"His violence and cruelty seemed too demonic for many readers..."
Does the modern reader share this view of Heathcliff?
Author of Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë, was born in Thornton,
Yorkshire on 30 July 1818. She was born the fifth of six children and
died at the age of thirty from consumption. The Brontë children had a
love for creating stories and small books, but it was sisters
Charlotte, Emily and Anne who embarked on writing their own novels.
They published their work under the names of Currer, Ellis and Acton
Bell, not willing to declare themselves as female authors because of
the sheer intensity of passion contained in their novels, which would
not have been considered at all feminine at the time. It was beyond
the thoughts of a woman.
Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847. Emily's deep attachment
and love for the North Yorkshire Moors gave her the inspiration she
needed to write this novel. She spent her days sitting out on the
moors as a child and believed that the only way to experience God was
through nature, this is reflected in the novel in the characters of
Heathcliff and Cathy.
All the action of Wuthering Heights takes place in or around two
neighbouring houses on the moors - Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering
Heights, representing opposing worlds and values. Although the
Lintons, occupants of The Grange, held no official titles of their
own, they were wealthy and Edgar may been seen as the conventional
Victorian gentleman. Whether or not a man was a gentleman or not would
involve asking questions such as how much land he owned or how many
servants he had. The situation at Wuthering Heights was however quite
different. The Earnshaws rested upon much shakier ground socially.
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...would be appalled by.
Heathcliff is referred to in satanic and demonic ways throughout the
book. He is termed wicked and unruly, cruel and spiteful. Emily Brontë
continues to shock the reader with scenes of violence and malevolence
throughout the novel, however we sometimes expect that perhaps
Heathcliff's character could contain a much softer side and that it is
his frustrated love for Cathy which brings out he fieriness. Either
way conservative modern or Victorian readers would be both outraged by
his demonic character. Those who live quiet and introverted lives will
be overwhelm by the violence that one man may cause. In today's
society we are much more exposed to cruelty on television and radio,
even in the streets. We are made aware from a young age and perhaps
would be not find Heathcliff's violent attitude as hard to accept as
the Victorians did.
Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, set in the countryside of England’s 1700’s, features a character named Heathcliff, who is brought into the Earnshaw family as a young boy and quickly falls into a passionate, blinding romance with the Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine. However, Heathcliff is soon crushed by this affection when his beloved chooses the company of another man rather than his own. For the remainder of the novel he exudes a harsh, aversive attitude that remains perduring until his demise that is induced by the loss of his soulmate, and in turn the bereavement of the person to whom the entirety of his being and his very own self were bound.
Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Bronte. The story is centered on hatred, jealousy, and revenge that spans two generations. Social class plays a significant role in the story, as it the factor that ultimately divides two loves from being together. The futures of Cathy, Hareton, and Linton are shaped by the vengeful decisions made by Heathcliff. Each character chooses to use Heathcliff’s manipulation in a different way.
Emily Bronte relates the setting of the novel to what actions are presently occurring within the characters. The weather mocks the behaviors of the characters as well as the moors, which behave similarly to Catherine. Eventually she will be buried beside the moors allowing the appearance to change after she passed. A negative energy easily evident in the novel is Heathcliff, who disrupted not only the outward structure of Wuthering Heights but also the weather and appearance of the moors within the novel. The moors were discussed throughout the book and discussed how Heathcliff and Catherine first fell in love beside them, which began the downfall of the entire setting and appearance of the moors. Heathcliff disturbed Catherine’s deceased body by digging up her grave so that he may reside by her side when he passes, which caused disruption in the story between the spiritual and physical side of humanity. In Emily Bronte’s novel “Wuthering Heights”, she displays a constant emphasis of the significance that the setting of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange have on the characters as well as the describes dramatic changes in weather which coincided within the story’s plot.
In “Wuthering Heights”, Emily Bronte”s novel, young characters exhibited multiple signs of immature actions and emotions. Heathcliff and Catherine both chased juvenile emotions, finding a possibly fake love in other people. Linton showcased the same adolescence when he faked illness so she would stay with him in order to fulfil his aspiration. Heathcliff attempted to get revenge on multiple characters, mostly focussing on Edgar Linton. Almost all of the characters demonstrate the characteristics that suggests their immaturity.
Everyone goes through a time where they wish they were a different person. Many people believe that they can never change who they are. However, transformations occur every day. Emily Bronte proves this true in her novel Wuthering Heights. Throughout the entire plot, numerous characters changed, either in their appearance, their social status, or their personality. Bronte also proves that non-human things can change, such as the manner of Wuthering Heights. The idea that people and objects can transform is shown throughout the novel through many examples.
In the novel Wuthering Heights, author Emily Brontë portrays the morally ambiguous character of Heathcliff through his neglected upbringing, cruel motives, and vengeful actions.
Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a novel about lives that cross paths and are intertwined with one another. Healthcliff, an orphan, is taken in by Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of Wuthering Heights. Mr. Earnshaw has two children named Catherine and Hindley. Jealousy between Hindley and Healthcliff was always a problem. Catherine loves Healthcliff, but Hindley hates the stranger for stealing his fathers affection away. Catherine meets Edgar Linton, a young gentleman who lives at Thrushcross Grange. Despite being in love with Healthcliff she marries Edgar elevating her social standing. The characters in this novel are commingled in their relationships with Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.
On the face of it, it would seem that the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff is self-destructive to an extreme. Due to the lovers’ precarious circumstances, passionate personalities and class divisions, it seems that fate transpires to keep them apart and therefore the hopelessness of their situation drives them to self destruction. However, although the relationship is undeniably self-destructive, there are elements within it that suggest the pain Heathcliff and Catherine put each other through is atoned for to an extent when they share their brief moments of harmony.
The presentation of childhood is a theme that runs through two generations with the novel beginning to reveal the childhood of Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw, and with the arrival of the young Liverpudlian orphan, Heathcliff. In chapter four, Brontë presents Heathcliff’s bulling and abuse at the hands of Hindley as he grows increasingly jealous of Heathcliff for Mr. Earnshaw, his father, has favoured Heathcliff over his own son, “my arm, which is black to the shoulder” the pejorative modifier ‘black’ portrays dark and gothic associations but also shows the extent of the abuse that Heathcliff as a child suffered from his adopted brother. It is this abuse in childhood that shapes Heathcliff’s attitudes towards Hindley and his sadistic nature, as seen in chapter 17, “in rousing his rage a pitch above his malignity” there is hyperbole and melodrama as the cruelty that stemmed from his abuse in childhood has been passed onto Isabella in adulthood.
In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Heathcliff is an orphan boy brought to Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw, who has two children of his own already - Catherine and Hindley. Heathcliff changes over the course of his life by the following; Heathcliff begins by getting along well with Catherine Earnshaw, however, Catherine Earnshaw is introduced to Edgar Linton and Heathcliff becomes jealous of their forming relationship, and once Catherine has passed away after delivering Edgar’s child, Heathcliff becomes haunted by her ghost, and wishes to only be united with her in death.
Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, has 323 pages. The genre of Wuthering Heights is realistic fiction, and it is a romantic novel. The book is available in the school library, but it was bought at Barnes and Nobles. The author’s purpose of writing Wuthering Heights is to describe a twisted and dark romance story. Thus, the author conveys the theme of one of life’s absolute truths: love is pain. In addition, the mood of the book is melancholy and tumultuous. Lastly, the single most important incident of the book is when Heathcliff arrives to Edgar Linton’s residence in the Granges unannounced to see Catherine’s state of health. Heathcliff’s single visit overwhelmed Catherine to the point of death.
Wuthering Heights is a novel which deviates from the standard of Victorian literature. The novels of the Victorian Era were often works of social criticism. They generally had a moral purpose and promoted ideals of love and brotherhood. Wuthering Heights is more of a Victorian Gothic novel; it contains passion, violence, and supernatural elements (Mitchell 119). The world of Wuthering Heights seems to be a world without morals. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë does not idealize love; she presents it realistically, with all its faults and merits. She shows that love is a powerful force which can be destructive or redemptive. Heathcliff has an all-consuming passion for Catherine. When she chooses to marry Edgar, his spurned love turns into a destructive force, motivating him to enact revenge and wreak misery. The power of Heathcliff’s destructive love is conquered by the influence of another kind of love. Young Cathy’s love for Hareton is a redemptive force. It is her love that brings an end to the reign of Heathcliff.
In Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, the Earnshaws, a middle class family, live at the estate, Wuthering Heights. When Mr. Earnshaw takes a trip to Liverpool, he returns with an orphan whom he christens “Heathcliff”. During their formative years, Catherine, Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter, plays with Heathcliff on the moors and becomes close with him. As a result, they form a special bond and Heathcliff and Catherine fall in love, unlike Hindley, Mr. Earnshaw’s son, who does not get along with Heathcliff. While Heathcliff benefits from his relationships, his connections are disadvantaged in terms of status, reputation, financial stability, and happiness.
A multitude of feelings and sentiments can move a man to action, but in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, love and revenge are the only two passions powerful enough to compel the primary actors. There is consensus, in the academic community,1 that the primary antagonist in the novel, Heathcliff is largely motivated by a wanton lust for vengeance, and it is obvious from even a cursory reading that Edgar Linton, one of the protagonists, is mostly compelled by a his seemingly endless love for his wife, and it even seems as if this is reflected in the very nature of the characters themselves. For example, Heathcliff is described as “Black-eye[d]” [Brontë,1], “Dark skinned” [Brontë, 3] and a “dirty boy” [Brontë, 32]; obviously, black has sinister connotations, and darkness or uncleanliness in relation to the soul is a common metaphor for evil. On the converse, Edgar Linton is described as blue eyed with a perfect forehead [Brontë, 34] and “soft featured… [with] a figure almost too graceful” [Brontë, 40], which has almost angelic connotations. When these features and the actions of their possessors are taken into account, it becomes clear that Edgar and Heathcliff are not merely motivated by love and revenge as most academics suggest, but rather these two men were intended by Brontë to be love and hate incarnate.
To sum up, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is a classic that portrays a love, even though confined by social classes, trespasses boundaries of life and death. The Gothic elements incorporated in this novel such as extreme landscape and weather, supernatural events and death brings about a mysterious and gloomy atmosphere suitable for a revenge plot with heightened emotions.