When Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847, it was seen as unpopular due to its methods of storytelling as well as its lack of likable characters. It was Emily Brontë’s only published book and was very underwhelming considering her sister, Charlotte Brontë, had an impressive collection of critically good books. Years since its initial unpopular review, Wuthering Heights has been seen as a masterpiece. Readers today have appreciated the way the story is conveyed, but many still have not gotten past the characters within the story. Wuthering Heights, although a romance novel, fails to present the reader with characters to like, while offering few characters to appreciate, and this diminishes the readers enjoyment and of the novel.
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In the novel, Heathcliff is a Byronic hero who has a past that can be empathized with but executes a revenge plan that makes him unlikable. Heathcliff overhears Nelly and Catherine’s conversation and “had listened till he hear Catherine say it would degrade her to marry him, and then he stayed to hear no further” only to return to Wuthering Heights years later with a revenge plan that he …show more content…
Cathy, although naive to how horrible Heathcliff and Linton truly are at first, is seen as a redeemable character because of the sympathy the reader feels for her. Her father, Edgar, dies and she gets kidnapped and forced by Heathcliff to marry Linton and this causes the reader to like her because she is tormented by these events. Hareton, when first introduced by Lockwood, is almost confused for a servant because “his dress and speech were both rude” only to later find out this was because of Heathcliff’s poor treatment of him (Brontë 19). He was born neglected by his father and abused by Heathcliff and rises from this attempting to better himself by learning to read. His struggle and eventual success make him a character with no reason to dislike. Nelly, although a little gossipy, is a likable character because throughout the book she is the voice of reason to characters and tries her best as a mother figure. These likable characters have a sizable impact on the reading
In the novel, Heathcliff is a Byronic hero who has a past that can be empathized with but executes a revenge plan that makes him unlikable. Heathcliff overhears Nelly and Catherine’s conversation and “had listened till he hear Catherine say it would degrade her to marry him, and then he stayed to hear no further” only to return to Wuthering Heights years later with a revenge plan that he …show more content…
Cathy, although naive to how horrible Heathcliff and Linton truly are at first, is seen as a redeemable character because of the sympathy the reader feels for her. Her father, Edgar, dies and she gets kidnapped and forced by Heathcliff to marry Linton and this causes the reader to like her because she is tormented by these events. Hareton, when first introduced by Lockwood, is almost confused for a servant because “his dress and speech were both rude” only to later find out this was because of Heathcliff’s poor treatment of him (Brontë 19). He was born neglected by his father and abused by Heathcliff and rises from this attempting to better himself by learning to read. His struggle and eventual success make him a character with no reason to dislike. Nelly, although a little gossipy, is a likable character because throughout the book she is the voice of reason to characters and tries her best as a mother figure. These likable characters have a sizable impact on the reading