How Does Heathcliff Change In Wuthering Heights

It would be false to consider Wuthering Heights a story of timeless, undying love. While Heathcliff’s incessant yearning for Catherine may pull on one’s heartstrings as an attempt to showcase the man’s everlasting devotion to one forbidden woman, under more precise scrutinization, it all appears to be a cover-up for Heathcliff’s true desire-- to climb to the top of the social classes for redemption from the trauma in his early life. Emily Brontë hints through Heathcliff’s characterization that his thirst for revenge spawns not from his unrequited love for Catherine, but from an insatiable desire to prove himself as superior to those who have wronged him. Heathcliff’s existence as a young boy is defined by his role of essentially being a replacement Earnshaw, which causes him to face

Upon Catherine’s return from being rehabilitated at Thrushcross Grange, there is an obvious change in how she interacts with Heathcliff. Being the one person who would traverse through the forests and the moors in her free time with Heathcliff, it is completely uncharacteristic of Catherine to comment on “how very black and cross [Heathcliff] looks” in comparison to the Lintons, especially since she never was concerned about his appearance before (7.52). To make matters worse, Catherine’s close acquaintance with the Linton’s means that their visits will be frequent, on the condition that Heathcliff comes nowhere near them whenever they do. Being just a child, this would be extremely distressful to be depicted as an entity to be avoided rather than just a human being. However, Heathcliff knows his stance as a servant is unfair, and stands up for himself by asserting he “shall not stand to be laughed at” for his appearance, and furthermore, for his status (7.52). Brontë includes