Heathcliff: Villian or Victim?
In the forward to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, her sister Charlotte Bronte describes the protagonist, Heathcliff, to have “a passion such as might boil and glow in the bad essence of some evil genius;” (C. Bronte 65). This portrayal of Heathcliff denotes diabolism. However, many critics feel that instead of taking the role of a tyrant Heathcliff is in fact the victim in the novel. Heathcliff’s “story is a long list of morally reprehensible actions” (Holderness 27). Through this story, the reader’s sympathies are touched. Who receives these sympathies? Is it Heathcliff that is the oppressor? Or is he the one who is being oppressed? “It would be naïve to expect all readers to react similarly to Heathcliff” (Champion 52). More importantly, to put aside the fact that Emily Bronte’s story is about Heathcliff’s mistreatment and revenge is neglecting the entire meaning of the novel (Champion 52). Without Heathcliff as the central figure of Wuthering Heights, the novel lacks a meaningful theme. By carefully analyzing Emily Bronte’s point of view toward her dominant character, one can affirm her purpose concerning this mystifying figure (Champion 52). As a result of the explo
Catherine Earnshaw, the major component of Heathcliff’s softer side, is a traitor to herself and essentially Heathcliff. When Heathcliff first arrives, he builds an unbreakable bond with Catherine and voraciously loves her. Catherine expresses her love for him stating, “ My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath—a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always on my mind—not as a pleasure…but as my own being” (E. Bronte 89). She claims to be unable to be with out Heathcliff, yet she still decides to be with her “foliage in the woods:” Edgar Linton! (E. Bronte 89). Catherine’s choice to marry Edgar instead of Heathcliff breaks his heart and makes him not only jealous, but also spiteful against Catherine for her selection since she truly does not love Edgar. However, when Catherine dies, Heathcliff wants her to haunt him until the day he parishes. This illustrates that even after Catherine’s refusal to marry him, Heathcliff still wishes her presence to be with him because he genuinely cannot live with out her. For that reason, Heathcliff refuses to submit to circumstances and endures colossal misery as fate forces him to be apart from his only true love (Holderness 28). All that seems to be loyal and faithful to Heathcliff in the world is now perishing (Champion 52). Heathcliff is left lonely, bitter, and resentful to all the vindictive characters that surround him. itation and torment Bronte allows Heathcliff to endure, he is more the victim than the villain of the novel. Consequently, the manipulation and suffering Heathcliff tolerates leads to his outcome as the victim. Bronte conveys Heathcliff to the reader in an indirect method (Swinburne 69). Nelly, a character who admittedly confesses to disliking Heathcliff, portrays him as the devilish individual critics assume him to be. The literary critic, Homans, makes the relevant point that, “Every time the reader’s vision of Heathcliff is made definite by a specific comparison (judgment), Heathcliff becomes more human and less demonic even, curiously, when he is compared to a demon” (96). Nell
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Charlotte Bronte,
Emily Bronte’s,
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Approximate Word count = 1444
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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