a darker pain lurks beneath the
fa�ade. Bronte, here, portrays Heathcliff as sensitively uncertain and almost
cowardice. The reader sees this as a tormenting time for Heathcliff.
Nelly is no longer at Wuthering
Heights. She is at Thrushcross Grange with Catherine and the Linton’s. This
means that Hareton is not looked after properly. He becomes a feral child,
which is reminiscent of Heathcliff’s childhood.
Hareton’s poor education is part of
Heathcliff’s revenge. Heathcliff has changed since being away. He is described
as a ‘tall, athletic, well-formed man’. Bronte’s readers would have found this
quite suspicious, considering the state in which Heathcliff left.
Heathcliff has become vengeful and
vindictive in chapter 11, more than ever. Catherine vows to starve herself and
Catherine’s illness worsens in chapter twelve. Heathcliff becomes angry with
her and also for himself. He starts to doubt his plans, which shows a side of
Heathcliff that is rarely see.
However he still continues with his
plans for revenge. In this chapter, he continues to plot revenge. This shows he
is still determined, even after his ordeal with Catherine. Heathcliff eloping
with Isabella is part of his revenge against the Linton’s.
After Heathcliff’s marriage to
Isabella, he shows his true self to her. He is a vicious tyrant. He is
neglectful and cruel to her. Another part of his revenge plan comes together,
when he persuades a drunken Hindley to gamble Wuthering Heights, to which
Heathcliff wins and becomes the new owner of the house.
Heathcliff is spiteful and malevolent
towards everyone that hated him. He shows no signs of guilt from what he is
doing. Heathcliff has turned into a brute and a fiend to get revenge. The last
chapter, Chapter fourteen shows that Heathcliff is now harming is wife
Isabella.
His actions are brutal and sadistic in
his treatment to her, yet he still feels a genuine love for Catherine. The
reader now sees him as an ogre. By the end of volume 1, Heathcliff is seen a
heartless and callous man. The reader has, so far, felt some pity and sympathy
for him at few stages of the book, mainly toward the beginning, but he changes
and becomes and evil being, that plots revenge upon everyone he hates.
Bronte has been clever in creating the
character of Heathcliff in volume 1.He is vicious, yet he is still more popular
with readers than the dour Edgar or the delusional Isabella. Heathcliff and his
actions can horrify the reader, yet thy still want for him to get his revenge.
Heathcliff is a gripping character that can get away with anything, as the
reader will always come back for more.
In volume II, there is a lot of tension
between the Catherine and Heathcliff due to their unfulfilled love for one
another. This atmosphere that Bronte creates leads to a sense of pathos
surrounding Heathcliff, who is tortured by his love for Catherine, yet knowing
he can never have her. Heathcliff has trouble to forgive Catherine for what she
has done to herself and to him, but Catherine tells Heathcliff, ‘You have killed
me – and thriven on it’. Catherine blames Heathcliff and Edgar for killing her;
she says it was them that drove her to this.
However Heathcliff replies to this ‘You
know you lie to say I have killed you’. Heathcliff’s love for Catherine can be
seen as destructive. This chapter provides the reader with the emotional climax
of the novel. The chapter presents passion, yet it is also melodramatic.
However, the main feeling is pathos, as
Heathcliff resents Catherine for what she has done. Soon after, Catherine dies.
At the time when Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights, women were meant to be
compliant and obedient towards their husbands, so when Isabella runs away from
the Heights and away from Heathcliff, in chapter 3, this shows that Isabella
must have had a horrendous time with Heathcliff, as she has gone against what
was morally right in that time period. Bronte presents this act of outrageous behavior
as an act of self-preservation.
When talking to Nelly, Isabella
describes Heathcliff as ‘devilish’. This is a very strong word in Bronte’s time
as it relates to hell and religion, which was highly believed. She also says
‘Monster! would that he could be blotted out of creation, and out of my
memory’. Isabella hates Heathcliff so much she wishes she had never met him or
that he was never born.
The strongest thing she says about
Heathcliff in chapter 3 is that ‘He is not a human being’. This shows how
corrupt and evil Heathcliff has become that he is no longer recognized
mentally. The characters are seeing him as spiteful and dangerous. They don’t
even think he is human.
Heathcliff is also said to have
‘murderous violence’. This shows that Heathcliff is beating Isabella and taking
his aggression out on his wife. Heathcliff is brutal and unruly. The end of
chapter 3 shows Heathcliff praying to Catherine who has become a goddess of his
blasphemous idolatry.
Heathcliff is still very resolute and
merciless throughout this chapter. He treats Hareton as a farm boy and acts
violent towards him. This shows that Heathcliff cannot forget the fact that
Hindley treated him badly through his childhood and continued through some of
his life. Heathcliff sees, now, that the only possible way to get back at
Hindley is to mistreat his son, even though his half-brother is dead.
Heathcliff is bitter and vindictive. By
now, the reader cannot feel any pity for Heathcliff because of what he has
turned into. Chapter 6 shows a development of the character Heathcliff. His
son, Linton, is forced to stay with Heathcliff, as Isabella dies in chapter 5.
When Linton reaches the Height, he is
greeted by his heartless father who laughs mockingly at him. Nelly’s narrative
claims that ‘Heathcliff, having stared at his son into an ague of confession,
uttered a scornful laugh’. If this cruel behavior isn’t enough, Heathcliff uses
words like ‘it’ referring to Linton. This dehumanizes Linton and reflects the
exact way in which Hindley treated Heathcliff when they first met.
Heathcliff has become something he
hates. Heathcliff is also very sarcastic towards Linton. He says ‘God! What a
beauty! What a lovely charming thing!’ This is meant in a sarcastic manner.
Heathcliff doesn’t respect Linton or his feelings.
He also says ‘Haven’t they reared it on
snails, and sour milk, Nelly?’ This is offensive towards Linton, but Heathcliff
continue with the mocking taunts. Heathcliff also insults Isabella, Linton’s
mother, by calling her a ‘slut’, even though she is dead. One final thing that
Heathcliff does shows why he hates his son. Heathcliff says, ‘Thou art thy
mother’s child entirely! Where is my share in thee, pulling chicken’?
Heathcliff despises his son because he
reminds him too much of Isabella and Edgar. Linton looks too much like a
Linton. Later in this chapter we find out that Heathcliff will use Linton to
acquire Thrushcross Grange. He is seen as a contemptuous and resentful father
who unscrupulously manipulates his son to achieve his own desires of vengeance
and power.
Chapter 7 sees the continuing hatred of
Linton from Heathcliff. Although Linton is well cared for at the Heights,
Heathcliff hates him. Linton is very weak, both physically and mentally. This
is one thing that Heathcliff despises.
This weakness reminds him of the
Linton. This is another thing that Heathcliff despises. And finally, as
Heathcliff blames the Linton’s for Catherine’s death, he blames Linton for
Catherine’s death. Heathcliff hates his son too much to attempt to be kind.
Heathcliff starts to emotionally
blackmail Cathy in chapter 8. He wants to be the owner of Thrushcross Grange,
so he needs Cathy to marry Linton. This is the only way that Heathcliff will
get the house, as the property will automatically go to Linton when he marries
Cathy, which will be given to Heathcliff, as Linton is close to death.
Heathcliff plan is cruel and calculating.
His wickedness reaches new heights, as
this would bankrupt Cathy, and he doesn’t mind if his son dies, as long as he
is in control. Heathcliff becomes very controlling over Linton, and influences
him over the next two chapters, especially in chapter. In effect, Linton
becomes Heathcliff’s vassal. He is forced to do unwilling things by his father,
one of these being marrying Cathy.
Throughout the next few chapters, we
see that the only emotion that Heathcliff experiences are hatred and any other
emotion is seen by Heathcliff as a sign of weakness and humanity. Chapter 14 is
about the corruption of Linton further by his father. He is Machiavellian in
the extreme. He is shown as having a very deceitful and cunning mind.
Another important plot in this chapter
is that Edgar is dying. His last wish is to alter his will so that Catherine’s
fortune will be placed in the hands of trustees. If Edgar succeeds,
Heathcliff’s plan will be ruined, and he will not gain the fortune or the
Grange. However, Heathcliff is already one step ahead of Edgar.
He has bribed his lawyer, so that he
will arrive at the Grange too late. Edgar would be dead by the time the lawyer
had got there. Nelly says about Heathcliff, “He said Mr. Green, the lawyer, was
out when he arrived at his house, and he had to wait two hours for his
re-entrance”. This is a very conniving plan and it shows the depth of evil that
Heathcliff is prepared to sink into.
Heathcliff is evil and you can
certainly see that he is willing to be from the narrative in chapter 16. His
son, Linton is dying, yet Heathcliff makes no small attempt to call for a
doctor. The reason for this is that Heathcliff thinks that Linton is ‘not worth
a farthing’. This, again, shows his cruelty towards his son, even when he is
about to lose him forever.
Later in the chapter Linton dies, and
he leaves everything to Heathcliff. Heathcliff doesn’t care about his son, dead
or alive; all he wants is the money and the house. This shows a more greedy
side to him and more determined than he has ever been before. However,
Heathcliff still amazes the reader by how malicious he is and what he is
prepared to do to get higher in life.
In the penultimate chapter, chapter 19,
there is a distinct change taking over the Heights. With Heathcliff too weak to
do anything, Cathy and Hareton start to take over in their own way. There is a
different change in the novel. Lockwood notices this straight away.
One of the things he notices is that,
“I had neither to climb the gate, nor to knock – it yielded to my hand. This
shows that the Heights are no longer locked up like a prison. Another change
is, “a fragrance of stocks and wall flowers”, which shows that the horrible ambience
is no longer surrounding the place. This must mean that a big change has
happened to Heathcliff.
Heathcliff confides in Nelly. We see
how he desires death and a release from his ‘earthly hell’. This phrase shows
how hanged Heathcliff has become. He considers his life as hell, with no
purpose, yet before he considered life as a chance for revenge.
However, it is not humanity that is
stopping Heathcliff continue with more ruthless plans, it is purely the fact
that he is too tired and weak to do any more. This could be another reason for
why he wants to die. We found out in a previous chapter that Heathcliff
despises weakness, and now he despises himself, as he is weak. He says ‘I have
lost the faculty of enjoying their destruction; I am too idle to destroy for nothing
‘By the end of the chapter, Heathcliff’s mental health assumes a worrying
status.
His obsession of Catherine has now
entered a supernatural side of things, as well as physical embodiment. He
begins to see her image everywhere he turns. The line that proves this is when
Heathcliff says ‘her features are shaped on the flags! In every cloud, in every
tree – filling the air at night and caught by glimpses in every object, by day
I am surrounded by her image. ‘He then finishes what he is saying with a strong
sentence ‘The entire world is a dreadful collection of memoranda that she did
exist, and that I have lost her’.
This is quite a sad image, as after
everything Heathcliff has been through and everything that he has done, he
still finds it hard to forget his one true love, and how they could never be
together. This is a heart-breaking moment for Heathcliff, and the reader can
fell sympathetic towards him. Heathcliff considers death to be a release from
his emotional torment. This could be a reason for his vindictive behavior.
His desire for vengeance could be a
means to focus his mind on a corporeal earthly target. In the last chapter of
the book, Nelly finishes her narrative by describing Heathcliff’s last moments
before he dies. Bronte produces quite a calm and soothing atmosphere, yet
Heathcliff is still able to be cruel. He calls Cathy, ‘the other’.
Heathcliff may have become weaker and
unable to plot against people, but he still carries his mean-hearted spirit.
Eventually Heathcliff dies. When Nelly finds him, she says ‘His eyes met mine
so keen, and fierce, I started’. Even when Heathcliff is dead, he still has a
determined look about him.
To conclude, Bronte presents Heathcliff
as a powerful, yet evil man. Through volume one, the reader will feel sympathy
for Heathcliff at some stages in the book. However, this feeling of pathos
decreases through volume two and there are fewer stages where the reader does
feel sorry for him. Bronte’s character of Heathcliff progresses a lot in the
novel.
He becomes, to an extent, heartless.
Bronte has been clever in creating Heathcliff, because, although he is violent
and malicious, he is still the most popular character in the novel. Heathcliff
and his actions can horrify the reader; yet still leave them wanting him to get
revenge. Heathcliff is a gripping character that can get away with anything in
the reader’s eyes, as the reader will always come back for more.
Sources:
· https://study.com/academy/lesson/violence-in-wuthering-heights-examples-analysis.html
·
https://graduateway.com/heathcliff-wuthering-heights/
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