Physical Abuse In Wuthering Heights

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.

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.

The Development of Heathcliff’s Character in Wuthering Heights Heathcliff is a character who is ever present in “Wuthering Heights” and throughout the novel his character changes. At first he is a poor, homeless child, then he becomes a loved and neglected victim, then he is a degraded lover, and finally he transforms into a vicious, lonely master. Heathcliff is introduced into the novel as a homeless child. He is a ‘“dirty, ragged, black-haired child”’ who Mr. Earnshaw brings to Wuthering Heights from Liverpool. He is constantly referred to as ‘it’ and a ‘gypsy’.

Heathcliff has an obsession with Catherine, and undergoes emotional stress after her death (Bloomfield 291). His unsympathetic personality is also a trait of his mental disorder (Bloomfield 297). Heathcliff’s obsession can be classified as Monomania, he is fixed on one idea to the extent of physical and mental destruction (Bloomfield 295). Heathcliff lets hid ID take over instead of suppressing his instinctual feelings. Heathcliff becomes reckless and self-destructive and develops psychotic depression, he then retreats to Catherine’s room to die (Bloomfield 291). Throughout the novel it seems as though Heathcliff completely ignores his Ego and Super-Ego, and lives only by his ID. Emily Bronte uses mental illness in her characters and their death to alter the plot of Wuthering Heights. All of the characters fit into periodically correct illnesses, but the focus

Cruelty compels one to inflict cruelty upon others. In her novel, Wuthering Heights, Brontë illustrates the rough life of Heathcliff, conflicted with whether he should focus his life on loving Catherine Earnshaw or inflicting revenge on those who tortured him as a child. Mr. Earnshaw adopts Heathcliff into the Earnshaw family as an orphan gypsy, a social class that most of the Earnshaw did not care for. The eldest child of Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley, abuses Heathcliff horribly, shaping the way Heathcliff perceives the world around him. Catherine Earnshaw, Hindley’s younger sister, motivates Heathcliff to endure this pain through their affectionate relationship. With his heart focused on revenge, Heathcliff devises a cruel plan to retaliate those who hurt him; he returns to Wuthering Heights as a refined, powerful man. He takes some of his anger out on Hareton Earnshaw, Hindley’s son; this parallels Hindley’s abuse towards Heathcliff. Through Hindley’s and Heathcliff’s abusiveness in Wuthering Heights, Brontë asserts that cruelty cycles from its perpetrators to its victims.

Heathcliff eventually becomes master of Wuthering Heights as well as treating the unwanted son, Hareton after Hindley had died in the way his step-brother had treated him.

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

The ugliness of human nature is undoubtedly shown through toxic relationships in Wuthering Heights. They toxicity can be shown through almost every character relationship. The bain of toxic relationships can be shown right in the beginning of the novel with Hindley and Heathcliff. They immediately get off on the wrong foot all because one of them chooses to let their ugliness take over. Hindley is extremely jealous of Heathcliff, “...and is subject to Hindley's jealousy almost right away” (Galt). His jealousy sparks from the fact that his father seems to favour Heathcliff over him. This does Heathcliff no favours as it causes Hindley to be cruel and brutal towards him. Infact, on several occasions Hindley can be found almost abusing Heathcliff, "Take my colt, Gipsy, then!" said young Earnshaw. "And I pray that he may break your neck: take him, and he damned, you beggarly interloper! and wheedle my father out of all he has.” (Bronte 4) and “‘ Off dog!’ cried Hindley, threatening him with an iron weight used for weighing potatoes and hay.” (Bronte 45). The abuse and hatred that Heathcliff receives from such a young age cause him to give the same treatment in the other relationships in his life. In Heathcliff’s relationship with Isabella he can be seen showing the same abuse towards her, Heathcliff seized, and thrust Isabella from the room; and returned muttering—"I have no pity! I have no pity! The more the worms writhe, the more I yearn to crush out their entrails! It is a moral teething; and grind

was to run away to the moors in the morning and remain there all day."

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 novel of Wuthering Heights involves passion, romance, and turmoil but most significantly carries cruelty as an overarching theme. Cruelty is apparent throughout the work most importantly when dealing with relationships between Heathcliff and Hindley, Heathcliff and Hareton, and even the emotional cruelty between Heathcliff and Catherine.

The Suffering of the Women in Wuthering Heights It appears that Catherine's expectations are unrealistic especially when placed in the historical context. The novel is written during the Victorian era where the role of women in relation to marriage was that they were to be obedient, disciplined and faithful to their husband. Catherine does not fulfil any of these roles in the long term. Firstly, she marries Edgar for social and financial benefits.

Hindley personified jealousy and cruelty as a child towards Heathcliff for he felt the gypsy was “a usurper of his parent's affections and his privileges” so to carry out his revenge, he physically abused Heathcliff “I shall tell your father of the three thrashing you’ve given me this week” Heathcliff does not retaliate to his abuser, however, but bribes his adoptive brother or he would “speak of these blows” threatening Hindley that he would “get them again with interest’” from Mr. Earnshaw, should he hear that the boy who is now his favourite, it would seem, was being violently bullied. The modal auxiliary verb ‘shall’ portrays a certainty that Heathcliff will stay to his word should his threats be ignored and the inter-dentals ‘three thrashings’ emphasise

Hhhhh In addition, the genial atmosphere at Wuthering Heights that results due to Heathcliff’s decision to give up his pursuit of revenge demonstrates that letting go of cruelty allows for happiness to take root. Throughout most of the book, Heathcliff is the main source of havoc and misery. Even when his foster father, who has taken him out of poverty, is dying, Heathcliff uses the opportunity to manipulate Hindley into doing what he wants, demonstrating a lack of care for others and a fundamentally selfish nature. Heathcliff’s treatment of Linton and Hareton also demonstrate his selfishness. Heathcliff reduces the former to a pawn, comparing Linton to “tin polished to ape a service of silver” (Brontё 185). It is heavily implied that Heathcliff even abuses and manipulates Linton, as the latter is extremely unwilling to return to Wuthering Heights without the younger Catherine; he says that he is “not to re-enter it [Wuthering Heights] without [her]” (Brontё 226). Heathcliff’s abuse and neglect of Linton culminate their effects in the latter’s death, and the cycle of misery inflicted by Heathcliff continues with

Hareton Earnshaw, a victim of Hindley, Heathcliff, and Cathy, stands up for himself, shocking the reader’s perception of his character. Hareton is a victim of his father’s alcohol abuse and gambling addiction. These addictions are a result of Frances’ death and the reader becomes sympathetic towards Hindley; however, Hareton is the innocent victim affected by the lack of care from his father. Hareton is a toddler when Hindley holds him over the railing of a staircase, threatening his life. Once Hindley dies, Heathcliff takes on the responsibility to care for young Hareton. He does not know that he is being used as part of Heathcliff’s plan to get revenge on Hindley for abusing him as a child. Heathcliff wishes to keep Hareton ignorant and uneducated in an effort to degrade him. When describing Hareton, Nelly, the house servant, says, “He appeared to have bent his malevolence on making him a brute: he was never taught to read or write; never rebuked for any bad habit which did not annoy his keeper; never led a single step towards virtue, or guarded by a single precept against vice” (Bronte 152). Hareton is a victim to society because he is kept an uncivilized and ignorant young man. The reader feels sympathetic towards him because he is made to be an inferior