Heathcliff

Heathcliff is the main character in Emily Brontë’s classic novel Wuthering Heights,
and the whole plot revolves around this fascinating man from the time when he
arrives at Wuthering Heights as a dark and dirty foundling and until he ends his days
as a powerful landlord of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. This
evolvement of the character and the fact that he is merely described by three
narrators and never makes a clear statement of his own makes him one of the most
fascinating characters in literature.

The very first time we meet Heathcliff in the novel is through his tenant’s narrative,
where the character is established in the very first sentence of the novel. His tenant
has just returned from a visit, and he describes him as a “solitary neighbour that I
shall be troubled with” and hints about him being a misanthropist. This is all fairly
vague in comparison to the much stronger statement: “A capital fellow!” and the
fact that the tenant’s heart warmed towards him, leaving us with the impression of a
strong, but just man although we sense that there are some hidden menace lurking
in the background.

This menace is also emphasized by the manner his dialogs and actions are described
throughout the novel. Heathcliff does not speak – he growls. He does not smile – he
grins, and even sneers on occasion. In the tenants narrative the uses of adjectives
like “diabolical” certainly gives an extra flavour to the reader’s interpretation of the
character. The effect of the choice of words is further enhanced by putting his dogs
in the scene with him early in the novel, and thereby creating a link between the
dogs and himself, and an image of him not being man-like. And indeed, dogs are just
the thing for portraying a man like this, as dogs can be both dirty and pitiful, and
strong, powerful sentinels or even predators at the same time – mirroring the
general development of the character.

With this image firmly planted in the reader’s mind, the narrative changes to that of
Mrs. Dean, the housewife of both Wuthering Heights and the Grange, who takes us
back to when Heathcliff arrives at Wuthering Heights as a foundling. The diabolic
image is further enhanced by remarks such as “…it’s as dark almost as if it came from
the devil” and the fact that Mrs. Earnshaw “was ready to fling it outdoors” upon his
arrival. Even the housekeeper is afraid of him, but when everybody calms down, the
child is washed and tucked into bed along with Hindley and Catherine, the Earnshaw
children. The diabolic image is later modified somewhat with the way Heathcliff
responds to the ill-treatment from Hindley, as he would not cry or speak up when
harassed. This, however, does not necessarily make him seem more human to the
reader. It might just be that this contributes to the aura of unearthliness that follows
him throughout the text.

Hindley’s ill-treatment of him is a key point both in the novel and in the development
of the character of Heathcliff, and it is the trigger to everything that goes so wrong in
the end. Heathcliff forms a special bond with Catherine, and they spend a lot of time
playing together out on the moors. One night they decide to go spy on the Lintons,
which results in Catherine spraining her ankle and getting an invitation to stay until it
is healed. Heathcliff, on the other hand, does not receive this invitation and must
return to Wuthering Heights alone.

The turning point of the novel is when Catherine finally comes home, and this is also
when Heathcliff truly is contrasted for the first time. The Lintons are portrayed as
fine, cultivated creatures, and what is worse; they seem to have tamed and made a
lady out of Catherine. This makes a sharp contrast to the black haired and dirty
Heathcliff who has kept in the background until Catherine calls him forth. She kisses
him at first, and then she turns right around and laughs at him in his face for being so
“black and cross”. Needless to say, this hurts him deeply and it has a major impact on
his development throughout the rest of the novel. At first, he makes a serious
attempt to change his appearance by having the housekeeper groom him. This is also
the first time his appearance is thoroughly described, making it very hard for the
reader to believe that such a face could ever be anything else than dark and wild in
the comparison of the angel-like Lintons.

“Do you mark those two lines between your eyes, and those thick brows, that instead of rising arched,
sink in the middle, and that couple of black fiends, so deeply buried, who never open their windows
boldly, but lurk glinting under them, like devil’s spies? Wish and learn to smooth away the surly wrinkles,
to raise your lids frankly, and change the fiends to confident, innocent angels, suspecting and doubting
nothing, and always seeing friends where they are not sure of foes – Don’t get the expression of a
vicious cur that appears to know the kicks it gets are its desert, and yet, hates all the world, as well as
the kicker, for what it suffers”.

This grim look, however, does not stop him from trying, resulting only in further
humiliation by Hindley as he is shoved out of the room where Catherine and Edgar
resides. From this point onward, Heathcliff is no longer the patient child enduring his
torment in silence. He has had enough, and he starts fighting back for the first time,
deciding that he will pay Hindley back no matter how long he has to wait for his
revenge. He stays at Wuthering Heights a little while longer, but when Catherine
decides to marry his exact opposite, Edgar Linton, after having rejected himself on
several occasions, he cannot stand it anymore and leaves without saying a word.

Three years pass by without anyone knowing where he is, but when he reappears in
the novel it becomes apparent that he has gone through some major changes. This
absence is an artistic effect in itself, and it somewhat resembles a butterfly’s cocoon.
The being that disappeared is not the same being that emerges afterwards, but the
change itself becomes a hidden mystery of some kind, and it is more or less up to the
reader to figure out what actually happened to Heathcliff while he was away. The
author’s choice of narrators allows her to do so, as none of the narrators went away
with him, and consequently there is no one to tell us what happened at this point. All
we are left with is the new impression of a full grown man, as described by the
housekeeper:

“…I was amazed, more than ever, to behold the transformation of Heathcliff. He had grown a tall,
athletic, well-formed man; besides whom my master seemed quite slender and youth-like. His upright
carriage suggested the idea of his having been in the army. His countenance was much older in
expression and decision of feature than Mr. Linton’s; it looked intelligent, and retained no marks of
former degradation. A half-civilized ferocity lurked yet in the depressed brows, and eyes full of black
fire, but it was subdued; and his manner was even dignified, quite divested of roughness though too
stern for grace.”

Once again, the author uses contrast to establish the character, but this time the
tables have turned: Heathcliff is now the one who is portrayed as the superior
character in the plot, as Edgar “seemed quite slender and youth-like” in comparison
and that his facial expression looks intelligent. The effect is further enhanced by
mentioning the army, bringing to mind the ability to fight – both to defend and to
conquer. This is indeed a capable and potentially dangerous man, and now he is back
to settle the score with Hindley.

The first thing Heathcliff does upon his return is to call to gather information about
Catherine so as he can meet her – just to have a glimpse of her face before he takes
care of his business with Hindley and then executes himself to escape the law.
However, he changes his mind when he sees her. This indicates that Catherine is able
to control him to some degree, and that she could have stopped his plans of revenge
by leaving Edgar for his sake. The suspense is held for quite a while, with Heathcliff
coming and going at the Grange to see Catherine and with Edgar trying to prevent
him in doing so without losing face. This ménage à trois takes on a whole new
dimension when Isabella, Edgar’s younger sister, falls deeply in love with Heathcliff,
thinking him a true, honourable soul. Catherine, who knows him very well by now,
tries to talk her out of it but fails miserably. Again, the character of Heathcliff is
established through the means of contrast, this time with the fair, frail and naïve
Isabella. Also, it is enhanced by the words of Catherine, his true love, when she says
to her:

“I’d as soon put that little canary into the park on a winter’s day as recommend you to bestow your
heart on him! (…) He’s not a rough diamond – a pearl- containing an oyster of a rustic; he’s a fierce,
pitiless, wolfish man.”

This is the first time Catherine herself makes a statement about Heathcliff’s true
character, and it is the last evidence the reader was waiting for. If we were not
convinced before, we certainly would be now, after the heroine makes her little
speech. Sadly, it does not have the same effect on Isabella. Four months after
Heathcliff’s return, he sweeps Isabella away from the Grange and marries her – not
for love, as implied by both Catherine and Mrs. Dean, but for the opportunity of
inheriting her brother’s property. Some months later, she sends a long letter to the
housewife, providing the reader with her narrative, the third one in the novel. Here
she asks: “Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?” and
once again we are reminded of his diabolic features. She concludes her letter by
assuring both the receiver and the reader that “a tiger, or a venomous serpent could
not rouse terror in me equal to that which he wakens”, adding to the impression that
all hell is, once again, loose in Heathcliff’s conduct. His revenge is starting to take
form.

Meanwhile, Catherine has been taken ill from the eternal suspense between her
husband and her love, as Heathcliff cares less and less about what her husband may
think about his visiting the Grange. It all explodes in one final encounter between the
three of them just before Heathcliff marries Isabella, which almost leads to a fight
between the men, only prevented by the housekeeper’s wits. Edgar then requires
Catherine to choose between himself and Heathcliff, pushing her into a frantic
madness. A little while later, when Heathcliff learns of her illness, he decides that he
should pay her a visit to see how she is. This is the first evidence of empathy or
concern for other’s wellbeing in Heathcliff’s character, and shows just how much he
really loves Catherine. This is further enhanced by his reaction when he finally sees
her. As reported by Mrs. Dean:

“He neither spoke, nor loosed his hold, for some five minutes, during which period he bestowed more
kisses than ever he gave in his life before, I dare say; but then my mistress had kissed him first, and I
plainly saw that he could hardly bear, for downright agony, to look into her face! The same conviction
had stricken him as me, from the instant he beheld her, that there was no prospect of ultimate recovery
there – she was fated, sure to die.”

She is also the only one who makes him show signs of agony or despair of any kind.
One could of course argue that it is not Catherine he loves – it is himself in Catherine.
As she herself states when she decides to marry Edgar:

“…[Heathcliff] shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he is handsome, Nelly, but
because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same…”

Another major turning point in the development in the character of Heathcliff is

when Catherine dies. After this happens, Heathcliff takes on a different aspect, as he
more or less resigns and makes him self invisible for long periods of time for the
narrator. This is not to say he becomes passive in any way – he simply takes the form
of a puppet master and cunningly manipulates everyone around him from behind
the curtain. With Catherine gone, there are no softening elements to Heathcliff’s
cruelty, and no romance to sugar coat the story of revenge. This is Heathcliff in his
most scary aspect.

His character is almost fully evolved at this point of the novel. His cruelty and
sternness has been thoroughly established through direct description, choice of
adjectives and violent actions, and now the narrator adds another feature: his ability
to deceive and plan ahead. This becomes evident when he tells Cathy, Catherine’s
daughter, that his son Linton is heartbroken and cannot be told that she did not
despise him after she is forbidden by her father to send him any more letters. The
real story is that it is Heathcliff himself who has convinced him of this, and the
manipulation becomes even more obvious when Linton becomes more and more
terrorised by his father lurking in the shadows telling him how to behave in front of
Cathy, beating him senseless when he fails to obey.

And sure enough, Heathcliff gets his revenge in the end. Hindley is driven to his
death, Cathy and Linton marries just a few months before Linton dies, and Heathcliff
inherits both the Grange and Wuthering Heights. Still, there are no hints about him
being fulfilled or content in any way. The only thing that seems to calm him
somewhat is to dig up Catherine’s grave eighteen years after she is buried so as he
can hold her in his arms once again. This sequence is a very powerful one, conveying
madness, sorrow, desperate passion and horror. This is also when it is revealed that
Heathcliff has been haunted by Catherine’s ghost all these years, adding spiritual
terror to the already violent picture.

After this, there is yet another change in Heathcliff’s character. He starts to feel like
there is a change coming, but he can not make it out. Yet, by making him tell Mrs.
Dean about it, the author is able to say something more about his character,
something that has never been said before: Heathcliff makes an effort to smile. This
is the first time in the novel where this emotional expression has not been described
as a diabolical sneer or a grin – it is an effort to actually smile. This signifies that
there in fact is a change coming, and that it perhaps will change Heathcliff’s
character as well. This is also enhanced by Heathcliff making arrangements for his
own funeral, so as he can be laid to rest besides Catherine. And as the reader already
is well aware of: the only one who could make such a difference is Catherine herself.

With this in mind, his death scene is even more powerful as this is the only time he is
described as actually smiling – without even making an effort to do so. As Mrs. Dean
says: “His eyes met mine so keen, and fierce, I started: and then, he seemed to smile.”
Heathcliff’s unearthliness follows him even in death, as the housekeeper seems to
think that he smiles at her after she started, even when he lies there cold. This is also
enhanced by the fact that she can’t seem to close his eyes, making the reader
wonder if he really is dead and gone, after all.

And true enough, it does not take long before a little boy is found crying at the turn
to the Heights, claiming that Heathcliff and a woman is “yonder, under t’ Nab”, and
he dare not pass them. Even though Mrs. Dean concludes her narrative and the
novel by “wondering how any could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers
in that quiet earth”, the reader is left with a certain feeling of ongoingness
concerning Heathcliff and his woman.

In the end, therefore, Isabella’s questions still remain:

“Is Mr Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?”

There are no apparent answers to these questions. Maybe that is what makes the
character of Heathcliff so endlessly fascinating even 160 years after he was first
bestowed on the reading world, and what makes Wuthering Heights a classic novel
to this day, still worth reading