Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
Who or what does Heathcliff represent in Wuthering Heights? Is he a force of evil or a victim of it and how important is the role of class in the novel, particularly as it relates to Heathcliff and his life?
The 'moral ambiguity, glamour and degradation that is Heathcliff' (same as below) forms the ultimate focus for the novel Wuthering Heights, beginning as Heathcliff is brought into the Earnshaw family, with his evil machinations completely driving the story and his death marking the conclusion of the novel. Throughout Bronte's work he is portrayed as a strong figure who remains mysterious, magnetic and charismatic, keeping countless readers engaged throughout centuries through the desire to understand both Heathcliff's character and his motivations. Tortured, brooding, passionate and dark, Heathcliff is undoubtedly the embodiment of the Byronic hero, i.e. a self-destructive anti-hero who is isolated from society, much like Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre or, more recently, Edward Cullen from the Twilight series. While his actions throughout the novel are neither likeable, nor condonable, they are driven by passion, an emotion synonymous with a typical literary hero and this, alongside his torturous love for Cathy, means that readers cannot help but feel empathy for him, bringing them closer to Heathcliff than any other character in the novel. Wuthering Heights provoked a good deal of anxiety when published, most of which was caused by the character of Heathcliff. The Examiner felt outraged by the mixture of affection and loathing he inspired, and even Emily's sister, Charlotte felt 'hard put to justify Heathcliff's 'repulsiveness' and was forced onto the defensive. The creation of Heathcliff, she conceded, may not have been advisable.' (Cambridge companion to the Bronte's, page 166)
Not solely a Byronic hero, Heathcliff is also seen to be a 'nightmarish manifestation of subtler fears about self-making gone too far'. (Forgery in Nineteenth-Century Literature
The 'moral ambiguity, glamour and degradation that is Heathcliff' (same as below) forms the ultimate focus for the novel Wuthering Heights, beginning as Heathcliff is brought into the Earnshaw family, with his evil machinations completely driving the story and his death marking the conclusion of the novel. Throughout Bronte's work he is portrayed as a strong figure who remains mysterious, magnetic and charismatic, keeping countless readers engaged throughout centuries through the desire to understand both Heathcliff's character and his motivations. Tortured, brooding, passionate and dark, Heathcliff is undoubtedly the embodiment of the Byronic hero, i.e. a self-destructive anti-hero who is isolated from society, much like Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre or, more recently, Edward Cullen from the Twilight series. While his actions throughout the novel are neither likeable, nor condonable, they are driven by passion, an emotion synonymous with a typical literary hero and this, alongside his torturous love for Cathy, means that readers cannot help but feel empathy for him, bringing them closer to Heathcliff than any other character in the novel. Wuthering Heights provoked a good deal of anxiety when published, most of which was caused by the character of Heathcliff. The Examiner felt outraged by the mixture of affection and loathing he inspired, and even Emily's sister, Charlotte felt 'hard put to justify Heathcliff's 'repulsiveness' and was forced onto the defensive. The creation of Heathcliff, she conceded, may not have been advisable.' (Cambridge companion to the Bronte's, page 166)
Not solely a Byronic hero, Heathcliff is also seen to be a 'nightmarish manifestation of subtler fears about self-making gone too far'. (Forgery in Nineteenth-Century Literature