Prompt #1 Introduced as an orphan and belonging to a lower social class, Heathcliff is isolated from society because of his unusual origins. Various characters abuse and hate Heathcliff as a child, resulting in poor relationships between other characters and him, which leads him towards a villainous path to exact revenge on those who have wronged him because of his origins. In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, the author uses Heathcliff’s unusual origins to provide commentary on the evils of 19th-century social hierarchies, which prevented Heathcliff from making meaningful relationships and turned him into a cruel and abusive man.
Heathcliff’s origin is unknown when Mr. Earnshaw adopts him, but his willingness to always help his
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He is referred to as an “it” and described as resembling the devil, which causes others to perceive him as less than human and dehumanizes his character. This barbarianism is evident from Hindley’s treatment of Heathcliff as he beats him, strips him of education, and forces him to work in the fields simply because Heathcliff’s origins are “gypsy.” Hindley hopes a horse will “kick out [his] brains” and calls him an “imp of satan,” and this portrayal of Heathcliff as rejected and abused by those around him shows that the characters of this novel value social status over forming relationships with him. Other characters that are higher on the social hierarchy treat him similarly, with the Lintons refusing to let him enter their house. The Lintons ensure that Hindley locks Heathcliff away inside his own …show more content…
After gaining wealth, Heathcliff raises Hindley's son, Hearton, similarly to how Hindley raised him: abused with no education and forced to work in the fields. In doing so, Heathcliff repeats this cycle of abuse and mistreatment based on social class. He targets those beneath him, similar to how they targetted him for being beneath them. To take revenge on the Lintons, he pretends to be in love with their daughter, Isabella Linton, convincing her to run away. After she does, Heathcliff locks Isabella in her room and abuses her daily. He treats his son like a pawn and uses him to obtain property rather than take care of him as he dies from sickness. This cruelty from Heathcliff further illustrates the evils of social classes, turning an innocent child into a revenge-seeking man. Wuthering Heights shows that Heathcliff's cruelty is not a result of his moral deterioration but because of how others treated him due to his