Abstract
Wuthering Heights is one of the famous British writer Emily Bronte’ representative novels. The book is mainly about a love story with beautiful and melancholy and revenge. Heathcliff was adopted by the old Earnshaw. He just took back to Wuthering Height. Heathcliff, the hero in Wuthering Heights, is a key figure in the novel. Heathcliff has roared and strong passion of love and hate. However, between god and evil, Heathcliff has a complex character. In this thesis, the author makes an attempt to give a thorough analysis of the complex character of Heathcliff and digs into the causes of his character. Heathcliff’s human nature was kind, but Hindley's persecution and Catherine's betrayal destroyed his kind. So he liked a demon to revenge all who hurt him. Meanwhile, Heathcliff is loyal to his love and also he has a contradictory view of love. So in the end, he was moved by Cathy and Hareton's love. His goodness of human nature recovered from the two people’s love with warmth sunshine. Heathcliff’s complex character is caused by his miserable self-experience and the cruel capitalism. Under the social background at that time, his tragic fate is doomed to be inevitable. Through the detailed character analysis, we are able to have a comprehensive understanding of Heathcliff. This thesis aims at helping readers to have a further understanding of the complex human nature.
Key words: Wuthering Heights Heathcliff Emily Bronte character
Contents
Abstract I
Contents II
1.Introduction..................................................................................1-2
1.1Brief Introduction to the Author............................................... ..1
1.2Brief Introduction to Wuthering Heights..................................1-2
2. Character Analysis of Heathcliff.............................................. 2-5
2.1Kindness................................................................................. 2-3
2.1.1Affection of the old Earnshaw.................................. ….2
2.1.2Love for Catherine...................................................... …3
2.2Evilness................................................................................. .3-5
2.2.1 Malicious revenge........................................................... .4
2.2.2 Paranoid crazy love........................................................4-5
2.2.3Numbness of the human nature............................ …….....5
2.3The recovery of humanity..................................................... …..5
3. The Causes of Heathcliff’s Character..................................... 5-8
3.1 The Influence of Heathcliff’s self-experience.......................6-8
3.1.1 The miserable experience of childhood........................ 6-7
3.1.2The miserable life of adulthood..................................... 7-8
3.2The Influence of the Society..................................................... ..8
Conclusion …..9
References …… 10
