Heathcliff

Analysis of Heathcliff’s Character inWuthering HeightsWuthering Heights was Emily Bronte’s only novel, also one of the best novels in 19th century. From the initially disfavor to widely popular, this novel had been gaining continuous attention from critics since it was published. Now, it is considered as an immortal masterpiece, and therefore, its author, Emily Bronte is highly valued, even regarded as the only writer who can enjoy equal popularity with Shakespeare. As its main character, Heathcliff inevitably receives very mixed comments. Though understood and sympathized by a few critics, he is simply criticized as “devil” and “tyrant”.Whether Heathcliff is a devil or a normal person with human emotion is still waiting to see. To judge him correctively and objectively, we should take personal as well as social factors into full consideration rather than make improper comments and rash criticism on his behaviors during his revenge. Adverse circumstance, inhuman discrimination, bad treatment and all kinds of sufferings and hardships bring deadly damage to his vulnerable heart, which results in his abnormal behavior in human distortion. The cruelty and violence in his revenge are just the outward manifestation of his distorted nature.Through comprehensive and careful analysis of the whole work, we can easily find that the author devotes many words to the description on young Heathcliff’s simplicity, pureness, kindness and honesty, and later his sufferings and hardships. In addition, she depicts the “twisted” trees around the mountain villa again and again. She intends to show us that Heathcliff’s transformation from a lovely boy to a merciless revanchist, from kind figure to distorted tyrant, is the result of backward social ideas, prejudice and discrimination. Heathcliff is a victim also a prey. He is tormented by adverse circumstances and contaminated by disgusting social environment. Therefore, although his revenge contains cruelty and violence, it is still a kind of reasonable resistance. But this resistance is so drastic that it hurts innocent persons, and this is the root cause for being blamed by critics.Heathcliff was a homeless orphan picked up by Mr. Earnshaw on the street of Liverpool. Though in the eyes of servant Nelly “he’s as dark almost as if it came from the devil”, he was actually pure and sincere, and therefore gained Mr. Earnshaw’s love —this love weighed even more heavily than that for his own son, Hindley. A picked-up child who had won such love from his master must have his beloved aspects. From “put it on the lading of the stairs, hoping it might be gone on the tomorrow”, to “the difference between him andthe other two forced me to be less partial”, Nelly, after tending him when he fell ill of the measles, was moved by his endurance, “Cathy and her brother harassed me terribly; he was as uncomplaining as a lamb.” Nelly was compelled to take care of Heathcliff, but he felt she did a good deal for him. For this reason, he was always kind to Nelly thereafter, though he treated others violently when he went on his revenge. He, together with Catherine, set up a heart-breaking cry for the loss of Mr. Earnshaw, the only man who dearly loved him in the world. Nelly said, “The little souls were comforting each other with better thoughts than I have hit on. No person in the world ever pictured heaven as beautifully as they did, in their innocent talk.”From all his words and behaviors, we can see that young Heathcliff was simple, unadorned and kindhearted, so he gained the love of Catherine who was not very kind of him at the beginning. Actually, Catherine’s love for him was so deep that she regarded it as the sternest punishment when separated from Heathcliff. She was willing to be rebuked for him. Though the author didn’t devote words to the description on young Heathcliff’s virtue and beloved aspects, she did hint that through others’ interest, love and treasure for him.Beside honesty, kind and endurance the one which can best represent Heathcliff’s human beauty is the unchangeable love for Catherine. As an orphan adopted by Mr. Earnshaw, spiritually, he wasin misery and indifferent though he did not suffer from hunger or cold, especially the cruelties given by Hindley after the death of Mr. Earnshaw. He suffered all kinds of discrimination and insults. Only Catherine was kind to him, working and playing with him in the field and running away to the moors in the morning and remaining there all day. They joined hands to fight against Hindley’s ruthlessness and Joseph’s restraint. Only being together with Catherine, did he find a bit of dignity. Her friendship was his shelter from Hindley’s bullies and ill-treatments and her love was the only hope in his life. Although his real life was full of cold and dark, his inner heart was filled with lovely sunshine as long as Catherine loved him. For this love he was willing to give up his long-cherished dream —revenge. Even Catherine betrayed him and married Linton for status and money, however, his love for she didn’t fade. On the contrary, this love became more and more strong as time going by. After she died, he even dug up her grave and lied beside her, hoping ear could be together with her in the heaven.Such warm and deep, such hearty soul-stirring love shook the hearts of all the readers from ancient to modern times. They felt the truth of love as well as the most beautiful and most human aspect of Heathcliff’s nature. How can a man possessing such sincere love not be the true, the good and the beautiful? Heathcliff was a man whoknew how to love and what true love was. He is just a normal man with human affections.Only when he realized the threat that he would lose Catherine and that Hindley and Linton were the root causes for all these disastrous consequences did he came up with the devil idea —to revenge. Considering the crowning position of Catherine in his heart, his reactions were simply normal. One who is completely indifferent to the loss of his precious love is actually abnormal. Her choose for Linton deprived him of the habitant for his heart or even his soul. In this world, the only thing he owned was Catherine’s love. Losing it, he was actually owned nothing. If Hindley’s abuse for him was the seed for his revenge, Catherine’s betrayal was an incident that touched off this revenge, also the direct cause for his distorted nature. If it was Hindley who ruined his hope, then Catherine was the “meritorious statesman” for his desperation. So he chose to leave, making himself strong enough to conduct revenge.His revenge was cruel and cold-blooded. He gambled with Hindley, winning over Wuthering Heights and all of his properties. Then he gave Hindley’s son a life which is even harder than he had years ago, forcing him to do heavy work and depriving him of the right to education. He cut into Linton’s marriage and swindled Linton’s sister, making Linton desperate to death. He even pointed hissword of revenge to his own son. He was completely out of reason and became a devil. However, after Catherine, his only love died, he felt his revenge suddenly out of meaning. Catherine’s death took away his hate. Actually, the one he really wanted to revenge was not those around him, but the cruel world. He didn’t want to revenge any longer, for he realized that this revenge would finally take him to inanity and loneliness. His final result was miserable, but for him, it was also a kind of liberation. When he died, his eyes were keeping gazing outward, smiling as if he had saw Catherine again. Yes, it’s her. She finally took him always. They finally got together and reunited.The whole work is created around Heathcliff and Catherine. He is influenced by every decision she makes. His conversion from love to hate, hate to revenge and finally, revenge to revival of human nature is leaded by Catherine. The change of Heathcliff is the result of the contradiction of capitalism society. Considering the bad atmosphere at that time, Heathcliff’s behavior is acceptable. His kind nature is distorted, insulted and destroyed in capitalism society, making him a tyrant or even a devil. The horrible and mysterious atmosphere outside the novel often blinds people’s eyes of the social tragedy. People’s chooses in their life are inevitably restricted by environment and convention, which results in the contradiction between ideal and reality. It is this contradiction that brings about thetragedy of Heathcliff and Catherine. Emily, as a women writer with rebellious spirit and free thought in Victorian Age, uses this tragedy to disclose evil phenomena at that time and how harmful the social stratum and rampant commercialism are to healthy natures.Meanwhile, through Heathcliff’s unchangeable pursuit for love and his tenacity when faced with brutal fate, the author also intends to show people the severe trails and hard choices in order to keep noble dignity and precious freedom.BibliographyWuthering HeightsTsinghua University Press, by Emily Bronte [2004]History and Anthology of British LiteratureForeign Language Teaching and Research Press, by Wu Weiren Brief Introduction of English LiteratureBeijing: People’s Press, by Evans Ivor [1984]Selected Readings in English LiteratureShanghai Yiwen Press, by Yang Qishen [1981]Hate And LoveSichuan Education Press, by Huang Xiaoyan [1997]Analysis of Heathcliff’s Character in Wuthering Heights班级：2009级翻译10班姓名：张兴学号：0914141688 （15）。