Introduction
Emily Brontë, in her novel Wuthering Heights, explores various life scenarios that lead people to commit both evil and good deeds. The characters selected by Brontë are strategically used to convey the book’s intended teaching. Heathcliff’s actions and deeds help the reader understand the novel’s themes and lessons, as he is the protagonist.
Through Nelly Dean’s narration as a housekeeper to Lockwood, we get a clear picture of what prompted the protagonist to take the actions she did. Heathcliff is unable to marry Catherine, who chooses Edgar over him because of social advancement pressures, even though she loves him. Heathcliff’s sudden shift in emotions leads him to seek payback, aiming to get back at Catherine for the betrayal. The principal character also experiences other wrongs from childhood through adulthood, which fuel his desire for retribution and his holding on to anger. The theme of revenge is the novel’s primary focus, presented through the protagonist’s choice of vengeance, which impacts his fate.
Heathcliff’s Revenge Toward Hindley Earnshaw
The wrongs people experience can prompt a desire to seek retribution and settle scores. Heathcliff is overwhelmed by anger, which leads him to commit actions that set in motion a cycle of revenge spanning several generations (Nessrine 43). From the narration, the protagonist seeks payback against Earnshaw, who mistreated him when he was young.
In chapter seven of the novel, Heathcliff opens up about his desire to make Hindley pay when he utters “I’m trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back…. I hope he will not die before I do!” (Brontë 36). The protagonist had to endure years of mistreatment at the hands of Hindley, who resented him from the moment he was a child (Brkić 17). Feeling powerless, Heathcliff desired to gain power and control over the perpetrator in the future.
Heathcliff grows older and seizes the opportunity to destroy Earnshaw by exploiting his flaws, which include alcoholism and gambling addiction (Brkić 19). The reprisal taken against Hindley leads to his destruction, as his life falls apart. Hindley is manipulated into acquiring huge debts to accommodate his gambling habits. He is thus put in a perilous financial situation, paving the way for Heathcliff’s takeover of the family estate (Brkić 19).
Emotionally, the protagonist reminds his perpetrator of the pain he caused him in the past, further tormenting him. Heathcliff aims to push Earnshaw to his breaking point and make him feel what he inflicted on him when he was young. The exploration of these weaknesses culminates in Hindley’s emotional and financial manipulation, which leads to his downfall. Heathcliff also uses Hindley’s son as a tool to exercise his revenge.
The desire to exert authority and power clouds Heathcliff’s mind, who underwent a strict upbringing. Hindley ill-treats the protagonist as a child after Mr. Earnshaw brings him to Wuthering Heights. His resentment stems from his belief that their father favors Heathcliff despite Heathcliff being an outsider (Brkić 17).
The protagonist is determined to make Hareton, Hindley’s son, suffer for his father’s deeds. He uses him as a pawn and deliberately keeps him uneducated, thus limiting his opportunity to grow and learn (Nessrine 43). Through this action, the main character asserts control over his well-being by ensuring that Hareton remains dependent on him.
Furthermore, Hareton is ill-treated emotionally and physically with constant subjection to humiliation (Brkić 20). The inheritance Hareton was supposed to receive after Heathcliff’s father’s death. The young boy is reduced to a servant in his own home at the expense of the protagonist, who becomes the new owner of Wuthering Heights. While conversing with Miss Linton, the young boy clearly shows his hate for the new master; he says, “The wretches! …that brute Hareton laughs at me! I hate him! Indeed, I hate them all: they are odious beings” (Brontë 137).
Hareton becomes one of Heathcliff’s primary targets for seeking revenge on Frances Earnshaw and Hindley for his suffering. As the story progresses, the protagonist grows a softer spot for Hareton and stops mistreating him. Heathcliff breaks free from the cycle of revenge, fostering a good relationship with the real heir to the estate and enabling Hareton to reclaim his rightful place. The protagonist also chooses revenge for his inability to marry his lover, Catherine.
Heathcliff’s Vengeance Toward Edgar Linton
The inability to control anger stemming from a failed relationship can result in one hurting even those not involved in the quarrel. After failing to get Catherine, Heathcliff chooses to marry Isabella Linton, who is Edgar’s sister (Brkić21). The protagonist does this because he has a hidden agenda: to get back at Edgar for taking away the girl he loved. Heathcliff envies and despises him much more and is determined to make him pay. Even after Catherine’s death, the main character continues to torment Edgar by marrying and mistreating his sister (Nessrine 50).
Isabella Linton is hurt emotionally and physically by Heathcliff, who is filled with anger toward her brother (Brkić 21). Heathcliff engages in an argument with his wife, which ends with him threatening her life. Isabella says, “he snatched a dinner knife from the table and flung it at my head. It struck beneath my ear, and stopped the sentence I was uttering” (Brontë 105).
Isabella had to dash out from the potential beating she was about to receive from Heathcliff. The protagonist hopes to make Edgar feel the pain of losing someone they loved by mistreating his sister to get back at him. The actions severely destroy any hope of a good existence between Edgar and Heathcliff. The mistreatment Isabella experiences begins at the start of the marriage and continues until its end. She is viewed as an object to be used to target Edgar for his past cruelty.
Failing to acquire what one wants can lead to anger and the desire to retaliate. The protagonist dissents against the Lintons because they possess qualities he despises, such as high social status, privilege, and wealth. He takes over the custody of Cathy, Edgar’s and Catherine’s daughter, raising her in a very unpleasant environment. Revenge can consume an individual, leading to the destruction of innocent lives.
Despite not wronging the protagonist, Cathy and Hareton suffer mistreatment because of their parents’ deeds (Brkić 22). Cathy suffers greatly in Wuthering Heights, and she equates her ordeal with perishing. In chapter thirty, Cathy says, “I feel and see only death! I feel like death!” (Brontë 167), which shows the extent of her displeasing ordeal under Heathcliff.
The desire to cruelly treat Cathy stemmed from the failed union between her mother and the protagonist. Heathcliff took out all his anger on the innocent child as she represented everything he could not have with Catherine. Cathy was subjected to physical abuse from Heathcliff as Nelly narrates, “He seized her with the liberated hand, and, pulling her on his knee, administered with the other a shower of terrific slaps on both sides of the head…” (Brontë 155).
Cathy’s movements are limited and controlled by the protagonist, who wants to isolate her entirely from everyone, including her father. Cathy remained strong and determined even after experiencing these traumatic experiences. She maintains her independence and eventually breaks free from oppression.
Heathcliff is so determined to destroy all families that subjected him to pain and take over the two estates. He has clear ambitions for what he desires in his quest for revenge. The yearning to take over Thrushcross Grange forces the protagonist to push for the union of Cathy, Edgar’s daughter, and Linton, Heathcliff’s son (Brkić 23). Heathcliff sees this union as the easiest path to grabbing Edgar’s property without any dispute, all because of vengeance. His urge for revenge prevents him from developing a good bond with his son. He even freely admits to Linton that he only wants to use him to get what he wants and not because he loves him.
Heathcliff makes his point known while conversing with Nelly when he utters, “I feared I should have to come down and fetch my property myself” (Brontë 119) while referring to his son. Manipulating Cathy’s feelings and forcing her into a loveless marriage with Linton is meant to get back at the Lintons. The protagonist has no intention of hurting Cathy but uses her as a pawn to destroy Edgar.
Cathy’s unhappiness is seen as a means of inflicting pain on those who wronged him. All the actions Heathcliff takes in his quest toward attaining vengeance are driven by the trauma and pain he endured while young. He focuses entirely on destroying all those who made him suffer, without caring who he uses as collateral to further his agenda.
Conclusion
Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights is a tale that educates about the consequences of revenge-driven actions, offering an alternative grounded in empathy and forgiveness. Characters such as Hindley and Heathcliff are used to illustrate the destructive nature of revenge and its far-reaching consequences on individuals and their relationships. Hindley mistreated Heathcliff in the past due to insecurities, and the protagonist was determined to get back at him. Heathcliff exploited Hindley’s weaknesses to destroy his existence. Similarly, Catherine’s betrayal, who went on to marry Edgar rather than the protagonist, forces Heathcliff to declare war against the Lintons.
The main character believed that the Lintons’ wealth and high social status contributed to his inability to marry Catherine. Heathcliff makes use of the children of his perpetrators and even his son without even considering their emotional well-being, all because of vengeance. Cathy and Linton are used as pawns by Heathcliff, who suffers from emotional trauma as he targets the Lintons and Edgar, whom he believes subjected him to mistreatment.
Works Cited
Brkić, Iva. Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights as a Revenge Play. 2022. Mohamed Kheider University of Biskra, Master’s Thesis.
Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Oxford University Press, 1847.
Nessrine, Hamidat. A Psychoanalytical Study of the Theme of Revenge in Emily Brontë’s Novel Wuthering Heights. 2021. University of Rijeka, Undergraduate Thesis.