Wuthering Heights Essay Research Paper Spiteful RevengeLove

Wuthering Heights Essay, Research Paper

Spiteful Revenge

Love is an affection of warm attachment, adoration, and devotion based on strong admiration, benevolence, and common interests. It would be anomalous to associate this pleasurable emotion with the ever so spiteful thought of revenge. However, considering the major themes proposed in Wuthering Heights, revenge is the most imminent of them all. It is the predominant factor that leads the protagonists to their dismal fate. Emily Bronte proves that there is no peace in eternal vengeance, and in the end, self-injury involved in serving revenge?s purposes will be more damaging than the original injustice.

The theme of revenge grows from the ill treatment Heathcliff receives from Hindley. Hindley’s prime motivation for this badgering is centered around love, or to be more precise, the lack of love. He decides to persecute Heathcliff, who has usurped Hindley’s very own position in his father’s heart. He releases this animosity on the young and vulnerable Heathcliff by refusing to allow the curate to continue Heathcliff?s education and by also forcing the young boy to work as a farm hand. Hindley?s final desperation at revenge is an attempt to kill Heathcliff. This backfires and he only succeeds in hurting himself more in the process. This revenge on Heathcliff causes Hindley to go bankrupt and eventually hastens his own demise. Hindley’s tragedy illustrates the point Isabella makes, ?Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies? (Bronte 177). The ever so common phrase, “What goes around comes around,” also comes to mind. The reasoning behind Hindley’s revenge is clearly understood, but sympathy for Hindley is only temporary because his unfortunate predicaments are of his own making. If he had been more lenient and understanding of Heathcliff’s needs, he would have avoided his own mishaps. In the end, Hindley?s loss of Wuthering Heights to Heathcliff and his mysterious death reflect how vengeance does not make anything better, only worse.

Heathcliff’s seeking of revenge in a selfish manner also leads to the misery of his own soul. Heathcliff exhibits a very immature quality of always needing to propagate agony in those who have offended him. Continually being abused as a child and later losing his love, Catherine, eventually leads Heathcliff to develop into a monstrous being. First, he was invited by Hindley’s father into the Earnshaw family because he was a poor orphan, with little or no education. Yet, the rest of the family at Wuthering Heights treated him like an uncivilized second-class citizen. Despite his attempts to improve himself in any way, the other members of the household resented, mocked or abused him. Then, Catherine also hurt Heathcliff, by disregarding his love and marrying Edgar Linton. In retaliation for the abuses he has endured, Heathcliff seeks revenge to free his soul of these ill treatments. Heathcliff proclaims that he does not feel any remorse when thinking of the revenge he could take. He devises a plan of attack to get back at Edgar, the man who singularly took away his happiness. Yet, the moment Catherine’s ardent welcome proves she still loves him, he abandons this plan and adopts another – that of taking up residence again at Wuthering Heights in order to be near her. He devises a plan to try once more to regain the love of Catherine. The rest of his plan deals with the hopes of becoming master of the Heights and the Grange. By doing this he can take revenge against all of the Earnshaws and the Lintons collectively. His final act of revenge is the forced marriage of Cathy and his son Linton, ?Mr. Heathcliff, you have nobody to love you: and, however miserable you make us, we still have the revenge of thinking that your cruelty arises from your greater misery!” (Bronte 218) This union completed the journey of revenge for Heathcliff. With that union, Heathcliff gains control of Thrushcross Grange.

Heathcliff’s great passion in the need for revenge and administering acts of cruelty allows the reader to understand his basis of emotions. He first plans to redress Edgar and Catherine by marrying Isabella, who is ignorant of both love and men, because she has never experienced either. He eventually marries her only to avenge Catherine by trying to make her jealous. Because of Edgar’s rancor for Heathcliff, Heathcliff also believes that by marrying Edgar’s sister he will also aggrieve him. Catherine?s death proves that this flawed plan of repayment helps no one. However, the haunting memory of his beloved Catherine again motivates Heathcliff’s need for revenge. He believes that if he can somehow avenge the death of Catherine, he will grow closer to her. Therefore, he devises a second plan to keep the young Cathy away from Edgar by forcing her to marry his son, Linton. Unfortunately, all does not work out as planned. Eventually, Heathcliff gives up on this plan for revenge and he finally becomes reunited with Catherine in eternal bliss only through death. Although he believes he can find happiness in his revenge, the exact opposite occurs. While seeking fulfillment through the torture of others, Heathcliff?s satisfaction is anything but fulfilled. He acknowledges that his vengeance has not released him by stating that he burns in hell despite his actions. ?I have no pity! I know no pity! The worms writhe;