Why does he want revenge? Heathcliff through the book
Heathcliff’s
Revenge
Introduction
Define revenge Conclusion
Body
Con’s Pro’s The people he takes revenge Did he succeed? Kills Hindley Catherine
Hareton raised by Nelly
Thrushcross Grange and
Wuthering Heights he gambles
Topic: Heathcliffs whole aim in the novel is to gain revenge. Does he succeed? Discuss
Revenge is to inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong done to oneself. Heathcliff seeks revenge for everything he has been through, the hurt, abuse he suffered at the hands of Hindley.
Two main subjects push Heathcliff to boiling point: his desire for Catherine’s love and his need for revenge. His love for Catherine endures, as his need to get revenge on Hindley which occurs after Mr.Earnshaw’s death. It is only after Catherine’s death that Heathcliff’s revenge towards Hindley, Edgar begins getting worse as Heathcliff assumes control of Hindley’s house and son, as well as everything that is Edgars like Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff wants to own ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Thrushcross Grange’! Heathcliff is a heavy drinker and a gambler which is why he gambles in the hope to win Thrushcross Grange.
When Heathcliff visits Catherine Linton he realises that Isabella Linton is infatuated with him. Heathcliff treats Edgar with absolute contempt,” Cathy, this lamb of yours threatens like a bull.”Edgar realises that he needs to fight Heathcliff to break down in fear. Though Edgar is humiliated, Heathcliff departs saying,” I wish you joy of the milk-blooded coward, Cathy!”
Heathcliff’s plan for revenge on Edgar and Catherine is to marry Isabella, who is ignorant of love and men because she has never experienced either. Heathcliff wants to hurt Edgar because of his marriage to Catherine, and wants to get revenge on Catherine by making her jealous, which will show her that there is no love left for them to be together. This will hurt Catherine tremendously as she has always loved Heathcliff but it degrades her to marry him. Heathcliff is haunted by the ghost of Catherine because he is till motivated by the need for revenge and tries to get young Cathy away from Edgar by having her marry his son, Linton.
Heathcliff never finds peace even after he dies. He meets Catherine in death and that is when he truly becomes happy. Heathcliff succeeds to take things from those who he thought had wronged him, specifically Hindley.
Word count: 360
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The first way the author teaches us that revenge is guilt is through this quote "For a brief moment I hesitated- I trembled." This shows us that even though he wanted revenge hes had a thought of sympathy and second guessing on his decision. He showed mercy for awhile. A thought of instant brought him back to his way.…
- 307 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Wuthering Heights contained many themes throughout the book. However, there are some that were more prominent. Revenge and social classes surround the novel. It shows how the two main characters, Heathcliff and Catherine, were brought together and had this strong connection between them, but the division of society separated them from happiness. Revenge acts like a stimulus for Heathcliff throughout the plotline and builds up the story so it is not some let down love story.…
- 525 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
An example of revenge in “Wuthering Heights” was also showcased on page 18 where it said, "He has been blaming our father (how dare he?) for treating H. too liberally; and swears he will reduce him to his right place." Here, Hindley wanted revenge on Heathcliff because of how his father treated him. Therefore, to "reduce him to his right place,” Hindley wanted to make Heathcliff's life a living hell. This started a cycle of revenge throughout the story, mainly…
- 619 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Revenge, the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for their wrongdoings against another, is characterized as a corruption of the mind of the affected individual. Throughout the history of literature, countless authors have incorporated the theme of revenge into their works. For example, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth seeks revenge on Minister Dimmesdale because of his crime committed with Hester. Similarly, in William Shakespeare’s, Othello, Iago devises an evil plan to avenge Othello of his rumored sin.…
- 410 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Heathcliff is a prime example of a character with a “diseased mind” that causes him suffering. He spends the majority of his life contemplating and acting out revenge towards Hindley and the Lintons because he believes it was their fault Catherine thought it would “degrade” her to marry Heathcliff, even though she loved him; this is one example of his unstable mind set. In chapter 9 Nelly foreshadows the suffering of Heathcliff by saying “if you [Catherine] are his choice, he’ll be the most unfortunate creature,” this is because Nelly understands that society wouldn’t accept the pair to marry, therefore Heathcliff will be unfortunately heartbroken. Heathcliff believes that Catherine is a part of him: “I cannot live without my soul,” he says which highlights that he is suffering without her. It is from this heartbreak and suffering that his “diseased mind” commenced. Heathcliff’s “diseased mind” heightens when he asks for Catherine to “haunt” him when she is dead; haunting is an element of the Gothic genre but the madness of Heathcliff is enhanced when he requests that Catherine drives him “mad.” The word “mad” is ambiguous in this quotation because it could be viewed that Heathcliff wants to be haunted until he is angry with Catherine so he can destroy his love for her. An alternative view is that Heathcliff wants to be haunted until he is insane and suffering since he is desperate to see Catherine, this becomes true because after Catherine’s death Heathcliff’s mind is haunted by his love for her. Jerold E. Hogle explains this is accurate because characters in Gothic novels are “haunted psychologically” and this is accurately shown through the…
- 646 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
RevengeThe novel contains revenge because of the mentioning of the quote; “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base. I wished to see him again, that I might wreak the utmost extent of abhorrence on his head and avenge the deaths of William and Justine” Victor seeks revenge on the monster, because of all the murders the creature has caused. Victor uses strong emotions to show his feelings towards the monster.This quote shows revenge because of visual imagery…
- 2130 Words
- 9 Pages
Good Essays -
OverviewThe novel, which features an unusually intricate plot, traces the effects that unbridled hate and love have on two families through three generations. Ellen Dean, who serves both families, tells Mr. Lockwood, the new tenant at Thrush cross Grange, the bizarre stories of the house 's family, the Linton 's, and of the Earns haws of Wuthering Heights. Her narrative weaves the four parts of the novel, all dealing with the fate of the two families, into the core story of Catherine and Heathcliff. The two lovers manipulate various members of both families simply to inspire and torment each other in life and death.…
- 3193 Words
- 13 Pages
Powerful Essays -
'The theme of childhood, voiced by the elder Cathy on her deathbed, is continued in the main action of the second half of the book [.. .] in one way or another childhood is in fact the central theme of Emily Bronte's writing'.' This time in Catherine's life, which is unquestionably associated with Heathcliff's appearance in her house and the strong feelings the boy then arouses in her, is, indeed, described at length by the narrator Nelly, as it will determine the following events in the novel. Catherine's dreams of happiness are associated with childhood all through her life, and even on her death-bed she still looks like a child in Nelly's eyes: 'She drew a sigh, and stretched herself, like a child reviving, and sinking again to sleep and five minutes after I felt one little pulse at her heart, and nothing more!''.Finally it is the ghost of a child that visits Lockwood, the newcomer and second narrator in the novel. Until she dies at the age of nineteen, Catherine clings in a passionate way to her childhood memories. The most revealing passage is the scene which takes place after Heathcliff has returned from a long absence and has just quarrelled with Catherine's husband, Edgar Linton. This scene, in which she raves, is significant as it echoes the childhood scenes in which she suffered from being separated from Heathcliff. Her memories have actually never stopped cropping up in an insistent way and she now…
- 469 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In volume 1 chapter 3, Mr Lockwood is sleeping in the room in which Cathy lived as a child. He is awoken by a scratching on the window and awakes the household by screaming loudly. Heathcliff enters the room to investigate first, rather than a servant, which suggests that he hoped to see an apparition of Cathy. His desperation to see Cathy is described later on in the chapter as he “wrenched open the lattice, bursting, as he pulled at it, into an uncontrollable passion of tears”. The violence of these actions-such as “wrenched”, “bursting” and passion”- all highlight that his need to see Cathy is uncontrollable, and is the force that keeps him going. It also suggests that Heathcliff has been repressing his emotions, and the hope of seeing Cathy has unlocked them. It also infers the amount of control Cathy still has over Heathcliff, even twenty years after her death. Furthermore, this display of emotion is a contrast to the coldness Heathcliff displays when Lockwood and Heathcliff are first introduced. Lockwood mentions at the beginning of the novel that he had “no desire to aggravate his impatience” which suggests to the reader that is it clear upon meeting Heathcliff that he is a very controlling person and is easily wound up. This makes Heathcliff’s later behaviour…
- 2950 Words
- 12 Pages
Best Essays -
When Heathcliff returns to Wuthering Heights, he is no longer the impoverished boy as before. He is wealthy now and has lost all compassion for others. The first person he seeks revenge on is Hindley, who was responsible for the time that Heathcliff spent as a laborer. Hindley is impressionable due to a drinking problem and Heathcliff draws him into a debt which allows him to inherit the manor after Hindley's death. By seeking revenge on the brother of his former love, Heathcliff begins his acquisition of the things which he believes are rightfully his. As Hindley was abusive as a youth, the reader doesn't necessarily feel bad for the revenge Heathcliff so deeply desires. However, these actions are what will ultimately lead to Heathcliff's death, as he will realize that all he has wrought on those who've made his life miserable can't return the love he felt with Catherine or cease his haunting by her memory.…
- 941 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The two men in Catherine's life represent one of many sets of doubles within the novel. Both of these men contrast one another, and fight for power, influence, love and attention in her life. Because both Edgar and Heathcliff both represent contrasting forces in the novel, they are unable to work together or act amiably towards one another. The goal of each one is to remove the other from Cathy's life. After Catherine's death, Heathcliff attempts to sneakily remove the lock of Edgar's hair enclosed in the locket about her neck and replace it with his own. In "open[ing] the trinket, and cast[ing] out its contents," (145) Heathcliff believes that he has won this battle…
- 2686 Words
- 11 Pages
Powerful Essays -
2. Why does Catherine accept Edgar's proposal when she knows Heathcliff is a part of her soul?…
- 2830 Words
- 12 Pages
Good Essays -
In the novel Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë, an individual named Heathcliff was wronged many times. He was treated poorly all of his life by his “brother”. Heathcliff fell in love with a woman who loved him back, however she married another man, because he was rich and had a higher social rank. All of the times Heathcliff was wronged during his life inspired him to get revenge on those that treated him incorrectly. Overall, Heathcliff is a maniacal man who is driven by all of the times that people have mistreated him in the past.…
- 490 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Even though she says she loves Heathcliff and believes he is her soul mate, she cannot marry him because he isn't socially prominent or wealthy. The power the women's have over their husbands , Starting with Catherine she Love Mr. Earnshaw's death, Hindley had turned Heathcliff into a common laborer and servant. There is too much of a gap in the couple's social status for Heathcliff to overcome. Their passion for each other cannot be denied, however, and Catherine even admits to Nelly she knows in her heart she shouldn't marry Edgar. This shows Catherine's biggest conflict in the novel, choosing between the passionate love she feels for Heathcliff or the safe, wealthy lifestyle that Edgar can provide…
- 1422 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
In the novel, Heathcliff's purpose was to get revenge for Catherine's death. He was viewed as a villain for mistreating his family/visitors, but it was all for a reason.…
- 132 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays