Analysis Of Heathcliff's Demonic Personality In Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff’s Demonic Personality

“Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity”. In the novel, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, cruelty is vividly shown through the character Heathcliff. This novel takes place during the 1800s and focuses on social relevance, and supernatural ideas. The novel is a series of narratives which involves two families, known as Lintons and Earnshaws. The main character Heathcliff, who causes many problems, is believed to be a cruel character. Bronte makes it hard for critics and readers to learn how Heathcliff should be viewed as. Various critics and readers tend to have various perspectives due to Heathcliff 's behaviour and actions. Bronte illustrates, Heathcliff

Earnshaw. He married Catherine’s sister, in law and physically abused her. After Heathcliff returned from Gimmerton, he became more cruel. Later on, Heathcliff and Isabella decided to run away from the Grange. Isabella 's decision from running home started the first act of violence in the novel. When Nelly visited Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff explains, “The first thing she saw me do, on coming out of the Grange, was to hang up her little dog... but no brutality disgusted her"(Bronte 150). The death of the dog foreshadowed Isabella 's life with Heathcliff. He claimed that Isabella was able to endure violence as she was okay with him killing the innocent dog. Isabella 's trust was broken as she believed that Heathcliff would exempt her. Heathcliff does not exempt his wife from brutality and demonstrates that he has no tolerance. In addition, when Hindley and Heathcliff had a fight, Heathcliff treated him with cruelty. During the fight Isabella says, “ There he tore off the sleeve of Earnshaw’s coat , and bound up with the wound with brutal roughness, spitting and cursing , during the operation, as energetically as he had kicked

Throughout the book, readers do not find out anything about his past life. Since he was an orphan he seems to represent wild and natural forces which were seen as amoral and dangerous for society. Heathcliff can be viewed as a demonic character because of his social class. When he first came to the house Mr. Earnshaw says “ See here wife; I was never so beaten with anything in my life; but you must e’en take it as a gift of God; though it’s as dark almost as if it came from the devil”(Bronte 36). As a matter of fact, Bronte compares Heathcliff to devil which shows his personality. It foreshadows Heathcliff may be the cause of tragedy, at Wuthering Heights. Shortly after Heathcliff’s arrival Ms. Earnshaw passed away. Two years after, Heathcliff’s arrival Ms. Earnshaw passed away, Hindley“… learned to regard his father as an oppressor rather than a friend, and Heathcliff as a usurper of his parent’s affections” (Bronte38). To explain Heathcliff’s representation of wild is present as Ms. Earnshaw died quickly after Heathcliff’s arrival. The representation of wild represents Heathcliff as a demonic character because his decent is unknown. Many critics believe, Heathcliff may be the evil force that causes tragedy within in the