The Character of Hareton in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

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The Character of Hareton in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights, written by Emile Bronte, is on of the most famous

Victorian novels in English literature. This novel was the only novel

written by her. The novel has the social and moral values in England

in the nineteenth century as the recurring theme. The adjective

‘wuthering’ is used in some parts of rural England to describe stormy

weather. Wuthering Heights is a farmhouse on top of a small hillock,

which is open to all the elements of wind and weather and hence is

synonymous with passion and violence. The other house nearby,

Thrushcross Grange contrasts sharply with Wuthering Heights. The two

groups of people residing here, the Earnshaws in the former and the

Lintons in the latter, are also people with opposing tendencies. Into

this world comes a man alien to both extremes, Heathcliff who is

adopted by the Earnshaws. The whole story revolves around these

characters.

Hareton Earnshaw, son of Frances and Hindley Earnshaw has a small but

important part in the novel. Belonging to the second generation of

characters, he personifies the passionate nature of the Earnshaws and

yet is warm and gentle. Hareton is of a warm and, considering his

situation, a very genial disposition. He owns his own share of the

wild passions that are so common to the Earnshaws, but is forced into

a life of subjugation. He is quite intelligent, but is made to lead a

life of an ignorant by Heathcliff, who after Hindley’s death denied

him any further education. Hareton as a child is wild and unruly,

having a mouthful of foul words. Hareton as young man is still very

rough, though subdued ...

... middle of paper ...

...riendship with

Cathy grows into a strong and mutual love culminating in a marriage.

His love for Cathy is also, like him, pure and innocent. He

transforms, from a shabbily clad ignoramus to a respectably dressed

gentleman. We do not see any of the common Victorian hypocrisy in his

nature. His good character and genial temperament makes him one of the

best characters in the novel.

Hareton’s presence cannot be felt throughout the novel, but he

effectually completes the story. He can be compared to a rough,

unpolished diamond whose shine was not so well perceivable until

another genial soul unearthed it from the mines of ignorance. He is a

shining example of the fact that no matter where the circumstances of

one’s life leads to, they will, sooner or later fall upon the track of

life on which they are supposed to be.

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