Wuthering Heights Good Vs Evil Research Paper

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Evil comes in many shapes and sizes, yet sometimes it is difficult to distinguish that evil from good. The idea that man is inherently good or evil has been around for centuries, and has yet to be proven one way or the other. The factors of nature and nurture have caused man to be neither solely good nor evil, but rather the grey area in between. In literature, the dichotomy of good and evil is commonly used to accentuate the concept of perspective. Throughout Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is commonly displayed as a cruel, malicious, and detestable character, yet, the reader often finds him or herself feeling sorry for Heathcliff despite his malevolent nature. Emily Brontë inconsistently describes Heathcliff, causing the reader to have various…show more content…
Earnshaw is still alive, Hindley abuses Heathcliff because he is jealous of the attention is father gives Heathcliff, which ultimately causes Heathcliff’s actions to begin reflecting those of Hindley. Hindley calls Heathcliff a “dog,” and “pray[s] that [the horse] may break [his] neck” (Brontë 40). The hostile language that Hindley uses towards Heathcliff eliminates Heathcliff's innocence. Hindley continues by calling Heathcliff “imp of Satan” and expresses that once again, he “hope[s] [the horse will] kick out [Heathcliff’s] brains!” (40). The brutality that Hindley constantly shows and wishes upon the feeble Heathcliff demonstrates that the originator of the violence in the novel is Hindley. Not only does Hindley use his words to abuse Heathcliff, he also physically abuses him by “threatening him with an iron weight used for weighing potatoes and hay…” (39). After a while at Wuthering Heights, the constant evilness that Hidley displays rubs off onto Heathcliff, as he soon becomes a “fierce, pitiless, wolfish man” (102). Cathy describes to Isabella that Heathcliff has become very aggressive, and that “he’d crush [her] like a sparrow’s egg” (102). The beginning of Heathcliff’s transformation from a naturally good character to a demonic on is evident. The full metamorphosis of Heathcliff’s character however, does not happen until after the death of Mr.

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