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Heathcliff Deterioration Analysis

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Transitive Deterioration
Throughout Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, the intense suffering of Hindley, Catherine, and Heathcliff not only causes their individual deterioration, but sets the stage for the younger generation to follow.
Hindley’s self deterioration is started by his intimidation of Heathcliff, and evolves to the point of his demise. Hindley truly never accepts Heathcliff as a member of the Earnshaw family. From the moment that Heathcliff enters Wuthering Heights, Hindley causes Heathcliff pain and suffering through demeaning and oppressing him. 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, …show more content…

From the very first he showed great courage, steadfastness, and love. But with Mr. Earnshaw 's death Hindley has the power to degrade Heathcliff to the status of a servant. A weak, vindictive character, as cruel as Heathcliff without Heathcliff 's strength, Hindley prepares for his own destruction by his inhumanity to Heathcliff and the other inhabitants of the Heights” (Watson, 90). With the loss of his father, Hindley has a sudden gain of power, in that he must navigate the entire future of Wuthering Heights himself. This opens Hindley up to the stresses and strains of leadership, in which Heathcliff can manipulate the the suffering of Hindley. Heathcliff and Hindley gamble, and Hindley is often drunk. However, Wade Thompson writes, “Hindley 's first instinct when drunk is to kill his son, whom Nelly Dean constantly hides. At one time Heathcliff accidentally rescues Hareton from a fall, but is so incensed by the mistake that "had it been dark... he would have tried to remedy the mistake by smashing Hareton 's skull on the steps"” (Thompson, 69). At this point, Hindley is a drunken wreck. Hindley has his priorities out of order, and

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