Sympathy is as quoted, “Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune” (English Oxford Living Dictionaries). As a reader interprets a novel they can begin to feel multiple emotions, especially sympathy, for the characters. When a character is depressed, alone, or suffering hardships a reader will sense sympathy for said person. In the following chapter that problem the character was facing could dissipate therefore, another role could have their own type of problem thus having the reader begin to feel sympathy for this new persona. In Wuthering Heights, one prominent character, Heathcliff, goes through multiple hardships during the evolution of the plot; During this time he performs many actions that are not perceived as good or sane, but in his own mind he has reasons for these actions. This phenomenon presents itself multiple times throughout the novel. In Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, characters experience events that cause distress or sorrow forcing the reader to feel sympathy.
Heathcliff is introduced as a person who people will feel sad for in the beginning of the book. The first time he is mentioned he is an orphan found in London by Mr. Earnshaw whilst on travels. He is described as “...dirty, ragged, Black-haired child…”
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She chose to continue as a proper woman and to poke fun at Heathcliff upon her return to Wuthering Heights, “I shall not stand to be laughed at. I shall not bear it!”, making Hindley and the Lintons extremely happy (Bronte 53). Heathcliff is left in the dust and now has nothing to make him happy. This causes a massive wave of sympathy for Heathcliff because of this great blow to his ego. While feeling this a reader could now begin to understand how Bronte plans on continuing the plot of this novel. She repeats this action of having one feel sorrow for a character, but later changes it and causes another character to be in need of