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Novels often use the emotion of hate to create tension and distress in the plot. Wuthering Heights uses Heathcliff? s disdain for the other characters to add conflict to the story. Wuthering Heights examines the source of Heathcliff? s hate as well as its effects on the other characters throughout the story. Heathcliff?
s relationships with other characters also suggests the universal theme that breeds hatred. Hindley plants the seeds of hate into Heathcliff by treating him cruelly as a child to begin with. This past happening creates the mutual scornful attitude between Heathcliff and Hindley, which spreads into the rest of the characters in the novel. Heathcliff becomes a vortex of hate which grows to encompass Edgar and Isabella. However, Catherine and Hareton seem immune to Heathcliff?
s hatred because Heathcliff is not trying to accomplish revenge against him. Edgar and Isabella plant hatred within Heathcliff from the start. As a child Heathcliff was treated like an outcast by the Linton? s. Heathcliff was treated like a heathen so frequently in his childhood that he himself began to believe that he was a heathen.
Heathcliff was searching for acceptance from the Linton? s but, in turn, he only found hate. The hate he discovered would ultimately culminate in destructive revenge against the Linton? s. This establishes the concept of reproductive hate in Wuthering Heights.
Heathcliff? s lodgings in the stable added to his grave childhood. Heathcliff? s uncouth surroundings as a youth seemed to manifest itself in his character as he grew older. This led to his rugged appearance which caused other characters to treat him as a common house servant. Catherine even ignores Heathcliff in public because he is viewed as a?
savage brute? . Heathcliff did improve his appearance after his three year absence from the moors; however, Heathcliff? s salvage appearance as a child became his vengeful demeanor as an adult. This shows that children who are taught to hate or breed hate are destined to spread hate as adults. As soon as Hindley? s father dies, Heathcliff is taught the true meaning of hate by Hindley.
As Heathcliff ages, his hate for Hindley grows inside of him, along with a need for revenge. Heathcliff? s need for revenge allows him to formulate his diabolical plan for taking over both the Grange and the Heights, upon return from his three year sojourn. Heathcliff? s ability to gamble the Heights away from Hindley foreshadows the unyielding power of Heathcliff? s hate when fueled by revenge.
Thus establishing hate as the source of Heathcliff? s revenge. Heathcliff? s loathing feelings against Hindley even last long after Hindley?
s death. Heathcliff has created a demonic reality in which his mistreatment of Hareton will enable him to gain revenge against Hindley. Heathcliff also maintains his revenge by becoming extremely possessive of the Heights. Heathcliff? s vicious watch dogs ensure the security of the Heights because maintaining complete control of the Heights continues his revenge against Hindley. Since Edgar and Isabella were sources of oppression in Heathcliff?
s childhood, Heathcliff feels the need to plot for revenge against them. Heathcliff? s reappearance is his first act of revenge, because he immediately makes Edgar jealous. Each time Heathcliff visits the Grange he is challenging Edgar?
s authority. By challenging Edgar? s authority Heathcliff is now gaining power. Heathcliff? s strong lust for power is fueled by his need for revenge, hence a direct result of the negative emotions he has received as a child. Heathcliff?
s marriage to Isabella is a poignant act of revenge against the Linton? s. By marrying Isabella, Heathcliff removes her from Edgar? s authority, thereby gaining control of more characters in the novel.
Heathcliff is able to wage revenge directly against Isabella through physical and mental battering. Heathcliff indirectly effects Edgar by taking his sister away from him. Heathcliff? s less then honorable intentions show that a man ruled by hate will go to extreme lengths in order to gain satisfaction.
Heathcliff? s marriage to Isabella leads to the birth of Linton, which helps Heathcliff gain complete control of all the characters in Wuthering Heights. He uses Linton to take Catherine away from Edgar and gain control of Thrush cross Grange. Heathcliff? s plot to gain complete control is based entirely upon the death of Linton.
This proves that a man controlled by pure revenge can not be limited by compassion for human life. Once Heathcliff has gained supreme power over all the characters in the novel, he loses his ability to hate. Hate needs hate to grow and since Heathcliff has no one to exchange these negative feelings with his hate begins to dissipate. As Heathcliff?
s hate fades so does his life. Heathcliff has no one to love or to hate, thus no reason for life. Heathcliff dies with a strange satisfaction because he has completed his revenge. This presents the unique reality that hate has the power to destroy as well as sustain life. Catherine and Hareton are they only two characters which seem immune to Heathcliff? s hatred.
Heathcliff? s unusual relationship with these two characters allows them to escape his wrath. Heathcliff respects Hareton because he reminds Heathcliff of himself growing up. Heathcliff sees Catherine in Cathy causing him to admire her. Neither Catherine nor Hareton gave Heathcliff cause to offer them feelings of disdain. Therefore, Catherine and Hareton are never permanently damaged by Heathcliff?
s hate. This further proves that hate must be equally given for it to exist. The countless negative emotions forced upon Heathcliff in his past resulted in his development of extreme hate as an adult. Heathcliff? s hate manifested itself in his quest for revenge and his lust for power. Wuthering Heights establishes an unyielding human emotion which can take over a man?
s life. Hate can only be quelled through revenge or death. In Wuthering Heights, Bronte uses Heathcliff to show the development of his hate and revenge from the past thorough adulthood, and warns against the destructive power of pure hatred.
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