Family is one of the most important parts of growing up, but when it is overtaken by a fatal flaw, the everlasting effects can be devastating. Self destruction is a tragic part of the Earnshaw family because death is always lurking around the corner, waiting to trigger this cruel curse. The three members of the family who suffer eerily relate to death in the same manner and live a depressing life that strangely connects to an ongoing nightmare. The tragic death of a controlling father figure ironically foreshadows the self destruction of his children through torture, death and the loss of a son. Watching a loved one pass away is never an enjoyable experience, but for Catherine Earnshaw it is the exact opposite of misery. As Mr. Earnshaw is …show more content…
After his wife passes away, the relationship between Hindley and Hareton is severely damaged the minute he claims he does not want his son in his lonely life. As a child, Hareton is deathly afraid of his father after a life threatening experience that Hindley is responsible for. During this incident, Hindley is drunk and does not pay attention to the fact that his son’s life is literally in his own hands. After this happens, Nelly explains, “Poor Hareton was squalling and kicking in his father’s arms with all his might, and redoubled his yells when he carried him upstairs and lifted him over the banister” (Bronte 72). This quote supports how scared the child truly is, but he is also too young to fully understand what is happening. Moments of fear turn into years of hatred as Hareton develops a execrate passion for his father. On the other hand, Hindley is constantly drinking all the time and severely mistreats the people around him. Thormahlen quotes, “At one point, Isabella thinks that he is 'on the verge of madness - though it has to be admitted that Hindley's lifestyle over the past five years or so could have reduced the most strong-minded man to that state, and Isabella is of course no medical authority” (Thormahlen). Verbal abuse is a common occurrence that involves Hindley because he cannot handle his own self destruction, and the servants in the house are deathly afraid that one day the abuse will turn physical. A shy servant quotes, “His treatment of the latter was enough to make a fiend of a saint. And truly it appeared as if the lad were possessed of something diabolical at that period” (Bronte 64). Hindley’s life choices over the course of five years strongly support his self destructive tendencies and the progression that has claimed his behavior proves this as well. The clear mistake he makes is to abandon the people he loves; resorting to
Loss affects every relationship differently. Sometimes it brings people together, and sometimes it tears people apart. The novel “Past the Shallows”, written by Favel Parrett, is an excellent example of this, as it focuses on less vocalised subjects that most people in our society see as taboo. The aspects of society mentioned are points such as child abuse, alcohol addiction, pain, loss, and change, but most obviously the family centred in all this drama and the dysfunctional relationships formed between them. The story follows Miles, Harry, Joe, and their father, living on the south coast of Tasmania, and the struggles in their life. The themes of familial relationships, and loss feature throughout the novel, and will be discussed within this essay.
Thrown together following two separate family tragedies, Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet journeys through the trials of the Pickles and Lamb families. In their misguided search for happiness, the characters in Cloudstreet each engage in self-destructive behavior. This fruitless search ultimately becomes their greatest challenge. These catastrophic behaviors manifest uniquely in each character. Whether through seeking independence, falling victim to addiction or deliberately separating themselves from their families, Winton demonstrates how each character ultimately disconnects themselves from their significant others in an effort to find contentment.
| Tom wants his old life back prior to the accident and he sees the accident as the end of his life as he knew it. He loses his sense of identity and sense of family in particular.Feels guilty and ashamed about the irrevocable consequences his brother’s irresponsibility had for other people and their familiesRetreats into a depressed state which feels empty and black.
The relationship between Heathcliff and Hindley revealed and developed the abusive nature of Heathcliff. Heathcliff was taken in as a young boy into a wealthy family that had two children. Ever since the day he was brought home the eldest son, Hindley, resented how the father favored him more. For example, Heathcliff threatened to tell their father if Hindley did not let him have his horse. This one childish threat had created the foundation of the resentment between the two men. Heathcliff threatened to tell their father that Hindley was making him feel unwelcome and abused emotionally, Hindley decided to not see if Heathcliff was going to follow through with the threat therefore gave him the horse. Later on through life, once the father dies, Hindley decides to take his absence as an excuse to start really physically abusing Heathcliff. He would beat him and punch him without thought of how this would transfer into the rest of his life. Heathcliff was also verbally assaulted by Hindley which is a twist on the traditional sense of cruelty. Hindley is demeaning towards Heathcliff and calls him a slave and make sure that he know that he is not equal with himself or his sister Catherine. This point planted the seed of doubt and not being good enough for the rest of his life. This continual mental assault forged the mindset of little Heathcliff to how he would exact revenge on Hindley for all of his wrongdoings. This cruelty from Hindley was due to the favoritism that Heathcliff received as a child, the death of his father, the death of his wife, and the constant reminder of his wife through his son. The constant cruelty is the motive for Heathcliff's actions once he returns to the Heights. Through baiting Hindley, in his own personal torment from his wife's passing, all the money and possessions are gambled away with Heathcliff as the new owner. Wuthering Heights itself
The loss of loved one is a tragic event in one’s life that causes a deep feeling of depression, but through his letter, Shaw does not express this. Through his diction and use of detail, Shaw conveys a peaceful and at times, comical attitude towards the passing of his mother.
Brontë shows how cruelty passes through generations through Hindley’s mistreatment towards Heathcliff. From the moment Mr. Earnshaw adopts Heathcliff, Hindley enters a state of melancholy and loathes that his father clearly favors Heathcliff over him. Mr. Earnshaw’s adoption of Heathcliff upsets Hindley, his father clearly favors Heathcliff over him. Consequently, Hindley reciprocates this hatred when he meets Heathcliff, comparing him to satan and wishing for his death. Heathcliff, unable to act against these cruel words, silently absorbs them. This interaction reveals traits of each character: the maliciousness of Hindley’s character, who hates on the young Heathcliff without reason; and the timidity of Heathcliff, fostered by his inability to stand up for himself. Although timid at the moment, Heathcliff assimilates this cruelty so that he can inflict it upon others, just as Hindley does the same to him. This depicts how the victim of suffering develops into the bearer of cruelty. Soon after Mr. Earnshaw’s death, Hindley assumes control of his household and unleashes even more cruelty on Heathcliff. In a fit of
The concept of indigenous sovereignty is the most debated and contested subject among Indigenous academicians and politicians. To further expand the concept and understand indigenous sovereignty, Aileen brought a new insight and perspectives through the lenses of sociological thought. The Judicio-political is a commonly used approach by many theorists on indigenous sovereignty. In this respect, the author sought to challenge the concept of indigenous sovereignty situated within the Judicio-political framework and the overall epistemological foundation upon which it is built.
Parents in the real world have children that die, and these parents don’t say they wish they never would have had their child. These parents simply understand that a life is still treasured even if its shorter than its supposed to be. The consequence of the decision was Ian leaving his family out of anger, Hannah dying, and Louise is left alone. For Ian watching Hannah die from an incurable disease made their whole marriage and the whole story of their shared life’s, unbearable. Louise is sad mourning the death of her daughter writing a book. In the end the death of Hannah affected both Ian and Louise tearing them apart.
As a young orphan who is brought to Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is thrown into abuse as Hindley begins to treat Heathcliff as a servant in reaction to Mr. Earnshaw’s death. As a reaction to both this and Catherine discarding Heathcliff for Edgar, Heathcliff’s sense of misery and embarrassment causes him to change and spend the rest of his time seeking for justice. Throughout this time, Heathcliff leans on violence to express the revenge that he so seeks by threatening people and displaying villainous traits. However, Heathcliff’s first symptom of change in personality is when Heathcliff runs into Hareton after Cathy “tormented
As Heathcliff seeks his revenge, he becomes fiendish and is constantly associated with diabolical feelings, images and actions. The use of the imagery reinforces the inhuman aspect of Heathcliff. He regrets saving the infant Hareton. Nelly recalled that his face bore the greatest pain at he being the instrument that thwarted his own revenge. He takes perverse pleasure in the fact that Hareton was born with a sensitive nature, which Heathcliff has corrupted and degraded. Heathcliff's pleasure at this corruption is increased by the fact that-: "Hareton is damnably fond of me". Heathcliff's cruelty is also evident when he hangs Isabella's dog despite her protestations. His attitude is devoid of fatherly feeling. He sees him only as a pawn in his revenge and his main
The ocean. Beautiful. A mystery. Bright. Those words made the perfect description of her. She was born September 15th, of the year 2000. She had hazelnut brown hair and her eyes were the brightest of blue. They were as mysterious and as beautiful as the ocean. She was as ordinary as the rest, no problems. Until she was 5. A terrible accident occurred. A virus had struck her in her throat when her family was on a trip away from their home, Orange County, New York, a small town. She had received the virus and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors said that the virus had damaged and infected her vocal cords. The only option was that she would never speak again. She grew up, never speaking. When she started school, she could never say her name,
Hareton is thus reduced to an inhuman “it.” It is not surprising, then, that Hareton is afraid of his father, but Hindley is angered because this reminds him of his failure as a father. Declaring that Hareton should be “cropped” like a fierce dog, Hindley drops his son over the railing of a staircase when the latter shrinks away from him. He is unperturbed when Nelly exclaims: “He hates you – they all hate you – that’s the truth! A happy family you have, and a pretty state you’re come to!” (77). Hindley does not seem to comprehend that physical abuse leads not to love but to fear and hatred – and ultimately, alienation from his family.
The presentation of childhood is a theme that runs through two generations with the novel beginning to reveal the childhood of Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw, and with the arrival of the young Liverpudlian orphan, Heathcliff. In chapter four, Brontë presents Heathcliff’s bulling and abuse at the hands of Hindley as he grows increasingly jealous of Heathcliff for Mr. Earnshaw, his father, has favoured Heathcliff over his own son, “my arm, which is black to the shoulder” the pejorative modifier ‘black’ portrays dark and gothic associations but also shows the extent of the abuse that Heathcliff as a child suffered from his adopted brother. It is this abuse in childhood that shapes Heathcliff’s attitudes towards Hindley and his sadistic
Hareton is introduced at an early age to domestic abuse, both physical and mental, that leads him to distort his mind on how he views life and who he has to respect. From his birth, Hindley’s father detests him and wishes to avoid all contact with his son. The death of Hareton’s mother upon his birth greatly troubles his father Hindley who
Hindley hated him”’. This shows that Mrs. Earnshaw neglects Heathcliff, not loving him as much as her other children. Hindley hates Heathcliff and therefore abuses him, making him a victim. However, Mr. Earnshaw loves Heathcliff, and along with Hindley and Mrs. Earnshaw, makes him into a loved and neglected victim.