How Does Heathcliff Change Throughout The Novel

In Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Heathcliff’s strong love for Catherine guides his transformation as a character. While Heathcliff enters the story as an innocent child, the abuse he receives at a young age and his heartbreak at Catherine’s choice to marry Edgar Linton bring about a change within him. Heathcliff’s adulthood is consequently marked by jealousy and greed due to his separation from Catherine, along with manipulation and a deep desire to seek revenge on Edgar. Although Heathcliff uses deceit and manipulation to his advantage throughout the novel, he is never entirely content in his current situation. As Heathcliff attempts to revenge Edgar Linton, he does not gain true fulfillment. Throughout Wuthering Heights, Brontë uses Heathcliff’s vengeful actions to convey the message that manipulative and revenge-seeking behaviors will not bring a person satisfaction.

When Heathcliff returns three years later, his love for Catherine motivates him to enact revenge upon all those who separated him from her. Since he last saw Catherine, he has “fought through a bitter life”; he “struggled only for [her]” (Brontë 71). Nelly observes a “half-civilized ferocity” in Heathcliff’s brows (Brontë 70); she views him as “an evil beast…waiting his time to spring and destroy” (Brontë 79). Heathcliff’s obsessive love for Catherine becomes a menacing threat. Heathcliff reproaches Catherine because she “treated [him]

Her every need is taken care of. Later, when she is confronted by Heathcliff, she is reminded of Wuthering Heights and begins to miss the place she once was so eager to leave. Catherine begins to see the Grange as superficial and confining, and at first she is only annoyed by this, but eventually the suffocating enclosure causes Catherine to lash out at her husband and all the Grange represents. Catherine, aware of her incestuous attraction to Heathcliff, believes the Grange is destroying her, and because of her disgust of the Grange and her sense of guilt, it does. In the process, Edgar too must suffer Catherine's pain because of his love for her.

Catherine then states that it would be degrading for her to marry Heathcliff to Nelly Dean (King). After being confronted with Catherine’s rejection of him, Heathcliff’s devotion turned into obsession, where every action he took was tied to Catherine. He continually changed his ways to fit Catherine’s societal expectations. When Heathcliff disappeared from Wuthering Heights, he attempted to neaten his appearance; he even tried to become wealthy and gentlemanly enough to befit Catherine’s status

Mr. Earnshaw found Heathcliff when he was young and living on his own in Liverpool. Heathcliff Is raised as a family member until Mr. Earnshaw’s death. Hindly makes Heathcliff live like a servant. As he matures he becomes infatuated and obsessed with Catharine. He and Catharine go on adventures and one-day end up watching the Linton’s at the grange. Attack dogs chase Cathy and Heathcliff until Cathy falls and is bitten by the dogs. While she is away Heathcliff tracks the days she is gone and puts a net over a nest of baby birds and starves them, this shows how obsessed and psychotic he is early in the movie.

Heathcliff started out as a young boy on the streets of Liverpool. He was a young gypsy that was very poor. He had absolutely nothing except for the clothes on his back. He was taken to Wurthering Heights by a man on a business trip. This man was Mr. Earnshaw. Mr. Earnshaw felt so sorry for the little boy, but when he returned home with the child his other two children, Catherine and Hindley, were very jealous. Eventually Catherine and Heathcliff became very fond of each other, but when Mr. Earnshaw passed away Hindley had all control. Hindley treated Heathcliff very poorly, and he finally had enough of Hindley demeaning him. Heathcliff fled from Wurthering Heights.

Growing up in this wild and stormy household, Heathcliff also takes on these attributes. After Hindley gambles the house away and dies, Heathcliff becomes the master, belittling Hareton?a destined gentleman of the area--to a lowly, uneducated, friendless servant, often beating him as Hindley did himself. Besides beating Hindley's son, Heathcliff also strikes young Cathy in a fit of rage: "with this liberated hand, and, pulling her on his knee, administered with the other a shower of terrific slaps on both sides of the head" (258), and when Nelly attempts to stop him, Heathcliff silences her by "a touch on the chest" (258). Like their surroundings, the occupants of Wuthering Heights are strong, rugged, and stormy.

To begin, Bronte introduces the physical and emotional situation behind each one of the main characters throughout the novel with a very particular selection to the details she reveals about them. Not surprisingly she uses these physical and emotional characteristics to then help her projected audience interpret the characters behind such figures as Heathcliffe, Catherine Earnshaw, Edgar Linton of the older generation and young Cathy and Linton of the younger generation. Her portrayal of the characters highlights them during their strongest and their weakest times. Yet the most interesting aspect of it is how she shows the reactions of the other characters to say the transformation of one character. For example, upon the arrival of young Heathcliffe,

After Heathcliff’s return Nelly notes that Heathcliff has changed from being his old peasant like character to this classy new person that seems undistinguishable at first glance upon reunion. He seems to have made a fortune or at least a significant wealth based on his appearance and long period gone. This is going to be the beginning of a long series of frustrating moments between the main characters. First of all, Heathcliff’s arrival brings an upset in Edgar because Edgar really isn’t too fond of Heathcliff and not to mention that Heathcliff is fond of Catherine and Edgar instantly becomes jealous and angry. Catherine and Edgar in turn have a more stressing relationship in the moment as Edgar refuses to conform to Catherine’s behavior

Heathcliff enters the scene as a boy who was picked from the street to start a new life at the Wuthering Heights; home of Mr Earnshaw. He was quite selfless and kept to himself as he matured, but was despised by Mr Earnshaw's son Hindley because he felt that Heathcliff was taking his place in his father's heart. Heathcliff was teased whipped and tormented by Hindley as he grew older, countless times he was referred to as the “devil”, “wicked boy”, and imp of satan”. Hindley then was sent to school by his father and Heathcliff was finally left alone and fell in-love with the young mistress Catherine, Mr. Earnshaw's only daughter. They were together every second of every day and Heathcliff began to open up.

1) I've no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn't have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am (86). Catherine admits to Ellen that she loves Heathcliff but cannot think of marrying him because he has been degraded by Hindley. Heathcliff hears this speech, and he leaves Wuthering Heights, not to return for three years.

Heathcliff was brought to wuthering heights by Mr. Earnshaw at a young age. Heathcliff has the portrayal of being of a lower class than the Earnshaws, thus Catherine is instructed to stay away from Heathcliff. However, Catherine and Heathcliff become inseparable. Catherine becomes

In Emily's Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, she asserts that love, while it is usually described as unchanging and everlasting, has to come from a place of understanding and a willingness to change, otherwise it becomes destructive and toxic. The story begins when Mr. Lockwood asks Nelly, a maid who worked at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, to tell him the story of Heathcliff, the landowner. She tells him that Mr. Earnshaw, the landowner before Heathcliff, brought Heathcliff into his home, where Mr. Earnshaw’s son, Hindley, bullied him, and Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine, grew closer to him. Catherine spent a few weeks at Thrushcross Grange where she met the Linton family, became a proper young lady, and married Edgar Linton.

Heathcliff has just run away from Wuthering Heights after overhearing a conversation between Catherine and Nelly where he hears Catherine saying, “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now”. Heathcliff is very upset after hearing this. He left the room before being able to here Catherine confess her true feelings towards Heathcliff. Catherine panics and feels greatly upset after finding out that Heathcliff had overheard this conversation. She also feels guilty due to the fact that she believes she is the reason why Heathcliff left Wuthering Heights.

Catherine’s intense love for Heathcliff combined with her attachment to Edgar is the reason for her pain and sickness throughout the novel. When asked by Nellie she says, “My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I 'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary.” (Bronte 82). Catherine’s love for these two men, especially Heathcliff, is the reason that many of the conflicts in Wuthering Heights occurred. When Heathcliff overhears Catherine’s decision to marry Edgar and runs away, Catherine waits for him in the cold rain for hours and catches the cold that eventually leads to her death. The fight between Heathcliff and Edgar causes her to go three days without eating and she weakens herself enough to get to the condition she’s in when she dies. Catherine battles with her decisions and feels deep emotions for both men. She marries Edgar, and despite their happiness, the relationship lacks the intense love that she feels with Heathcliff, as heard when she tells Nelly, “If all else perished and he [Heathcliff] remained, I should still continue to be; and, if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the Universe would turn to a mighty stranger” (Bronte 81). However, when she is with Heathcliff, the passion is what hurts her the most, as the two lovers juggle anger and joy because love and hate are so closely linked. Catherine’s love and