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Revenge in literature throughout time
Life and work of Emily bronte
Analysis of wuthering heights by emily bronte
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Emily Bronte’s gothic romance novel, Wuthering Heights, tells the story of three siblings, Hindley Earnshaw, Cathy Earnshaw, and their adopted brother Heathcliff, and their relationships. Also a gothic novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein portrays what happens after Victor Frankenstein’s creation of a human-like monster. Revenge behaves like a disease in Hindley, Heathcliff, and Frankenstein's monster and leads to the demise of themselves and the people around them.
The disease begins with Hindley Earnshaw, as after a miserable childhood he seeks revenge on Heathcliff. Heathcliff is favored by Mr. Earnshaw and this angers Hindley. Once Mr. Earnshaw dies, there is no one to protect young Heathcliff from Hindley's anger and jealousy. Hindley
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enacts his revenge by treating him like a servant. Cathy recounts his punishment, “Hindley calls him a vagabond, and won’t let him sit with us, nor eat with us any more; and, he says, he and I must not play together, and threatens to turn him out of the house if we break his orders”(27). He is punishing Heathcliff for his father’s favoritism; this affects him mentally, as he is being punished for something that was not his fault. Nelly even shares, “His treatment… was enough to make a fiend from a saint. And, truly, it appeared as if the lad was possessed by something diabolical” (68). Bronte’s strong choice of words such as “fiend from a saint”, “possessed”, and “diabolical” emphasize just how terrible Hindley’s vengeful actions are. Revenge spreads when Heathcliff decides to get back at Hindley for his slave-like treatment. Heathcliff takes his vengeance out on Hindley’s son, Hareton, by befriending him and teaching him to act like a savage. When Nelly speaks to Hareton, he says “a string of curses, which, whether he comprehended them or not, where delivered with practised emphasis” (109). Nelly then asks who taught him these words and discovers it is Heathcliff. Additionally, he gets back at Hindley by taking advantage of him gambling drunk and wins his property. This terrible cumulative treatment lead to Hindley’s suicide in which he “spent the night in drinking himself to death deliberately”(181). After Hindley’s death, Heathcliff continues to get his revenge by poorly raising Hindley’s son, Hareton. The narrator describes Hareton, “he appeared to have bent his malevolence on making him a brute, he was never taught to read or write, never rebuked for any bad habit… never led a single step towards virtue” (190-191). He is raised barbarically because of his father’s abusive treatment of Heathcliff. Revenge infects one person after another, as characters want to get back at one another. This disease also infects the Lintons, as Heathcliff seeks revenge on Edgar for stealing the love of his life, Cathy.
Heathcliff says, speaking about Edgar, “I hated him with a hatred that turned my life to a gall… I would have torn his heart out, and drank his blood!” (146). He truly hated him for stealing Cathy away. In revenge, he marries Edgar’s sister, Isabella Linton, making them in-laws. He abuses Isabella and she describes herself feeling “particularly cheerless”(137) while living with him. After Cathy dies and Isabella runs away, the only thing Edgar has left is his daughter, Catherine. Since Edgar stole the one person Heathcliff loves most, he decides to take away Catherine, the last person alive that Edgar truly loves. Heathcliff uses his son, Linton, as a pawn and shows him no compassion; when talking about his son's health he says “His life is not worth a farthing, and I won't spend a farthing on him” (278). Using Linton as a pawn, he forces him to marry young Catherine to spite Edgar. This will also lead to the Heathcliff family ownership of Thrushcross Grange after Edgar’s death. Heathcliff’s vengeful actions are infectious as they hurt everyone around him. Ultimately, it destroys himself mentally and he dies after his mental and physical states slowly …show more content…
deteriorate. Frankenstein’s monster’s revenge on Victor Frankenstein leads to both their deaths as well as several others.
The monster’s first minute of life ruins him, as Victor calls him hideous and then abandons him. From here on out, the monster lives an angry life seeking revenge on his father. The first person he kills is William, Victor’s brother, the monster says before killing him, “Frankenstein! You belong to my enemy--to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim” (102). The monster’s drive for revenge is affecting not just Victor, but his family as well. Justine, the family maid, also feels the repercussions as she is sentenced to death after being blamed for William’s death. The monster’s next victim is Henry Clerval, who he kills to get back at Victor for not making him a companion. The guilt feeds on Victor as he realizes it is his responsibility because he created the monster; he calls himself “the murderer of William, Justine, and of Clerval” (130). To top it all off, the monster kills Victor’s wife on their wedding night. Victor then hunts the monster down in a northward chase. He deteriorates mentally and physically and dies on a ship. His monster sees his dead body and seeing the result of all his actions he decides to kill himself. The deadly disease of revenge kills nearly every character in this
novel. Revenge behaves like a disease in Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights and claims the lives of many. The disease is contagious and spreads from character to character ruining them mentally and sometimes physically. In the novels, revenge begins from only two to three people in each and ends up greatly impacted nearly every character.
In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, cruelty is a frequent theme and different acts of cruelty are committed almost every chapter. Victor Frankenstein abandoned his creation because of its grotesque face and destroyed any chance if the monster getting a mate, and the monster kills everyone Frankenstein loves out of spite. In Frankenstein, the different acts of cruelty that are imposed onto Frankenstein and his creation help reveal their true character
The monster tells Frankenstein of the wretchedness of the world and how it was not meant for a being such as himself. At the end of his insightful tale the creature demands a companion of the same hideous features but of the opposite gender to become his. Victor only has the choice to make the monster or suffer a lifetime of horror his creation would bring upon him. Which the creator ultimately agrees to make the female monster to save the lives of his family but gains a conscious that fills with guilt of all the destruction he has created and creating. When the monster comes to collect the female he tears her apart and the monster vows to destroy all Victor holds dear. The monster’s emotional sense is consumed with rage against Victor, murdering Frankenstein’s best friend. Though when the monster’s framing ways do not work to lead to Victor being executed, he then murders Frankenstein’s wife on their wedding night. This tragedy is the last for Victor’s father who becomes ill with grief and quickly passes within a few days, leaving Victor with nothing but his own regret. Shelley doesn’t give the audience the monsters side of the story but hints that the remainder of his journey consisted of being a shadow to that of his creator. It is at the graves of the Frankenstein family when the creature makes an appearance in the solemn and
“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves” is a quote from Chinese philosopher, Confucius, that immaculately describes the knowledge the characters in the story of Frankenstein lacked. In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the main character, Victor Frankenstein, creates a creature whom he abandons soon after. After the abandonment the creature gets treated horribly by other humans, feeling alone in a world where there was no other like him. This causes the creature to feel hate towards his creator, whom he continuously tries to seek revenge from. The desire for revenge transforms the creature into a true monster that has no feelings or aspirations beyond destroying Victor, leading to his miserable death.
In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, is dr. Frankenstein a god? God is the all being who creates everything, but also looks after what He has created. If dr. Frankenstein is Mary Shelly’s “god” figure, then dr. Frankenstein is a very irresponsible and carefree “god.” He is very irresponsible because he does not look after his creation. God looks over everything, dr. Frankenstein can not even look over one creation. Victor runs from his creation throughout out the whole novel and he is also trying to run away from the fact that he made his “mistake.” When the creature and his “god” meet up, and by meet up it is really implied that the “mistake” tracked him down, the creation tells his creator how bad of a “god” he has been and tries to make him realize how he has abandoned his duties. The creatures lectures him by saying, “remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but i am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drives from joy for no misdeed”(Shelly). This quote is showing that the “mistake” has more
In Frankenstein, Victor’s monster suffers much loneliness and pain at the hands of every human he meets, as he tries to be human like them. First, he is abandoned by his creator, the one person that should have accepted, helped, and guided him through the confusing world he found himself in. Next, he is shunned wherever he goes, often attacked and injured. Still, throughout these trials, the creature remains hopeful that he can eventually be accepted, and entertains virtuous and moral thoughts. However, when the creature takes another crushing blow, as a family he had thought to be very noble and honorable abandons him as well, his hopes are dashed. The monster then takes revenge on Victor, killing many of his loved ones, and on the humans who have hurt him. While exacting his revenge, the monster often feels guilty for his actions and tries to be better, but is then angered and provoked into committing more wrongdoings, feeling self-pity all the while. Finally, after Victor’s death, the monster returns to mourn the death of his creator, a death he directly caused, and speaks about his misery and shame. During his soliloquy, the monster shows that he has become a human being because he suffers from an inner conflict, in his case, between guilt and a need for sympathy and pity, as all humans do.
The initial downward spiral of Heathcliff’s life was predominantly caused by harsh influences in the environment in which he was raised. Heathcliff, an adopted child, grew up in Wuthering Heights, a desolate and dystopian estate when compared to the beauty of the neighboring Thrushcross Grange. In childhood, Heathcliff displayed evidence of a sympathetic personality through his emotional attachment to Catherine and kind attitude towards Nelly. At the time of Mr. Earnshaw’s death, Nelly describes a scene where, “Miss Cathy had been sick, and that made her still; she
Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a novel about lives that cross paths and are intertwined with one another. Healthcliff, an orphan, is taken in by Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of Wuthering Heights. Mr. Earnshaw has two children named Catherine and Hindley. Jealousy between Hindley and Healthcliff was always a problem. Catherine loves Healthcliff, but Hindley hates the stranger for stealing his fathers affection away. Catherine meets Edgar Linton, a young gentleman who lives at Thrushcross Grange. Despite being in love with Healthcliff she marries Edgar elevating her social standing. The characters in this novel are commingled in their relationships with Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.
The creator of the monster, Victor Frankenstein is a man full of knowledge and has a strong passion for science. He pushes the boundary of science and creates a monster. Knowledge can be a threat when used for evil purposes. Though Victor did not intend for the being to be evil, society’s judgement on the monster greatly affects him. As a result he develops hatred for his creator as well as all man-kind. Victor’s anguish for the loss of his family facilitates his plan for revenge to the monster whom is the murderer. While traveling on Robert Walton’s ship he and Victor continue their pursuit of the monster. As Victor’s death nears he says, “…or must I die, and he yet live? If I do, swear to me Walton, that he shall not escape, that you will seek him and satisfy my vengeance in his death…Yet, when I am dead if he should appear, if the ministers of vengeance should conduct him to you, swear that he shall not live-swear that he shall not triumph over my accumulated woes and survive to add to the list of his dark crimes” (pg.199). Victor grieves the death of William, Justine, Clerval, Elizabeth and his father. Throughout the novel he experiences the five stages of grief, denial/ isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. Victor denies ...
In the early lives of Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw, their father 's overzealous love for Heathcliff causes a jealous rage in Hindley that starts the chain of disastrous events to come in the future. Mr. Earnshaw fails to remedy the situation, and Hindley, "learnt to regard his father as an oppressor rather than a friend … and he grew bitter with brooding over these injuries." The envious feelings that Hindley harbors for Heathcliff leads him to treat the orphan with contempt and cruelty. This in turn generates an intense hatred in Heathcliff for Hindley that fuels a craving for revenge that lasts for nearly all of his life.
He made the choice to create life without considering the possible outcome of the experiment. As soon as Victor’s finished, he says: “but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room”(Shelley 58). Frankenstein did not seek responsibility for the monster; instead he ran away from his responsibilities and neglected his own creature. Abandoned by his creator the monster learns how to survive on his own for a few months. One day, the monster comes upon little kids at recess, and sees a boy he thinks would be willing to be his companion. As the monster grabs for the boy, the boy shrieks with disgust and disappoints the monster. In this moment the monster finds out the boy happens to be a Frankenstein, William Frankenstein, and anger rages inside of the monster. The monster takes his hurt feelings of being neglected by Victor Frankenstein out on William. The monster strangles William to death. The monster’s actions of strangling William were due to Victor Frankenstein’s failure to take care of the monster. In result of Williams death, Justine Mortez, a loyal family friend of the Frankenstein’s, was convicted
Heathcliff is a character who was abused in his childhood by Catherine’s brother, Hindley, because of his heritage as a “gypsy”, and Hindley was jealous of the love that Heathcliff got from Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley’s father. This is also selfishness upon Hindley’s part since he only wanted his father’s love for his sister and himself. So to reprimand Heathcl...
“It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!” Yeah, that’s the most common quote that comes to mind when someone makes mention of Frankenstein. You almost instantly begin to think of the colossal beast rising to life, as the crackling lightning bolt struck through the sky. While many people are familiar with Frankenstein’s story as I just told it, the original Frankenstein story, written by Mary Shelley in 1818, featured none of this. No “it’s alive” quote. No flash of lightning. No bolts in his neck. He didn’t even have the famous flat-top haircut. The original version of Frankenstein’s birth – as written by Shelley – went like this:
Primarily, Heathcliff's hunger for revenge blindsides the character’s, Hindley, Catherine, Hareton, and young Catherine. Revenge is what Heathcliff wishes to
From the beginning of the novel and most likely from the beginning of Heathcliff's life, he has suffered pain and rejection. When Mr. Earnshaw brings him to Wuthering Heights, he is viewed as a thing rather than a child. Mrs. Earnshaw was ready to fling it out the doors, while Nelly put it on the landing of the stairs hoping that it would be gone the next day. Without having done anything to deserve rejection, Heathcliff is made to feel like an outsider. Following the death of Mr. Earnshaw, Heathcliff suffers cruel mistreatment at the hands of Hindley. In these tender years, he is deprived of love, friendship, and education, while the treatment from jealous Hindley is barbaric and disrupts his mental balance. He is separated from the family, reduced to the status of a servant, undergoes regular beatings and forcibly separated from his soul mate, Catherine. The personality that Heathcliff develops in his adulthood has been formed in response to these hardships of his childhood.
Heathcliff never finds peace through his revenge. In fact, the only time he truly finds happiness is when he gives up his plan for retaliation. Austin O’Malley states “Revenge is like biting a dog that bit you” (O’malley 1). O’Malley’s quote reflects Heathcliff’s immature need to propagate agony in those who have offended him. Heathcliff’s plan for revenge on Edgar and Catherine is to marry Isabella, who is ignorant of love and of men because she has never experienced either. He wants to hurt Edgar because of his marriage to Catherine, and he wants to get revenge on Catherine by making her jealous. Catherine’s death proves that this flawed plan of repayment helps nothing. Heathcliff, haunted by the ghost of Catherine because he is her “murderer,” still is motivated by the need for revenge and tries to get young Cathy away from Edgar by having her marry his son, Linton. Heathcliff never finds peace until he gives up his plan for revenge just before he dies. When Heathcliff gives up his plan for revenge, he meets Catherine in death and truly becomes happy once more.