The Nature Of Revenge In Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'

Revenge is Best Served Never

Revenge is one of humanity’s greatest motivators, driving people to take extreme measures to get even. However, people do not attain complete satisfaction and happiness through vengeance, but instead are inflicted with greater self-injury. In the novel Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte reveals the futile nature of revenge through the demise of Heathcliff and Hindley Earnshaw and through the success of Hareton Earnshaw, a character who forgives and shows his tormentor compassion.

Hindley Earnshaw justifies his abuse towards Heathcliff through being deprived of his rightful place as the only son; however, his revenge on Heathcliff eventually leads to his death. Hindley 's villainous actions can be traced back to his

However, like Hindley, Heathcliff never finds peace in revenge. Heathcliff furtively plans his vengeance from a young age, going out of his way to secretly provoke Hindley using the abuse as leverage against Hindley. When Hindley tries to hit Heathcliff for forcing him to trade horses, Heathcliff threatens, " 'Throw it, ' he replied, standing still, 'and then I 'll tell how you boasted and you would turn me out of doors as soon as [Father dies], and see whether he will not turn you out directly" (41). Heathcliff turns Hindley 's abuse against him, collecting evidence to use as blackmail, threatening to tell his father about the abuse. This only angers Hindley even more and leads to a continuous cycle of revenge. Heathcliff makes his motive clear as he states, "I 'm trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don 't care how long I wait, if I can only of it at last. I hope he will not die before I do" (49). After running away and returning with large sums of wealth, Heathcliff uses his money and new found position of high status to put Hindley into debt and buy out Wuthering Heights. After Hindley 's death, Heathcliff becomes the master of Wuthering Heights and takes Hindley 's son, Hareton Earnshaw, under his care as he proclaims, "Now, my Bonny lad, you are mine! And we 'll see if one tree won 't grow as crooked as another, with the same wind go

Obsessed with revenge, Heathcliff pushes Catherine away and when she passes away, he is tormented with grief. He explains to Nelly, “Nelly, there is a strange change approaching -- I’m in its shadow at present. I take so little interest in my daily life, that I hardly remember to eat and drink” (354). Although he has exacted revenge on Hindley, he is unable to find peace because he has lost the one thing that made him happy, Catherine. The revenge he takes on Hindley makes him lose Catherine completely. In fact, the only time he truly finds happiness is when he is dying and accepts the fact that he cannot take revenge on everyone and joins Catherine in