Part 2 of Heathcliff???

(Quick Disclaimer: I have not wanted to read anymore until I wrote this blog, but I have procrastinated writing it for two days now, so this blog only contains info from chapters 1 – 25.)

Heathcliff is one of the most interesting and complex characters I have read about in a long time. It is actually quite refreshing to be following a character that is not supposed to be good or the hero of the story. He is twisted, self-absorbed, and has an unhealthy obsession with revenge and the Catherine Lintons. But by far the most interesting thing about Heathcliff is his relationship with (the first) Catherine.

I could try to do an analysis on this relationship and how it affects themes and character development, but it would not be that deep and I do not think it would be correct because there is almost certainly more information to come that would change it. Instead, I am just going to highlight a few scenes I consider key and give my thoughts on them.

One of the biggest scenes is after Mr. Linton orders Heathcliff out of his house and away from Catherine. Heathcliff later claims that although he ardently dislikes Mr. Linton, he would never harm him or keep Catherine away from him because Catherine loves him still. (I think that’s what he says, but I can’t find the passage so just yell at me in a comment if I completely misremembered that.) This is so interesting to me because, while Heahcliff appears to follow this sentiment while Catherine is still alive, he seems to completely disregard it after Catherine dies. He now is completely bent on getting revenge on Mr. Linton despite Catherine’s love for him. This idea can be extrapolated on with Heathcliff’s dealings with Hindley and Hareton. Even after Nelly upbraids Heathcliff for how he treats them and urges Heathcliff to honor Catherine’s love for them, he continues his abuse of them. If there were not other scenes contradicting this idea, I would say that Heathcliff’s love for Catherine died with her.

Interesting scene number two: Catherine is dying from some illness (a broken heart???) and is begging Heathcliff to forgive her. He replies with “I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer–but yours! How can I?” (p. 156). Heathcliff is not a forgiving man. He is the kind of man that makes elaborate revenge plots against everyone who has ever slighted him. So the fact that he is willing to forgive what Catherine has done to him speaks volumes of his love for her. Yet, he has not really forgiven her because in his eyes Catherine killed herself by denying her love for him. So did he really forgive her? Then there is the implication that Catherine has killed him because he claims to “love [his] murderer.” I just love how so much can be gleaned about Heathcliff’s character from just a single quotation.

Finally, in chapter 3, we have our first introduction to Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship, but from Lockwood’s point of view. Lockwood dreams that Catherine is trying to get in the window, and in this dream she claims that she “lost her way on the moor” and has “been a waif for twenty years” (p. 25). Lockwood tells Heathcliff this, and in anguish Heathcliff cries out “Come in! . . . Cathy, do come. Oh do–once more! Oh! my heart’s darling! hear me this time, Catherine, at last!” (p. 28). This scene shows that, contrary to my earlier speculation, Heathcliff still loves Catherine. If I have my timeline correct, twenty years from this time is right about when Catherine died. So ever since Catherine died, Heathcliff has been desperately searching for and calling out for her, and in his mind Catherine is not at peace in death. She is lost and desolate, forever wandering the moors, which is completely opposite of Nelly’s thoughts. It makes me wonder why does he believe she is not at peace? Is it because he is not at peace without her, so he projects his distress on her? Is it because of the conversation her overheard Catherine having with Nelly where she claimed to be desolate in Heaven?