Wuthering Heights: The Power to Transform

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.

The protagonist of the novel, Heathcliff, was shown to have gone through the biggest transformation. In the beginning of the novel, Heathcliff is an orphan brought home to live with a high-class family. He is described as “a dirty, ragged, black-haired child; big enough both to walk and talk…yet when it was set on its feet, it only stared round, and repeated over and over again some gibberish that nobody could understand” (Bronte page 36).Although, Mr. Earnshaw tried to make Heathcliff an equal part of the family, Heathcliff never truly fits in. Heathcliff is from a complete different social class than the rest of his “family”. This led to the hatred that Hindley felt towards Heathcliff. Hindley robs Heathcliff of his education, forces him to work as a servant at Wuthering Heights and frequently beats him. Throughout this all, Heathcliff never complains. He receives his punishment silently, all the while planning his revenge. After he runs away, Heathcliff is barely recognizable. Nelly said, “… I was amazed, more than ever, to behold the transformation of Heathcliff. He had grown a tall, athletic, well-formed man…” (Bronte page 85). Although it is unknown how, it is apparen...

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...he Heights begins to change. The roughness and violence of the property begins to fade after Heathcliff and Hindley die. Katherine and Hareton take the initiative to have more flowers planted in the garden. They talk to their servants with respect and help to make the place more warming. It is almost as if Wuthering Heights had brightened. Wuthering Heights went through its own transformation throughout the novel.

Wuthering Heights is a good novel to show that everyone and everything has the ability to change. Almost every character’s appearance or personality altered in some way. Sometimes this metamorphosis is for the better, and other times it is not. Some people can willingly change who they are or how they act while others find a hard time doing so. Novels that express this idea really appeal to the reader because they are relatable and reflect real life.