Heathcliff.doc

Analysis of the Distortion of Heathcliff’s Humanity In
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, is one of the greatest masterpieces of literature. From the social point of view, it is a story about a poor man, abused, betrayed and distorted by his social states because he is a poor man. As a love story, the novel is one of the most moving ones since the passion between Heathcliff and Catherine proves to be the most intense, the most beautiful and at the same time the most horrible, ever to be found possible in human beings.
As for me, I think the causes for Heathcliff’s distortion as followings. Firstly, Heathcliff’s personal background is the origin of his distortion. The discriminaton of his humble status is sure to destroy his life and distort his humanity. Heathcliff is a homeless orphan. By accident, he is brought to live at Wuthering Heights. In fact, except for old Mr.Earnshaw and Catherine, other people have never accepted him. But Heathcliff is a normal human, he also has all kinds of normal human’s physical and spiritual needs. Just because he sprang from obscurity, he lost all of these rights. He is marked as the lower class, so he loses all of his happiness. Especially when he overhears Catherine say that it would degrade her to marry him, he is overwhelmed by despair. From then on, there is only one word in his mind, that is revenge. He leaves Wuthering Heights, not to escape, but to find the way to pay his enemies back.
Secondly, it is the injustice of society. Heathcliff is fated to his circumstances. He can not change the reality. However, a gentleman adopts him. Therefore, he inevitably has the desire to be a respectable man. But the other characters, including the Lintons and Catherine, prove complicit in the obliteration of Heathcliff’s hope. There is an unbridgeable gap between Catherine and Heathcliff’s social positions. Hindley believes that Heathcliff is a usurper who takes away his father’s affection and privileges. So after old Mr. Earnshaw dies, he turns worse to treat him. That shows a phenomenon that these so-called gentlemen try their best to oppress the lower class. They fear that the poor would acquire political, social, cultural, or economic power to escape from their miaserable circumstances. Because of those factors, the distance between Catherine and Heathcliff widens further and further. The destruction of their love is unavoidable. However, the love means everything for Heathcliff. Once the love is destroyed, his human nature is distorted.
Thirdly, it is that Catherine and Heathcliff are under the betrayed love. The love between them can not be accepted by other people. Catherine knowns this point deeply. And the social ambition motivates her decision. She believes that they will love each other no matter what choice she makes. So the desire to be “the greatest woman of the neighborhood” urges her to betrayed her real feelings to marry Edgar. Catherine needs Heathcliff at the same time she needs vanity and wealth. Thus she hurts Heathcliff and herself as well. She does not know that once she marries Linton she will push Heathcliff off the cliff.She destroys Heathcliff’s only hope. When Heathcliff is hopeless, he decided to do his best to revenge those people who make him lose his happiness. Catherine must take the principal responsibility for Heathcliff’s distortion.
Heathcliff sets about seeking revenge on all who have wronged him. Not only his enemies, but also his enemies’ family and Catherine are included. Revenge has replaced love as the main force bearing upon Heathcliff’s behavior.
The results of Heathcliff’s distortion is not only destructiveness to other characters but also self-distructiveness of his own life. His revenge is merciless, and lasts for a long time. The distortion brings pangs to two generations. For the first generation, nobody escapes Heathcliff’s evil hands. They all die with a grievance. Catherine is torn between her wild passion for Heathcliff and his social ambation. Isabella is maltreated by Heathcliff and finally dies of despair. Hindly lapses into alcoholism and dissipation. As for Edgar, although he marries a woman he loves, his wife is in love with another man. He leaves the world with external regret. When the first generation has all been dead, Heathcliff punishes his dead contemporaries by manipulating and bully their children.Heathcliff intends to degrade Hareton as Hindly has degraded himself. Young Catherine and young Linton also bear the pangs.
He realizes at last that he will never get through to her real presence by acquiring and ruining the people and possesions associated with Catherine. Heathcliff loses interest in the whole project. His love for Catherine destroys his desire for revenge. For Heathcliff, the end of life only means one thing: the beginning of his reuion with Catherine. The house has returned to his natural happiness after the death of Heathcliff. Up to now, the distortion of human nature is beginning to restore. The second generation will enjoy their love and be free from the pangs.
The story of Wuthering Heights begins when Heathcliff is brought into the Earnshow family and ends with marriage of the second generation. It is an exciting story, full of the themes of human passions, marriage, birth, and death. The dangerous, brooding, and cold Heathcliff impress the readers deeply His fanatical love destroys himself and the happiness of two generations. However, this is not only a tragedy of love, but also a tragedy of the whole human world. Everyone should be blamed.
But no matter what Heathcliff has done, he can not save Catherine’s life and his love. It is meaningless. He decided to choose death to unite his love in the moor. At last, Harton and young Catherine are to be engaged to be married, promising an end to the revenge. Everything turns to peace. The distortion of humanity is ended with the forgiveness and the humanity is restored.
Emily wanted to tell us that hatred and revenge could only bring distortion of humanity. People must learn to forgive his enemies. Only love itself can save love.

Analysis of the Distortion of Heathcliff’s Humanity In
Wuthering Heights

浅析《呼啸山庄》中希斯克列夫的人性扭曲

姓 名：张 言
座 位 号：18
班 级：统本英教0802班
课 程：英美文学精华导读
任课教师：郭兆湘
院 系：外国语学院英语系

June 12, 2011