Revenge and the Vicious Cycle of Abuse in Wuthering Heights The desolate cliffs of Wuthering Heights serve as backdrop to a story that mimics the harsh conditions the characters face.With only two places of lodging and frequently inclimate weather, characters are isolated and maintain consistent interaction with each other. Bronte establishes a cycle of misery through a juxtaposition of setting and character interactions, which serves to further the motif of vengeance. As Mr. Earnshaw adopts Heathcliff, Heathcliff immediately becomes an outsider and a target for abuse from other characters in the novel. When Mr. Earnshaw passes away, Hindley takes over as guardian for Heathcliff. This change begins the cycle of abuse in Wuthering Heights.
She confides in her housekeeper that she loves Heathcliff, but can’t marry him because it would “degrade” her (71). While Catherine does have some affection for Edgar, she does not marry him out of love, she marries him because he is rich. Her love for Edgar is not natural, it is pretended. When Catherine falls ill, there’s a certain moment that she believe she is being haunted because she does not recognize herself in the mirror. When Nelly manages to convince her that the image in the mirror is her own, Catherine is horrified.
Hindley verbally abuses Heathcliff, and differentiates Heathcliff from himself and Catherine. Catherine remarks on this, “Hindley calls him a vagabond, and won’t let him sit with us, nor eat with us any more; and,
When Heathcliff goes to visit Catherine after many years, the dog at Thrushcross Grange greets Heathcliff by wagging its tail at him rather than barking. This foreshadows the accepting reception that Heathcliff will receive from Catherine. One of the most prominent usages of dogs as foreshadowing tool is the hanging of Isabella’s dog, Fanny. The disturbing scene symbolizes and foreshadows the tragic outcome of Heathcliff and Isabella’s relationship. On the night that Heathcliff and Isabella elope, he hangs Fanny in a rage as an act of revenge against the Linton family.
How does Emily Brontë introduce and develop the character of Cathy and Heathcliff in Chapter 1-16 of Wuthering Heights? Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff are 2 main characters in Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” who remain relevant throughout the book, leaving lasting impressions. Both characters are around the same age and grow up together, developing strong personalities that clash and complement each other. Readers are first introduced to Heathcliff through the eyes of Mr. Lockwood, whose point of view the story is in. When Mr. Lockwood first arrives at Wuthering Heights to announce his arrival to his landlord, Heathcliff, he is received by a cold, grumpy man, whose physical features are vividly and harshly described in the first paragraph
Adopted by Mr. Earnshaw, Heathcliff is treated very poorly by everyone except Mr. Earnshaw and eventually Old Cathy grows to love him. After Mr. Earnshaw dies his son, Hindley, takes control of his father’s estate, Wuthering Heights. He treats Heathcliff terribly and separates him from Old Cathy; although she still loves Heathcliff, she marries Edgar. When Heathcliff returns from his three-year absence he still loves Old Cathy and so does she, but of course can no longer be with her. The marriage adds onto to his ever growing vengeance he holds against the Earnshaws and Lintons, but if he had stayed she would have chosen him over Edgar.
Isabella is married to Heathcliff during her time at Wuthering Heights. Throughout the novel Isabelle deals with abuse from her husband, being bullied has a child and being imprisoned in Wuthering Heights which leads to her depression. In a article written about abuse the other said “In almost every case of significant adult depression, some form of abuse was experienced, either physical, sexual, emotional or, often, a combination.” (McGrath). Most of Isabella 's abuse was done threw the element of fear, “He snatched an dinner knife from the table, and flung it at my head” (Bronte 174) during this part of Isabella’s life she is “happily” married to Heathcliff, but Heathcliff is only married to Isabella for her wealth and that 's why he abuses her constantly. Isabella is depressed during most of the book because of her abusive marriage.
Catherine’s marriage to Edgar Linton is a turning point. Normally, it must be a marriage of happy ending, however, it represents the repression of Heathcliff and makes him an embedded of revenge. He becomes an outcome of everything he has encountered. People which are not abondend by social conventions are always shown as monsters ,as for instance, In Marry Shelley’s Frankenstein, the inability of the monster to unite with his creator makes him a threaten to humanity. Moreover, the protagonists, Heathcliff and Catherine, are happy when they do not follow the conventions of the society ,however, they were oppressed when they follow them.
Wuthering Heights is a novel that revolves around the story of Heathcliff and how he turns out to be an angry character. Anger is not an emotion that happens haphazardly, it has various motives and causes which arouse one 's fury. It has been mentioned before that anger can be caused by racism, social injustice and class distinction. These are the main reasons behind Heathcliff 's anger. From the beginning, Heathcliff has been discriminated and treated as an inferior.
Not only is her mother unfaithful to her father, but, “with any luck, they’ll be too busy arguing to glance up” at Isabel and her date indicating an unhappy marriage. This whole opening passage filled with the negative qualities of her family is ironic as she explicitly reveals every secret she desires to keep from her new date despite her efforts in avoiding her family. Additionally, Isabel and her new boyfriend, as well as Isabel’s parents, are watching a “Spanish domestic drama”. This is ironic because the event de Botton unfolds is a domestic drama in itself. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, a