In the Victorian the social class was very important the lower class occupation would be for example factory workers or coal miners it would be unacceptable in this period for the higher class to marry a lower class, a bourgeois family would have professions of a doctor or a shop owner and the upper class would be titled and would have inherited their money which concludes to them not having to work. In this period social position and respectability were associated with the property.
Because Edgar Linton dies before ensuring his daughter Catherine will inherit Thrushcross grange is passed to her husband Linton and after Linton’s death to his father Heathcliff. In Wuthering heights Catherine tells Nelly she is marrying Edgar Linton because to marry Heathcliff would degrade her and because she plans to use Linton's money to rise. In eighteenth century England marriage between first cousins was looked upon favourably as a way of preserving their social position and their property. In this novel Catherine Linton marries her father’s sister’s son (cousin) and ends up losing her family seat.
Wuthering heights centres around the story of Heathcliff. The first paragraph of the novel provides us with some imagery of Heathcliff and how his ‘black eyes withdraw suspiciously under his brows’ at Lockwood portrays him to be a very dark and mysterious being. This then leads us into Nelly’s story beginning with his introduction to the Earnshaw family, his cruelty drives the entire plot and his death ends the book this engages us to understand him and his motivation, Heathcliff makes it difficult to be understood and the reader finds it hard to resist seeing what they want or expect to see however the novel suggests that this cruelty is a result of a was to express his frustrated love for Catherine.
However high our hopes are for Heathcliff to reform he shows he has only a desire for revenge against Hindley, Catherine, Edgar and others. Emily Bronte tests the reader to how much of Heathcliff’s violence and cruelty they can come to terms with and still insist on him as a romantic hero. It is significant that Heathcliff begins his life as a homeless orphan on the streets of Liverpool when Emily composed her book in 1840’s this was when the English economy was severely depressed the reader may easily sympathise with him and when he is powerless and as a child bullied by Hindley, but then he becomes a villain when he acquires power and returns to Wuthering heights with money. Considering the historical context Heathcliff seems to have the anxieties that the books upper and middle class audience had about working classes. This corresponds with the uncertainty the upper-class felt towards the lower classes, the upper classes had some sympathy towards the lower classes when they were miserable but they feared them trying to gain more power.
Heathcliff’s cruelty may also be due to his love hate relationship with Catherine nearer the end of her life as Heathcliff says ‘I repeat it till my tongue stiffens- Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living’ this may be portrayed as a very cruel thing to say however in other words he is telling her not to leave him until he is with her ‘You said I killed you haunt me then’.
Throughout the novel Heathcliff’s character develops especially with his attitude toward the people that treated him badly when he gains more power for example when he returns with more money he buys Wuthering heights to help Hindley pay off his gambling debit although this may seem a thoughtful and kind thing to do Heathcliff soon changes our opinion as he takes advantage of his power and turns it into revenge against Hindley and his child. In chapter 9 His love for Catherine also changes after Heathcliff overhears Catherine telly Nelly that she wants to marry Linton as marrying Heathcliff would degrade her and she wants to be rich
“It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am.”
Heathcliff goes away and comes back with more money and power which he believes will make Catherine want to marry him however he then find its to late an while he was away she marries Linton, so annoyed he comes back full with vengeance and Catherine and Heathcliff’s past love turns into a love hate relationship. Emily Bronte uses natural imagery to symbolise their love for each other.
In conclusion the reader can see Heathcliff is presented as an individual who has been detrimentally affected by his past. This has caused him to become the vengeful man has was. Heathcliff has many undesirable traits but I believe his past has played a big part in this. Although Heathcliff is a villain in this novel, at times the readers feel sympathetic towards him. For Example In chapter 15 Cathy begs Heathcliff to forgive her as she denied her heart and married Linton leaving Heathcliff alone Heathcliff visits as Cathy is dying from again a disease similar to TB in this chapter Heathcliff tells Cathy how he feels which helps the reader slightly to see why he is being so cruel as he is heartbroken He Says;
”‘You teach me now how cruel you've been - cruel and false. WHY did you despise me? WHY did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort. You deserve this. You have killed yourself.” This makes us feel some sympathy towards Heathcliff.
“You loved me - then what RIGHT had you to leave me? What right - answer me - for the poor fancy you felt for Linton? Because misery and degradation, and death, and nothing that God or Satan could inflict would have parted us, YOU, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart - YOU have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine”.
