The Theme Of Heathcliff's Revenge In Wuthering Heights

Revenge can be considered one of the major themes in Wuthering Heights. It is present roughly from the beginning to the end of the novel, mainly portrayed by the character of Heathcliff. Heathcliff 's desire to seek revenge does not solely stem from the loss of Catherine to Edgar. In addition to this loss, the harsh treatment Heathcliff received from Hindley in the past creates a burning desire to regain his dignity and his position as an equal. Heathcliff seems to be seeking revenge on three characters in particular: Hindley, Edgar, and Catherine. Most of his revenge is centered on Hindley since it was he who separated him from his beloved Catherine and forced him to be a servant in the home that he grew up in. In return Heathcliff does …show more content…
He was further more humiliated and put down by Hindley when he allowed Catherine to stay with the Linton’s and forbid him from seeing her or eating at the same table with them. Heathcliff’s revenge stems primarily from the treatment he received from Hindley after the death of Mr.Earnshaw. Mr. Earnshaw loved Heathcliff like his own child, some say more than his biological children. After their father’s death Hindley banished Heathcliff from the home into a life of servitude and refused him the opportunity of education. In the text Nelly describes Hindley’s treatment of Heathcliff, “A few words from her, evincing a dislike to Heathcliff, were enough to rouse in him all his old hatred of the boy. He drove him from their company to the servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of the doors instead, compelling him to do so, as hard as any other lad on the farm”(). This demonstrates that with all the hate that Hindley had even the mention of Heathcliff’s name stirred him up. He deprived him of all the things his father gave to Heathcliff making Hindley feel like he was in charge and important the way he always wanted to feel to his father, Mr. …show more content…
She was the true love of his life and Heathcliff was the love of Catherines life. The forbidden love between Heathcliff and Catherine drew them closer, Heathcliff was cast down by Hindley making him unfit to be a husband to Catherine. This created the need to seek vengeance on both Hindley even more and on Catherine as well because she didn’t see him fit to be her husband. This again signifies that the root of Heathcliff’s revenge goes back to the way her was previously treated by Hindley. The need to seek revenge that Heathcliff has can also come from the fact that he was abandoned as an orphan and was feeling abandoned after the death of Mr. Earnshaw. Mr. Earnshaw’s love and respect for him as a person is something he never felt before and when he had that taken away it left him with nothing. Heathcliff is not completely bad and his ability to love Catherine shows that he was not a completely vengeful person but as a result of what he has been through, being rejected by Hindley, Catherine marrying Edgar, and in some way the death of Mr. Earnshaw, he has this embedded desire to earn his dignity