Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights is a story of lies, deceit, and revenge. The novels main villain, Heathcliff, was a victim of his environment as well as being a cruel and calculating person. Bronte's villain can be interpreted as one of the cruelest and most evil men that ever lived, while at the same time the reader can maintaining a thought of sympathy for him. His circumstances and actions both lead to these statement being true. However it seems that Heathcliff is cruel and calculating due to his circumstances and environment. All of these views about Wuthering heights villain however can be proven true by the text.
Heathcliff is first introduced when Mr. Lockwood, the tenant of Thrushcross Grange, comes to visit him. From there, Nelly the housekeeper of Thrushcross narrates the story and the reader is taken back to the time when Heathcliff was a young, gypsy boy.
Title page of original edition of Wuthering Height...
English: Ponden Kirk 'Penistone Cragg' A rock at t...
English: Part of Ponden Hall, Stanbury Emily Bront...Heathcliff was found on the streets of Liverpool by Mr. Earnshaw, who brought him home to live at Wuthering Heights. When Mr. Earnshaw introduced him to the family they were less that pleased. At first Heathcliff is viewed as a thing rather than a human being. This therefore made him subject to being tormented and rejected. On the first evening Heathcliff was at Wuthering Heights Mrs. Earnshaw was, "ready to fling it out of doors" (Bronte, Pg. 32) and Nelly states that she, "had put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow" (Pg. 33). The presence of Heathcliff in the Wuthering Heights residence seems to be very disruptive to the family welfare. Upon his appearance, the family starts to fall apart. Mr. Earnshaw takes a liking to Heathcliff and Catherine follows not long after. However, Hindley notices that Heathcliff has...