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Chengdu Institute Sichuan International Studies University 本科毕业论文题目（中文）论《呼啸山庄》中希斯克利夫人性的扭曲（外文）Distortions of Human Nature—Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights系别英语经济贸易系专业英语年级2006级学生姓名指导教师结稿日期2010年月日四川外语学院成都学院教务处制二○一○年月日填AbstractAmily Bronte devoted her life to Wuthering Heights, which represented the reality of the 19th century. It shows the world not only deep love between Heathcliff and Catherine, but also strong hatred and revenge in Heathcliff restulting from such profound love. This paper is discussing such revenge as a distortion of human nature and the alienation of love, which is just the same lik e Medea in Greek myth. It develops with performances, reasons, and influences of the distortions and alienations that are keys to my research on their intrinsic meanings. Just the same with the great novel, my paper will make the distortions and alienations the points, ending with my personal conclusion that no matter what the kind is, love is the enternal theme for life, including alienations resulting in distortions like Heathcilff.Key words: deep love; hatred; revenge; distortion of human nature; alienation of loveOutlineThesis Statement: Cruelly social reality and deep love with Catherine result inHeathcliff’s distortions of human nature. Moreover,regarded as the alienation of love, such distortionsinfluence and ruin everyone’s life, including Heathcliffhimself. However, we should show deep sympathy for thisalienation.Ⅰ. IntroductionⅡ. Expressions of Heathcliff’s DistortionsA.Abuse of Hindley, Hareton, Isabella, Cathy and LintonB.Marrying Isabella to Revenge to Linton and CatherineC.Digging Carherine’ Grave to Embrace Her Body and Joining His Soulwith HersⅢ. Reasons for Heathcliff’s Distortions of Human NatureA.Cruelly Social Environment and Fierce Class Origin Owing toHeathcliff’s DistortionsB.Deep Love for Catherine as the Immediate CauseⅣ. Influences over Heathcliff’s DistortionsA.Damage to Others’ Course of Life, Causing a Series of TragediesB.His Leading a Torturous Life, Including Mental and Physical SufferingC.Increasing Love for Catherine Who has Already DiedⅤ. ConclusionⅠ. IntroductionWuthering Heights is the only masterpiece of Emily Bronte as well as a great typical representative of the 19th century. However, it was not well received by the reading public, many of whom condemned it as sordid, vulgar, and unnatural. It was not until 1850, when Wuthering Heights received a second printing, that it attracted a wide readership. Moreover, from that point, the reputation of the book has never looked back. Today it is widely recognized as one of the great novels of English literature as well as a unique piece of work conceived in solitude by a genius confined to the lonesome heath, and as almost detached from the literary movements of the time.The great work succeeds in dealing with strong hatred and revenge other than profound love between the hero and heroine, which shock the whole world. Because of fierce feelings, many critics nowadays take Emily Bronte to be the most gifted of the three sisters. Ralph Fox, the revolutionary critic of England highly comments the novel in The Novel and the People:Wuthering Heights is certainly the novel becoming poetry, it isbeyond all doubt one of the most extraordinary books which humangenius has ever produced, yet it is these things only because it is acry of despairing agony wrung from Emily by life itself. The life ofmid-Victorian England, experienced by a girl of passion andimagination imprisoned in the windswept parsonage on the moorsof the West Riding produced this book. Her love must be triumph,and in the violent, horror, laden atmosphere of the stone farmhouseon the moors, it did triumph. Catherine and Heathcliff are therevenge of love against the 19th century.1Although Catherine molded by Emily is a prototype of herself, her protagonist—Heathcliff is much more successfully shown to the readers, with profound love, hate and distortions of human nature. The whole novel just shows the unique love between Heathcliff and Catherine by means of fierce hatred and revenge, and such distortions, which are the same as what Medea in Greek myth did. Heathcliff is partly a product of the alienation of love, just like Medea who was betrayed by love and took revenge on the whole world, including herself. To Heathcliff, such distortions, or alienations have intense expressions, profound reasons, and serious influence.Ⅱ. Expressions of Heathcliff’s DistortionsA.Abuse of Hindley, Hareton, Isabella, Cathy and LintonThroughout Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff’s personality could be defined as dark, menacing, and brooding. He is a dangerous character, with rapidly changing moods, capable of deep-seeded hatred, and incapable, it seems, of any kind of forgiveness of compromise. The novel clearly establishes Heathcliff as an untamed, volatile, wild man and establishes his great love of Catherine and her usage of him as the source of his ill humor and resentment towards many other characters.The story begins with Mr. Lockwood’s first visit to Wuthering Heights:“Wuthering” being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive ofthe atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormyweather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there, at alltimes, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind, blowingover the edge, by the excessive slant of a few, stunted firs at the endof the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching theirlimbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun.2His first impression on Wuthering Heights highly implies indifference, distortions, and all unfortunate experiences. However, the real story has already begun. To Heathcliff, he spares no effort to revenge on everyone to show his dissatisfaction with the world and the lost of love. Leaving aside the reasons for his revenge, let’s go back to the time when he begins all these tragedies.Heathcliff comes back a half year after Catherine’s marriage to Linton, bringing with wealth and hatred. Then, a series of revenge begins. He seeks to destroy those who severed the relationship between himself and Catherine. His role as an avenger is helped by his intelligence and understanding, not just of hisown motivation, but of the motivations of others. He plans every stage carefully to control the whole situation.Firstly, he buys Wuthering Heights from destitute Hindley by cheating and gambling, connivance at Hindley’s alcoholism to torture into death.Meanwhile, he abuses infant Hareton, Hindley’s on ly son. To some extent, it is a kind of abuse of not only physics but also mentality. He never treats him as a kid. Instead, he forces him to do hard work, and teaches him vulgar words and deeds, which he used to experience because of Hindley’s bad treatme nt to him. “Now, my bonny lad, you are mine! And we’ll see if one tree won’t grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it!”3 The distortions of trees echoes the distortions of human being, and w hat he says after Hindley’ death obviously impli es little Hareton’s tragedy. As Heathcliff seeks his revenge, he becomes fiendish and is constantly associated with diabolical feelings, images and actions. The use of the imagery reinforces the inhuman aspect of Heathcliff. When Hareton is growing up, he regrets saving the infant Hareton. Nelly recalled that his face bore the greatest pain at being the instrument that thwarted his own revenge. He takes perverse pleasure in the fact that Hareton was born with a sensitive nature, which Heathcliff has corrupted and degraded. Heathcliff’s pleasure at this corruption is increased by the f act that Hareton is damnably fond of him.On the other hand, he tries to seduce Isabella, Edgar’s sister, to elope with him. At last, he of course succeeds. Isabella indeed loves Heathcliff and even betrays her beloved brother. However, as a husband, Heathcliff’s cruelty revenge is also evident when he hangs Isabella’s dog despite her protestations. Day after day’s mental abuse leads to her tragedy and awakening:Now, I have the satisfaction of being sure that he detests me, to thepoint of its annoying him seriously to have me within ear-shot oreyesight: I notice, when I enter his presence, the muscles of hiscountenance are involuntarily distorted into an expression of hatred;partly arising from his knowledge of the good causes I have to feelthat sentiment for him, and partly from original aversion…I'verecovered from my first desire to be killed by him: I'd rather he'dkill himself! He has extinguished my love effectually, and so I'm atmy ease. I can recollect yet how I loved him; and can dimlyimagine that I could still be loving him, if − no, no! Even if he haddoted on me, the devilish nature would have revealed its existencesomehow…Monster! Would that he could be bl otted out of creation,and out of my memory!... He's not a human being…and he has noclaim on my charity. I gave him my heart, and he took and pinchedit to death, and flung it back to me. People feel with their hearts,and since he has destroyed mine, I have not power to feel for him.4Isabella hardly tolerates the “monster”, showing great regret and revenge, which indicates Heathcliff’s fierce revenge and distortions.As a means to revenge on Edgar, Cathy, Catherine’s daughter, becomes a victim of Hea chcliff’s plan. She experienced much more than anyone else. Litter Cathy means not only the distortions, but also the destruct of human nature. Insidious Heathcliff make her cousin take her bait into the trap of deception, losing free as well as bearing beating and kicking. He shows feverish affection for her mother while destroying her daughter cruelly. Poor Cathy is forced to marry Little Linton when her beloved father is dying. Then, she is deprived of whole possessions by illegal means, including spiritual wealth. After her husband’s death, she is even thrown into a isolated hostile environment. Here is a detail to explain the revenge on her mentality. When Mr. Lockwood visited Wuthering Heights the third time, he sent Cathy a piece of message from Nelly, and asked for a reply. But she answered lightly and desolately that she even didn’t have a piece of paper to write on! She lives in a helpless world, without any kind words and wink when she is in plight. It is too hard for her to bear such series of shock and mental revenge. At last, her natureis no longer what it was. She becomes an arrogant and indifferent woman, who we have seen at the beginning of the novel. No one loves her, neither does her. She is inconsistent with the world, using strong hatred and indifference from her inner heart. Isn’t this the distortions of human nature or the tragedy of human being which is caused by Heathcliff’s distortions?As a father, Heathcliff’s attitude is devoid of fatherly feeling. He sees his own son only as a pawn in his revenge and his main consideration lies in calculation whether Linton lives long enough to have married Cathy so having acquired Thrushcross Grange. Once the marriage has taken place, Linton’s life is seen as worthless by Heathcliff. His life is not worth a farthing, and Heathcliff won’t spend a farthing on him. He disregards Linton’s poor health, leaving him in dying environment without any care or concern. To him, the poor son is just a tool for revenge.B. Marrying Isabella to Revenge to Linton and CatherineHeathcliff’s revenge on anyone around Catherine, even distorting his and others’ human nature, is with its specific purpose. If you know the story about Heathcliff and Catherine, it is easy to find out what he aims at. Take Isabella as an example, he tries to seduce her to fall in love with him to anger Catherine. When the two women quarrel with each other about his love, his reaches the first goal. Then, he abduct Isabella to elope with him, abuse her, destroys her spiritually. At this point, he finishes his preliminary revenge by taking advantage of Isabella. Apparently, he spends his life in revenging on Catherine and Edgar, for the betrayal of the former and the deprivation of love of the latter. He is so clever that he knows that there is no better way to revenge one than torturing others around him. So he spares no effort to abuse anyone close to Catherine and Linton to beat them, with means of near-metamorphosis.C. Digging Catherine’s Grave to Embrace Her Body and Joining His Soul with HersHeathcliff’s distortions of human nature not only lie in his fierce revenge, but also exist in the love for Catherine. To some extent, these distortions and revenge is the alienation of deep love. Here is a Greek myth about Medea, who is the prototype of Heathcliff:Medea is the daughter of King Kolkhis. She believes J ason’spledge that he will love her forever, and she betrays her owncountry, kills her brother, helps Jason take back golden woolen andkill his enemies, and comes to Korinthos with him. There theyhave two sons and live a happy life for years. Unfortunate thingshappen thereafter. Jason abandons Medea and marries KorinthosPrincess in order to gain power and high position. And Medea isexpelled out of his country by King Korinthos. She twists all herlove to hatred and she begins to revenge J ason’s betrayal andmercilessness. First, she burns Jas on’s new wife, then she killsJ ason’s and also her t wo sons, from which she thinks Jason will beafflicted for losing sons and will never be happy. After the successof revenge, she runs away to Anthem by the help of “Deus exMachina”.5Just as Medea, Heathcliff aims his hatred not only at Catherine and Edgar, but also at the second generation. But we should clearly, all the distortions, revenge, and tragedies results from the alienation of love, the profound love of Heathcliff for Catherine. Do you remember the night that Heathcliff visited Catherine’s grave:Being alone, and conscious two yards of loose earth was the solebarrier between u s, I said to myself −"I'll have her in my armsagain! If she be cold, I'll think it is this north wind that chills ME;and if she be motionless, it is sleep." I got a spade from thetool−house, and began to delve with all my might − it scraped thecoffin; I fell to work with my hands; the wood commencedcracking about the screws; I was on the point of attaining my object,when it seemed that I heard a sigh from some one above, close atthe edge of the grave, and bending down. "If I can only get thisoff," I muttered, "I wish they may shovel in the earth over us both!"and I wrenched at it more desperately still. There was another sigh,close at my ear. I appeared to feel the warm breath of it displacingthe sleet-laden wind. I knew no living thing in flesh and blood wasby; but, as certainly as you perceive the approach to somesubstantial body in the dark, though it cannot be discerned, socertainly I felt that Cathy was there: not under me, but on the earth.A sudden sense of relief flowed from my heart through every limb.I relinquished my labour of agony, and turned consoled at once:unspeakably consoled. Her presence was with me: it remainedwhile I re-filled the grave, and led me home. You may laugh, if youwill; but I was sure I should see her there. I was sure she was withme, and I could not help talking to her.6This memory of Heathcliff vividly shows his profound love of Catherine. He extremely hates Edgar and anyone who prevents him from Catherine. Except Catherine, he treats everyone brutally. He sees nothing except Catherine. He falls so deep in love with Catherine that he would dig the grave and embrace Catherine’s body in order that his soul can join with hers. Although it is a kind of distortion, it is just an alienation of profound love in nature.Ⅲ. Reasons for Heathcliff’s Distortions of Human NatureWhy Heathcliff spends his whole life in revenging on the world? Why he becomes so distorted in human nature? Why he treats anyone except Catherine as his enemies? We need to consider these two questions on two bases.A. Cruelly Social Environment and Fierce Class Origin owing to Heathcliff’s DistortionsUndoubtedly, cruel social environment and fierce class origin are regarded as root causes. The 19th century of England was the great Victorian Age with great economic, social, and political change. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution was a time of great prosperity for some but poverty for factory and working people. At that time, the prosperity of the middle and upper classes and the wrenched condition of the poor differed greatly. People of the underclass hardly had right in law, and destined to be abused by upper classes. Heathcliff is on behalf of these poor ones. He begins his life as a homeless orphan on the streets of Liverpool. Uncared for and unloved, he lives in a hostile and frightening world in himself, which is caused by the real society. Heathcilff owned almost the love of Mr. Earnshaw, because he is the substitute of his died son—Heathcliff. But soon the family relationship becomes spiteful and hateful because of his low origin and identity, which are also caused by the society. In his childhood, Mr. Earnshaw is like Heathcliff’s shelter. But the death of him is the turning point of Heathcliff’s life. From that time, the poor boy is badly treated by young Hindley, whose behavior even make him distorted humanity. It is the injury inflicted on him during his childhood results in the tragedy later. Even when coming back years after Catherine’s marriage with great possessions, Heathcliff does not belong to the upper class because of his poor origin. That is to say, for a person from the lower, no matter how rich one is now, he is always what he was. The discrimination from others make they lose whatever they arelonging for, including love, and dignity. The only thing left is to retaliate the world to balance the pain of the loss. More pains, more retaliations. It is natural for the appearance of distortions. In a word, such distortions come from the social reality and Heathcliff is a representative of the effects of cruelty, deprivation and alienation that are the products of civilization.B. Deep Love for Catherine as the Immediate CauseUndoubtedly, Catherine’s betrayal influences the human nature of Heathcliff directly. Coming from the bottom of the society, Heathcliff suffers pain and rejection. Because he loves Catherine, he doesn’t care about the prejudice of world. Such kind of love is so unique that he regards Catherine as the only pillar of his world. In other words, they belong to each other. However, when Catherine comes back from the Grange, everything seems changed. She pursues material instead of the eternal love between herself and Heathcliff. She chooses Edgar for the reasons of hierarchy and vanity. Then she betrays her feeling, and becomes Mrs. Linton, although she thinks herself was Heathcliff. At that time, the inner world of our protagonist begins to collapse because of Catherine’s leaving. Three years later, he comes back with resentment to those who prevented them from being together. But he still loves Catherine faithfully. To Heathcliff, losing his love makes him crazy. After the death of Catherine, Heathcliff’s lust for love is gone. Life for Heathcliff then is an unnatural existence, for his soul is missing, and his world collapses completely. At that time, Heathcliff’s anger and frustration peak and his behavior verges on madness. He is driven on the desire to revenge his loss and alleviate his pain. By comparison, such kind of revenge is so fierce that it makes the whole world shocked, and is viewed as the distortion of the human nature. To some extent, however, the fuse of such distortion is Catherine’s betrayal, which means the lost of his soul and reliance. In Heathcliff’s life, there used to be love. When the first and the unique love leave, hatred grows madly in his deep heart, spreading in the bone and twisting his soul completely. After he finishes the revenge,however, unprecedented sorrow surrounds him. In a word, these distortions come from profound love.Ⅳ. Influences over Heathcliff’s DistortionsA. Damage to Other’s Course of Life, Causing a Series of TragediesHeathcliff’s distortions cause revenge from inner heart, leading a series of tragedies. It can be said that his distortions damage others, even his own courses of life. Suppose he did not come back, Catherine and Edgar would be happy in Grange. Isabella and Cathy would be in another position, surely would find their own happiness. Hareton would be a gentleman, polite and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, the truth is just opposite. Heathcliff’s strong revenge changes everyone’s life, forcefully rewriting their history.B. His Leading a Torturous Life, Including Mental and Physical SufferingWhen he successfully makes other s’ tragedies, his own life is changing simultaneously. After Catherine’s death, his revenge becomes uncontrolled. Distortions and alienations of love bring him a torturous life, including mental and physical suffering. He suffers a lot from missing his love. At the beginning of novel, when Mr. Lockwood sees Catherine’s spirit, Heathcliff shows his affection and despair, “Come in! come in!' he sobbed. 'Cathy, do come. Oh, do − ONCE more! Oh! my heart's darling! hear me THIS time, Catherine, at last!”7 Affectionate calling exposes miss from his bottom of heart. In other words, he is living in the memory and fantasy of Catherine. True love goes through time and space as if he believed his voice could touch anyone and any ghost. Day after day, although he treats others cruelly, he leads a life in a trance. He is a lonely soul wandering in the world. Once a person is mentally battered, he is certainly in a poor health. When he finally realizes the meaninglessness of life, he chooses suicide to be with Catherine forever. His distortions caused from the alienation of love leads to great tragedies, belonging to not only others, but also he himself.C. Increasing Love for Catherine Who has Already DiedIn the novel, Heathcliff’s eternal faithfulness to Catherine is easily to see. When Catherine chooses the reality, his love begins to alienate. After the death of Catherine, as his anger and frustration peak and his behavior verges on madness, his passionate love to Catherine increases. Maybe something lost is the best. But at the end of his life, he finally feels sinful. Because he forebodes the encounter with Catherine’s spirit, and the illusory love finally deprives him of the forces of evil. He sees the unfortunate outcome. Lastly, he notices that everything he has done is meaningless, with no requirement of love, respect, or self satisfaction. On the contrary, he ruins both the others and himself. His dedication in what has already gone makes life contradictory and painful, causing his own tragedy at last.Ⅴ. ConclusionWuthering Heights reflects the real society where Emily Bronte lived. Intensification of social contradictions and harsh social reality inspire her with the unbelievable, totally twisted, anxious and despair image. She thought that the eager for happiness came from one’s nature, which is reasonable and natural. However, the society of 19th century inhibited such eager, resulting in its distortions. Inevitably, positive factors in human nature changed into insane and negative ones, which destroyed the society.The great novel is mad from beginning to the end, just like mad influences from Germany romantic literature. The importance of status and money can be seen from many details, such as Catherine’s betrayal. Of course, when we are examining Heathcliff’s falling of human nature, cruel domination of Victoria should be taken consideration of the whole novel.Heathcliff is a devil hero as well as a symbol of indomitable strength. His all fierce determination lies in passionate love to Catherine and crazy revenge on impediment to his love. It can be said that his life concentrates on himself, rotating on his own personality. He loves Catherine more than himself, while he is a cruel one in nature. So his distortions of human nature are naturally the alienation of passionate love.It is normally regarded that Heathcliff is a “displacement” of Medea. Both are desperate from love and lead to hatred, and then begin to revenge. He is always longing for the deep love and freedom, which are too far to reach. He falls deeply in love with Catherine. He would dig the grave and embrace Catherine’s body in order to join his soul with hers. A person as he is, Heathcliff has to bear between love and hatred and because of the depth of his passio n, he hates as deeply as he loves. Heathcliff is a person of contradictions, because his sincere nature is twisted and abused and great love is destroyed by then social reality. His fierce revenge on the world is contrary to normal human feelingsand ethical concepts. His love is the social tragedy. So in this sense, Heathcliff is innocent.Although such distortions are terrible and strong, causing serious revenge and tragedies, the author fills him with whole sympathy. Heathcliff is a normal with usual feeling of love. He loves profoundly. He is respectable, patient and sincere. He saves Hareton with his hands instinctively. Meanwhile, he treats Nelly equally. But as the hurts he endures go beyond his tolerance, he changes the love into hatred, which calls him to revenge everything. His tragedy equals to the past which he is unwilling to forget and forgive. Unfortunately, to him, love and hate mean the calling of life. To some extent, Heathcilff reflects Emily’s inner heart. She expresses her views that losing love means losing humanity. Mr. Fang Ping ever said: “Love is the blue flame, pure and beautiful; “hatred” is the red flame that is giving off black smoke. That is to say, the hatred here is not real hatred; it is the alienation of love.”8 All the distortions come from deep love and reflect the reality that Emily Bronte suffered as well as her individuality. So it is easy to find out that no matter what the kind is, love is the eternal theme for life, including alienations resulting in distortions like Heathcilff. Undoubtedly, because of deep love and strong revenge as well as fierce distortions, which are successfully represented by the great author, Wuthering Heights is remarked as “the representative novel out of the mainstream of the novels in the 19th century”.Endnotes1郭群英，《英国文学新编（上）》，北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2003年，第207-208页。