How Does Heathcliff Change In Wuthering Heights

It would be false to consider Wuthering Heights a story of timeless, undying love. While Heathcliff’s incessant yearning for Catherine may pull on one’s heartstrings as an attempt to showcase the man’s everlasting devotion to one forbidden woman, under more precise scrutinization, it all appears to be a cover-up for Heathcliff’s true desire-- to climb to the top of the social classes for redemption from the trauma in his early life. Emily Brontë hints through Heathcliff’s characterization that his thirst for revenge spawns not from his unrequited love for Catherine, but from an insatiable desire to prove himself as superior to those who have wronged him.

Heathcliff’s existence as a young boy is defined by his role of essentially being a replacement Earnshaw, which causes him to face

trouble when dealing with his inability to fit quite right in society, but consequently provides him with the determination necessary to force his way in. Though he lives at Wuthering Heights and is adored by both Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine, he still doesn’t qualify as anything other than an outsider. From the day he is introduced to the Earnshaws and named Heathcliff because “it was the name of a son who had died in childhood” (Ch. 4, pg. 36), he is forced to assume the identity and manner of an Earnshaw without any prior experience of what it may mean to live a life of class. He does not choose to be placed into a competitive society, he is instead forced to go with Mr. Earnshaw due to the fact that, as an orphan, he would have a slim chance of living otherwise. Even after establishing a place in the household, Heathcliff is reminded of his lack of stature when the Lintons criticize “Miss Earnshaw scouring the country with a gipsy” (6.46) while they are out on their normal jaunt around the moors. Brontë juxtaposes the difference in societal importance as Catherine, a child about the same age as Heathcliff, is allowed a regal title such as “Miss Earnshaw”, while Heathcliff is condescendingly referred to as nothing more than a mere “gipsy”, which confirms the other’s beliefs of him being inferior to Catherine, even though he possesses the same amount of power as her by living in the same house and acting as her sibling. This intensifies the members within the class’ unwillingness to see Heathcliff as anybody of importance, which is pivotal in fueling Heathcliff’s revenge as means of proving himself later on. As a defenseless child with no name, background, or family to provide him with any means of prestige, all Heathcliff can do is accept the harsh words and maintain his fragile stance within the Earnshaw house. When Mr. Earnshaw dies and Hindley becomes the head of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is again reminded of his menial state as he is deprived of any education and is made into a servant for the same house he grew up in.

Upon Catherine’s return from being rehabilitated at Thrushcross Grange, there is an obvious change in how she interacts with Heathcliff. Being the one person who would traverse through the forests and the moors in her free time with Heathcliff, it is completely uncharacteristic of Catherine to comment on “how very black and cross [Heathcliff] looks” in comparison to the Lintons, especially since she never was concerned about his appearance before (7.52). To make matters worse, Catherine’s close acquaintance with the Linton’s means that their visits will be frequent, on the condition that Heathcliff comes nowhere near them whenever they do. Being just a child, this would be extremely distressful to be depicted as an entity to be avoided rather than just a human being. However, Heathcliff knows his stance as a servant is unfair, and stands up for himself by asserting he “shall not stand to be laughed at” for his appearance, and furthermore, for his status (7.52). Brontë includes

this part of his character to affirm his persistent nature that will be imperative to his gaining power later on. Over the few weeks of not seeing one another, they both become constrained by their differences in class-- Catherine, by being conditioned to lose her free spirited self in favor of seeking more notoriety; Heathcliff, by being denied a chance to climb the social ladder because he must perform the duties expected for somebody at his level. Losing his love and his dignity due to the incredulous standards of the high-class marks the beginning of Heathcliff plotting to gain power by resisting the norms of what so called “high-class” should look like.