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I would like to analyze the conflicts that Heathcliff faced throughout the
novel Wuthering Heights. Heithcliff’s character was very complex. He lived a
troubled childhood that is never completely revealed to the reader. All we know
is that he was abandoned at a young age and when Mr. Earnshaw discovered him, he
was sickly looking. Heathclfidd was then brought to live in this brand new
society at Wuthering Heights. Hindly, Mr. Earnshaw’s son, was jealous of
Heathcliff from the start because he felt that his father loved Heathcliff more
than himself. Hindly’s hatred for Heathcliff was worsened once he realized that
he and Cathy had fallen in love. To protect his sister, he slowly turned
Heathcliff into a vagabond. This ultimatly forced her to seek love elsewhere.
When Heathcliff overheard that Cathy was to be married to another man, Edgar, he
ran away from Wuthering Heights. After fleeing Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff was
forced to start a new life and obviously succeeded at this because during this
time he became very wealthy. Upon returning he confessed to Cathy that he never
stopped loving her. When Cathy didn’t reciprocate his feelings, Heathcliff
became enraged and to spite Cathy, he married her sister in law, Isabelle. At
this point Cathy and her husband Edgar were expecting a baby. Heathcliff’s
marriage sent her into a deep depression.
She fell very ill and soon after
giving birth to her daughter, Cathrine , she died. Berfore she died though, she
confessed to Heathcliff her true love for him. After Cathy’s death, Heathcliff
now became a scornful person, full of hatred. He wanted in the worst way to get
revenge on Edgar Linton for stealing Cathy from him. He spent years and years
thinking up a valid plan that would drive Edgar to his deathbed. His plan uses
Cathrine’s cousin, Linton, to lure her to Wuthering Heights against her father’s
will. When she arrives, Heathcliff’s new revengeful side is now revealed. He
locks Cathrine up in the house and forces her to marry Linton. When she is
finally free to visit her father, Heathcliff’s wish is now granted. Her father,
Edgar, lies on a deathbed, and dies shortly after Cathrine’s return. Now Edgar’s
fortune belongs to Linton who as according to Heathcliff’s plan dies soon after
their marriage. Edgar’s fortune is now passed on from Linton to Heathcliff.
Heathcliff’s life persists accordingly for a while until Mr. Lockwood, a new
tenant at Wuthering Heights, ariives.
He stays in Cathy’s old room against Heathcliff’s orders and during the night gets a visit from her ghost which he
immidiatly reports to Heathcliff. This encounter makes Heathcliff realize that
Cathy is waiting for him in heavon. Now that he had seen Edgar die and had
stolen his fortune from him, he was ready to join Cathy. From this point on he
welcomes death and yearns for his and Cathy’s reunion. Heathcliff’s death comes
abruptly and the only person to mourn his death is Hareton, his nephew.
Heathcliff lived most of his life as a victim, but I think that all of his
hardships turned him into a stronger person. Unfortunatly, he not only became
hard, but lost all the tenderness in his heart. Over time, he enjoyed seeing
people endure pain as he himself was forced to do so many times in his past. The
ultimate thing that brought Heathcliff to peace was to die and enter heavon
where his beloved Cathy was. Now that they are both in heavon it seems as if
Heathcliff’s wishes have come true because at the end of the novel, someone
comments on seeing Heathcliff’s ghost with a woman. That woman is presumably
Cathy. Their love was obviously an undying love because even in death they found
a way to be together.
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