What first impressions does Bronte create of Heathcliff during the first 3 chapters of the book?

As Lockwood enters the house, Bronte describes how lifeless the house is, with the kitchen ‘forced to retreat into another quarter’ , and begins to describe in detail the intimidating and threatening furniture and accessories-.’swarm of squealing puppies’ ,’villainous old guns’ ‘cutlery and plates towering row after row’, and the house seems to reflect Heathcliff’s  menacing personality.  Lockwood’s first impressions of Heathcliff show the complex and contrasting images he presents simultaneously, quoting, ‘But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style of living’, as Lockwood was expecting a more ‘homely northern farmer’, Bronte continues to describe Heathcliff as a ‘handsome, erect, and dark-skinned man’ who seems almost to be a ‘gypsy’; on the other hand, he has the manners and dress of a gentleman, though rather ‘morose’. His menace is emphasized by the manner his dialogs and actions are described; Heathcliff does not speak – he ‘growls’, and while they gnarl at Lockwood, Heathcliff ‘growls in unison’, and by associating him with the dogs, Bronte emphasizes his aggressiveness and animalistic tendencies, and in fact Heathcliff seems to be less hostile when he discovers his dogs pouncing on Lockwood, giving the impression he enjoys inflicting distress or pain on others. After this chapter, we begin to realise how different these two characters are, although Lockwood still finds Heathcliff rather ‘sociable’, however he changes his mind very quickly about the ‘capital fellow’, when he sees how he responds to Lockwood's second visit.

During the second and third chapter, readers begin to sympathise with Heathcliffe as we learn about his past from diary extracts of a Catherine Earnshaw. We discover Heathcliff has a close relationship with this Catherine, and how her brother Hindley abused Heathcliff severely while they were young. By introducing this, Bronte gives us the impression that Heathcliff’s behaviour now can be forgivable, because if he really had suffered such violence while younger, this may be the cause of his bitterness and hostility now. While Lockwood falls asleep, he has a nightmare in which a ghost calling herself Catherine Linton, tries to break through the window to enter. Heathcliff’s response to the nightmare is most interesting, and as Lockwood leaves the room in shock, Heathcliff begs for the ghost to come back, passionately crying out  ‘ Catherine, my hearts darling ‘and  he seems to want, or even need, this ghost to haunt him.  Bronte makes it clear in this scene Heathcliff’s all-consuming love and passion for this Catherine, and uses phrases like ‘anguish’, and ‘gush of grief’, to describe the pain heathcliffe feels. We start to see Heathcliff in a more positive light, as such a strong display of passion and grief can be seen as admirable.

At the start of chapter one, Lockwood claims he and Heathcliffe have in common a dislike of other humans and society, however after chapter three we realise how different these two characters are. Our impressions of Heathcliff are mixed; Bronte initially presents him unattractively, as a hostile, morose man with a brutal nature who likes solitude, however after chapter three, when we discover about Hindley’s ill-treatment of him, Bronte gives the impression that Heathcliffe has been wronged and we begin to feel more sympathetic towards him. This is heightened in the scene with Catherine and we get the impression that maybe, he is not entirely bad if he is capable of experiencing such strong emotions like love and grief, and we begin discover the depth to Heathcliff’s character.