But then her tone changes to one of sympathy and less contempt due to circumstances which require her to overlook her acts. These circumstances are the illness. She uses the words “at once, I changed my ideas.” These words reveal the change in the state of mind towards Heathcliff. She was “softened towards the being.” The word softened portrays less hatred and instead Heathcliff was rewarded with a bit of sympathy from Nelly. But the word “being” at after the word softened still indicates a bit of contempt because it does not seem very humane. Nelly also uses the diction “harassed me terribly” and “the quietest child” as a contrast between the children and Heathcliff. She was annoyed which why the word harassed is used to describe the children while the words used for Heathcliff were “the quietest child.” Quietest indicates that he did not disturb her which allowed her hatred to subside and was directed at the children in the form of annoyance. This “forces her to be less partial” the word forces indicates that she it was done against her will. She wanted to maintain her hatred towards Heathcliff but she still changed it a bit. Her state of mind causes Hindley to lose his last ally. The different tones in this passage demonstrate Nelly’s state of mind towards Heathcliff indicating that his presence was discomforting and life-changing. Her tone also indicates that social class difference causes people to judge before they get to know the person which is what Nelly did. Her tone was hatred at the beginning when all she could see was the social class conflict clouding her judgment but when she knew him it became sympathetic with a little of contempt.
The characterization in this passage further indicates the social class difference and how Heathcliff’s presence in the Wuthering Heights causes turmoil. The members of the family become involved in the fighting and their relationships become spiteful. Heathcliff in this passage is characterized as “a usurper of his parent’s affections and his privileges.” This shows that Heathcliff is gaining all the attention from Mr. Earnshaw which causes Hindley to “regard his father as an oppressor rather than a friend.” The characterization implies that Heathcliff is splitting the father and son apart therefore causing a bad relationship between father and son. This made Hindley “bitter with brooding over these injuries.” This characterization of Hindley further supports the idea that Hindley does not like Heathcliff due to Heathcliff getting his privileges. The characterization of Hindley being bitter also foreshadows the revenge that Hindley wants to implement on Heathcliff. So this characterization shows that Heathcliff’s presence is beginning to cause turmoil in the family.
Heathcliff is also characterized as a “sullen boy who never repaid his indulgence by any sign of gratitude. He was not insolent, he was simply insensible, though knowing perfectly the hold he had on his heart, and conscious he had only to speak and all the house would be obliged to bend to his wishes.” This characterization demonstrates Heathcliff’s knowledge of the hold he has in the family which foreshadows all the damage he could do in the family if he was provoked. In this characterization he is not completely malicious but he is not nice which makes Nelly feel discomfort along with the reader. This information makes readers wonder whether the hold that Heathcliff has in the family will be used to exact revenge on Hindley for the tyranny he had to withstand. Although the readers know that Heathcliff is being mistreated, this characterization makes him seem less innocent since he was not grateful or completely mean.
So the characterization of Heathcliff is used mainly to portray the power he has in the family even though he is of a lower social class and the damage he has already inflicted or will later inflict in the story. I think that these characterizations make him hard to understand and therefore the desire to understand him and his motivations keep the readers engaged in the novel.
Imagery is also used to show how the family is beginning the turmoil by using the simile he was uncomplaining as a lamb; though hardness, not gentleness, made him give little trouble. This simile gives the imagery of a child dangerously ill yet uncomplaining while two other children screaming at the nurse. This therefore causes Nelly to feel sympathy for the child. This made Hindley lose his last ally. This shows that the family is now taking Heathcliff’s side and not the side of one of their own children. This shows that the family is now in Heathcliff’s control and he is overthrowing their habits and causing problems.
In conclusion, diction, tone, imagery, and characterization are used by Bronte to illustrate the change of the state of mind, the social class difference and how Heathcliff’s presence causes turmoil. The tone is used to indicate the Nelly’s change of mind and how Heathcliff is now gaining control of the family. He can cause family relationships to end in spitefulness. The reader may easily sympathize with him when he is powerless, as a child tyrannized by Hindley Earnshaw, but he becomes a villain when he acquires power and returns to Wuthering Heights with money and the trappings of a gentlemen.
