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Sarah George
British Authors
Dr. Workman
Final Paper
12/8/14

5) The novel is structured partially as a revenge drama in which Heathcliff gains mastery
over other characters. Select one of them and show how this happens. What does
Heathcliff do to gain his power and what consequences result? What are his specific
motivations and what are those of the other character in response? Is the ending
inevitable or could something different have happened?
In the novel, Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is seen or perceived as a mistreated character in
the early chapters. Heathcliff himself feels that he is treated unfairly based on who and what he
is, therefore, when he finally returns to Wuthering Heights a wealthy man, Heathcliff is
determined to ruin those who had wronged him. Hindley Earnshaw, in particular, was, perhaps,
the first person who fell victim to Heathcliffs revenge plot.
From the moment that Mr. Earnshaw brought Heathcliff home, Hindley hated him. In chapter
4, Heathcliffs horse becomes lame and tries to blackmail Hindley into trading horses or
Heathcliff will go tell Mr. Earnshaw about all the beatings that Hindley has inflicted on
Heathcliff (39). Hindley refuses and throws an iron weight at Heathcliffs chest. Nelly interferes
and does not let Heathcliff tell Mr. Earnshaw. From there, the hostility that Hindley feels towards
Heathcliff only grows. Mr. Earnshaw is blatant in his favoritism of Heathcliff over Hindley and
when Mr. Earnshaw finally dies, Hindley is thrust into a position of power over Heathcliff.
In chapter 6, Hindley and his wife, Frances, force Heathcliff to be a servant of the household,
and later to be a laborer outdoors (46). Heathcliff takes this fairly well at first because he still has
Cathy. When Cathy is injured and stays at the Lintons, Heathcliffs position is slowly solidified.

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In chapter 7, Cathy returns to Wuthering Heights much changed and Hindley is happy to see how
far Heathcliff is removed from polite society (53).
In chapter 10, Heathcliff returns to Wuthering Heights after fleeing. Heathcliff tells Cathy
that he only wanted to see her face and then he has a score to settle with Hindley (96). This
score is probably in response to the torture and degradation that Hindley put Heathcliff
through. Heathcliff is now a wealthy man and Hindley still feels that he can take advantage of
Heathcliff and take his money. In chapter 11, it becomes clear that Heathcliff has begun his
revenge by teaching young Hareton to swear and curse, as well as not allowing the curate to
teach Hareton (110). In chapter 13, it becomes obvious that Hindley is obsessed with Heathcliff.
Hindley is an alcoholic and gambler and Heathcliff takes advantage of this to gain his revenge.
Heathcliff gambles with Hindley and his friends making it clear that Heathcliff now has a
fortune. Although Hindley suffers deep losses, he is adamant in the fact that he WILL get his
money back as well as all of Heathcliffs gold (139).
Cathy has died and in chapter 17, Isabella goes to Thrushcross Grange to see Nelly. She
tells Nelly how Hindley was supposed to go to the funeral but drank himself into a stupor (170).
It is clear that while Hindley has sunk deeper and deeper into drink, he has also sunk deeper and
deeper into debt to Heathcliff. Heathcliff has assumed the role of the head of the house. Hindley
plans to murder Heathcliff, but Isabella warns him and the two men fight (174). Hindley is
injured and Heathcliff proceeds to beat him.
A few days later, Nelly receives the news that Hindley has died. She is shocked and goes
to Wuthering Heights to get Hareton. When she gets there, Heathcliff tells her of how Hindley
locked himself in the house and drank himself to death deliberately (183). At the end of the

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chapter, Nelly discovers that Hindley had mortgaged everything he owned to Heathcliff for cash
to gamble with.
With Hindleys death, Heathcliff has now enacted his full revenge upon Hindley.
Heathcliff now owns Wuthering Heights, Hareton is forced to depend on his fathers greatest
enemy and is reduced to be nothing more than a servant (184). In the end, Heathcliff fed
Hindleys gambling addiction for his own gain, ultimately owning the house, land, and
everything else Hindley once owned. Hindley, before his death, became resentful of the way he
was dependent on Heathcliff, to the point of wanting to kill Heathcliff. Heathcliffs vengeance
was complete.
I believe that nothing would have stopped Heathcliff from trying to get retribution against
Hindley. The only way for the outcome to have changed, was if Hindley had been different.
Perhaps if Frances hadnt died, Heathcliff wouldnt have been let into the house, and Hindley
wouldnt have fallen so deep into debt. Other than that, Hindleys hatred for Heathcliff, and
Heathcliffs resentment towards Hindley was, in the long run, too deep and strong for anything
other than the conclusion that Emily Bront envisioned for these two damaged men.

6) Find a definition of tragic hero online and using its characteristics, discuss whether or
not Healthcliff is qualified to be included in that grouping.

A tragic hero is, by literary definition, a privileged and exalted character with a good
reputation that, due to some terrible tragedy or flaw, experiences a fall from glory and into
suffering (DiYanni). In order for Heathcliff to be qualified as a tragic hero, he would need to be a
moral man, with a high reputation. Heathcliff is neither of these things. No one knows where
Heathcliff comes from. He does not even have a last name. In chapter 4, when Mr. Earnshaw

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brings Heathcliff home, it is clear that no one would accept him into the household as one of
their own. There is also the speculation of Heathcliff being a gypsy (37). With this stigma,
Heathcliff is far from the favored and loved child that becomes the tragic hero.
Heathcliffs greatest tragedy or tragic flaw is his inability to control his emotion. Heathcliff is
quick to anger, quick to jealousy, and quick to avenge himself. Because he ran away so suddenly,
without asking for an explanation or even waiting to see what more Cathy would say (80), many
lives were changed drastically, including his own. This is may be the only reason that Heathcliff
would ever be considered a tragic hero.
Heathcliff never experiences any type of glory from which to fall from. He was always the
lowly boy, and later lowly servant, that all, but Cathy, looked down upon. Even when he returns
to Wuthering Heights after running away, not one person, except Cathy again, is happy to see
him. There is no heros welcome, or any welcome at all (94).The only achievement Heathcliff
had was when he returned to Wuthering Heights with a large fortune. Though no one knows how
he acquired this, I feel that it is obvious that he did not do it ethically or legally, based on the way
Heathcliff practically steals Wuthering Heights from Hindley.
While I feel some sympathy for Heathcliff and the suffering he endured, there is very little in
his life that could be contributed to being qualified as a tragic hero. Much of his troubles were
brought upon himself and the choices he made. It is indeed tragic how his life turned out, but the
blame can only be placed on Heathcliff.

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Works Cited
Bront, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2004. Print.
DiYanni, Robert. "Glossary of Drama Terms." Online Learning Center. McGraw Hil, 2002. Web.
6 Dec. 2014.
<http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/drama_glossary.html>.