Heathcliff-Villain or Romantic Hero Essay Example

and her new friends. His plan fell short when he was scolded for being on the same floor as the dinner party. This shows that Heathcliff’s previous standing in the Earnshaw household as the prized son would be impossible to regain.

Another occasion of Heathcliff progressing forward is when he leaves Wuthering Heights for three years. He comes back to visit the newlywed Catherine. “His manner was even dignified, quite divested of its roughness”. He wished to look first-class for his visit and on his trip away he had made a hefty sum of money. Heathcliff was able to purchase Wuthering Heights from its previous owner, showing he had made something for himself. From a young age Heathcliff was cruel, but somehow hid it from those who he was close to Carl R.

Woodring wrote a short piece on the narrators of Wuthering Heights “(Nelly) softens toward Heathcliff because… Heathcliff can deceive her by his silence at mistreatment from Hindley” (Woodring 304). Because Heathcliff is reserved, he seems like an obedient child even though he harasses Hindley as well. Heathcliff and Hindley never come to a compromise and are enemies until his last days. “I am trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don’t care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last” (Bronte 59). Hindley took over Wuthering Heights and degraded Heathcliff to a servant.

Heathcliff first turns to revenge to get back at him. Heathcliff buys Wuthering Heights from Hindley and makes sure he will always be in debt to him. Another illustration of Heathcliff’s cruel nature is when he takes young Catherine, puts her on his lap, and

strikes her over and over without letting her fall. Heathcliff seems like a villain through most of this novel because his terrible qualities are prominent. Because of his love for Catherine and his attempts to make himself better allow the reader to feel pity and sympathize with him and show that he is not simply wicked.