Throughout history, revenge has stood out as an instinctual action that persuades a corrupt mind, often leading to a person committing criminal acts. Commonly seen in literature, revenge has driven an abundance of stories such as Hamlet, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Wuthering Heights. In the case of Wuthering Heights, there are a myriad of major themes, but revenge seems to be preeminent in leading the characters to their fates. Bronte shows us through the character, Heathcliff, that the ending self-injury of revenge may be worse than the original cause. For instance, Heathcliff never finds happiness through his revenge. The only time he finally seems at peace is when he stops his plans and comes to terms with what has happened around
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It is first of all interesting to note that Hindley is the first character to be associated with revenge. Which in turn leads to each character into having their own branching revenge schemes that intertwine with one another. Hindley’s prime motivation being the lack of love he received as a child. Hindley decides to persecute Heathcliff for this, sewing the seed for Heathcliff’s deferred revenge. Heathcliff’s long process of revenge starts as soon as he gets back from receiving an education. He initiates these events against Catherine and Edgar by manipulating Isabella 's emotions to suade her to marry him. He wants Edgar to suffer because of his marriage to Catherine, and for Catherine to be jealous. Catherine’s death proves that his disturbed sense of fulfillment is empty. Edgar and Isabella end up passing as well, leading to the forced and fated Cathy and Linton love story, led by Heathcliff. Catherine’s revenge doesn’t make circumstances better for her. She blames Heathcliff for her premature death, but this doesn’t ameliorate her mind. Her death is miserable, as she condemns herself to torture Heathcliff for the next 20 …show more content…
When the persecuted want revenge, they will stop at nothing to get it; even if it makes them as guilty as the oppressors. Of course, it is true that revenge is ultimately a man-made conclusion, with no discernible reason why a man would do one act or another. This makes revenge incoherently subjective, and tailored to suit whoever is doing it. Additionally, to clarify, quid pro quo is not truly revenge; it is self-justification for self-gratification. Revenge has a goal of doing equal harm back to someone. Revenge is not deterrence, it doesn’t have a virtuous meaning behind it due to the fact it is more emotionally driven with no intention of justice. Revenge starts a never ending cycle that makes the possibility of reality abstract the deeper it travels. If revenge does nothing but drive a person to such a state that they cannot function properly, then revenge is a waste of
It is first of all interesting to note that Hindley is the first character to be associated with revenge. Which in turn leads to each character into having their own branching revenge schemes that intertwine with one another. Hindley’s prime motivation being the lack of love he received as a child. Hindley decides to persecute Heathcliff for this, sewing the seed for Heathcliff’s deferred revenge. Heathcliff’s long process of revenge starts as soon as he gets back from receiving an education. He initiates these events against Catherine and Edgar by manipulating Isabella 's emotions to suade her to marry him. He wants Edgar to suffer because of his marriage to Catherine, and for Catherine to be jealous. Catherine’s death proves that his disturbed sense of fulfillment is empty. Edgar and Isabella end up passing as well, leading to the forced and fated Cathy and Linton love story, led by Heathcliff. Catherine’s revenge doesn’t make circumstances better for her. She blames Heathcliff for her premature death, but this doesn’t ameliorate her mind. Her death is miserable, as she condemns herself to torture Heathcliff for the next 20 …show more content…
When the persecuted want revenge, they will stop at nothing to get it; even if it makes them as guilty as the oppressors. Of course, it is true that revenge is ultimately a man-made conclusion, with no discernible reason why a man would do one act or another. This makes revenge incoherently subjective, and tailored to suit whoever is doing it. Additionally, to clarify, quid pro quo is not truly revenge; it is self-justification for self-gratification. Revenge has a goal of doing equal harm back to someone. Revenge is not deterrence, it doesn’t have a virtuous meaning behind it due to the fact it is more emotionally driven with no intention of justice. Revenge starts a never ending cycle that makes the possibility of reality abstract the deeper it travels. If revenge does nothing but drive a person to such a state that they cannot function properly, then revenge is a waste of