How is Heathcliff's relationship with Hindley portrayed in chapters one to ten of Wuthering Heights?

As Heathcliff and Hindley grow older together the jealousy and hatred still exists. In Chapter Four, Nelly tells Lockwood of the time that Heathcliff and Hindley were in the stables and Heathcliff wanted Hindley’s horse as his own had become lame. Heathcliff attempts to blackmail Hindley by threatening to tell Mr Earnshaw of the bad things that Hindley has done to him saying, ‘I shall tell your father of the three thrashings you’ve given me this week, and show him my arm, which is black to the shoulder’. The fact that Heathcliff tries to blackmail Hindley to get his horse shows that Heathcliff is not totally innocent and takes advantage of the fact that he is Mr Earnshaw’s favourite. Hindley does not like the fact that Heathcliff has bribed him and is abusive to Heathcliff. Heathcliff uses this to get Hindley’s horse. Hindley says ‘take my colt, gipsy then! And I pray he may break your neck’. This tells us that Hindley is very violent and doesn’t really care about Heathcliff or if he is killed. Hindley also says ‘I hope he’ll kick out your brains!’ This shows that Hindley is rather unpleasant towards Heathcliff and frustrated that he was nasty to begin with and he allowed Heathcliff to gain the upper hand.

Even when Hindley treats Heathcliff badly, Heathcliff does not tell Mr Earnshaw. This shows that Heathcliff may fear Hindley or that he rises above it all. This could also be due to the fact that he wants to retain the knowledge, so that he can use it against Hindley on another occasion to his advantage. Nelly also stopped Heathcliff from telling in Chapter Four, showing, perhaps, that she protects Hindley. Nelly says she ‘persuaded him easily to let me lay the blame of his bruises on the horse’. This is so that Hindley will not get the blame for Heathcliff’s injuries. Nelly thought that the fact that Heathcliff let her put the blame on the horse, showed he is not vindictive, but she then goes on to say ‘I was deceived, completely, as you will hear’.

In Chapter Six, when Heathcliff and Hindley are older, Hindley returns from college with his wife, Frances.  By this time, Hindley’s father, Mr Earnshaw, has died, so Hindley is left as master of the household. Hindley uses every excuse to mistreat Heathcliff. Even the slightest thing would be ‘enough to rouse in him all his old hatred of the boy.’ This shows us that, even now that they are older, Hindley still has a strong dislike of Heathcliff. This hatred is not totally justified, though Hindley’s reason for hating Heathcliff was that he had ruined Hindley’s relationship with his father. Heathcliff had stolen Hindley’s father’s affection which made him naturally jealous of Heathcliff and made him ‘regard his father as an oppressor rather than a friend’.

Hindley is often drunk, so that Hareton, Hindley’s son, is even scared of him.  In Chapter Nine, Hindley is drunk and drops Hareton over the banister. Heathcliff comes in just at that moment and catches the child. Heathcliff is later annoyed that he caught Hareton and did something kind for Hindley and ‘had it been dark, he would have tried to remedy the mistake by smashing Hareton’s skull on the steps.’ This is evidence that Heathcliff is potentially violent as well as Hindley. The event also shows that he wants revenge for all Hindley’s mistreatment of him, as when he realises his good deed he is annoyed and upset ‘at having made himself the instrument of thwarting his own revenge’.

In conclusion, Emily Bronte shows the relationship between Hindley and Heathcliff through their actions, their speech and their thoughts, told through Lockwood’s frame narrative and Cathy’s diary. Each has a hatred of the other, a feeling that lasts from their childhood right through to adulthood. Hindley’s hatred stems from his jealous feelings that Heathcliff came into his family as an outsider and stole his father’s affection. Heathcliff’s own hatred is a response to Hindley’s mistreatment of him and could be viewed as retaliation or a desire for revenge.