Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - Heathcliff, a protagonist or antagonist?

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights may be perceived to be just another novel, waiting to be read by the average reader, sitting on some remote bookshelf. This narrow-mindedness will be out of the mind of the reader when he turns past the first page; this novel is anything but conventional. Some characters have more depth to us than many real-life people, and one such character is Heathcliff. Ravaged by the past and bent on avenging everyone who mistreated him (and their loved ones), he is called insane by many. That first impression would be true if the character was taken, placed alone, and analyzed. "Insane" would be the result, unless the character is analyzed properly - against the backdrop of his past, his surroundings, and his loved ones.

Considering Heathcliff's past, he has almost every right to be insane. He was abused - after Mr Earnshaw died, he was no longer treated as an equal part of the family. He became a servant - working on the field all day, not having access to education, and so on. This greatly scarred him; those actions on behalf of Hindley and the Lintons are responsible for Heathcliff's emotional state and his grudge against everyone but Catherine. This grudge - is responsible for many major events, such as the capture and "imprisonment" of Cathy and Nelly, and Heathcliff's decision to force the marriage between Cathy and Linton. That shows that the people surrounding Heathcliff are to be blamed for his actions.

The reasons for Heathcliff's torment don't stop there. Quite probably the most important reason is Catherine - or rather, the absence of her. His whole life prior to Catherine's death, he spent thinking of her. Their love was more than the love of any other couple - it was on a spiritual plane. They could connect emotionally in a way that no other people could. Catherine once said: "Nelly, I am Heathcliff!". After her death, Heathcliff was still obsessed with her. He loves Catherine to the point of asking her ghost to haunt her. He had a prayer that he was repeating over and over until his tongue stiffens: "Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you - haunt me, then!". He loved her so much, that he wanted to be haunted by her. The person he most treasured in his life was gone. His life became meaningless - all he ever wanted was gone, forever. His extreme desire to be with her explains his seemingly insane actions, such as digging up Catherine's grave and the desire to be buried with her in the same grave so their bones would mix. It is palpable that a modern-day, average person would not do this, but one must understand that Heathcliff's emotions are very strong, and such strong love was quite possible in those times. For Heathcliff, it's almost excusable - such strong love was bound to have consequences; it was just a matter of time before one or both of the lovers were devastated.

From the aforementioned information, it becomes obvious that Heathcliff is a protagonist. He may not be the protagonists that many other books depict - not the kind of person who saves the world and manages to fight off the antagonists at the same time. No; Heathcliff is a different type of protagonist. He shows us how deep emotions can go, and how far people will go with those emotions. Heathcliff's emotions are the strongest a person can attain, and it's portrayed with utmost clarity. His love for Catherine shows that there are no limits to how much love a person can have; there might be very severe consequences (in case of Heathcliff, a ruined life), but that doesn't seem to prevent people from "going overboard".

If Heathcliff isn't the protagonist, then who is? There aren't all that many characters that could be one. Hindley - certainly not; he ruined Heathcliff's life when he was young. Nelly - even though she is the narrator, she is not really active in the main story; she simply re-tells the story through her own eyes. Her actions have little control over the happenings. Edgar or Isabella - they treat Heathcliff like a servant; certainly not what he deserves. Any of the first-generation Earnshaws or Lintons - they weren't really participating in the story after the first few chapters. It is usual for Emily Brontë to let characters just die off after they're no longer needed: this has happened with the Mr and Mrs Earnshaw, Linton, Hindley, and others. Other characters can't be the protagonists since they have so little involvement in the main story. The only two main characters can be Heathcliff and Catherine. That's why I firmly stand on the belief that Heathcliff is a protagonist in this novel.