Analysis on the Elements for the Formation of Heathcliff’s Personality in Wuthering Heights

1、編 號：河南大學(xué)2009屆本科畢業(yè)論文analysis on the elements for the formation of heathcliffs personality in wuthering heights淺析呼嘯山莊中影響希斯克里夫性格形成的因素論文作者名稱： 作 者 學(xué) 號： 所 在 學(xué) 院： 民生學(xué)院 所 學(xué) 專 業(yè)： 英語語言文學(xué) 導(dǎo)師姓名、職稱： 論文完成時間： 2009-05-18 analysis on the elements for the formation of heathcliffs personality in wuthering heights淺析呼嘯山

2、莊中影響希斯克里夫性格形成的因素 minsheng college henan universitymay 2009acknowledgementsmy study at henan university will soon come to an end. at the completion of my graduation thesis, i wish to express my sincere appreciation to all those who have offered me invaluable help during the four years of my undergrad

3、uate study here.firstly, i would like to heartily express my gratitude to my tutor, professor for his constant encouragement and guidance. the completion of the thesis benefits from his help and guidance. he helps me with going through all the stages of writing the thesis. due to lacking of experien

4、ce, it is inevitable to appear some mistakes. he patiently picks out my mistakes and helps me remedy them. if there is no my teachers guide, it is difficult for me to complete the thesis.secondly, i would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers who teach me during the four years c

5、ollege life, because they teach me how to be a useful person to the society and cultivate me to be a qualified citizen. finally, i would like to thank my family, friends and classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course

6、of the thesis. abstract wuthering heights is the unique novel written by emily bronte who was a british novelist in the nineteenth century. heathcliff, the protagonist, has always been a fully disputed man since the book was published. most readers think that he is a devilish person. however, some p

7、eople believe that the formation of his distorted personality is a reasonable reflection of his unfair treatment. heathcliffs personality experiences three times change, that is, from a naive boy with human beings merits to a devilish avenger after he suffers hurt and distorts his personality, then

8、to a normal person after he gives up his revenge. the article follows heathcliffs experiences and tries to analyze the elements for the formation of his personality from the three periods.key words wuthering heights; heathcliff; personality; elements for the formation摘要呼嘯山莊是十九世紀(jì)英國女作家艾米莉勃朗特的唯一的一部小說。自

9、從該書出版以來，主人公希斯克里夫就是一個備受爭論的人物。多數(shù)讀者認(rèn)為他是一個“魔鬼式”的人物，然而，也有人認(rèn)為他的扭曲性格的形成是受到不公正待遇后的正常反應(yīng)的結(jié)果。希斯克里夫從一個具有諸多人性美的男孩，到遭受傷害后扭曲了人性變成魔鬼式的復(fù)仇者，又到放棄復(fù)仇后的正常人。本文循著希斯克里夫的經(jīng)歷，試圖從這三個階段中希斯克里夫不同性格特點，探析影響造成他不同性格的因素。關(guān)鍵詞呼嘯山莊；希斯克里夫；性格特點；形成因素chapter one1. introduction1.1 plot summary“wuthering heights is beyond all doubt one of the mo

10、st extraordinary books which human genius has ever produced.” ralph fox, the revolutionary critic of england said. wuthering heights is the unique novel written by emily bronte. it is considered as a peculiar and strange book, because it is covered with a tinge of mystery and terror. love and reveng

11、e are the clues of the novel. the story goes as follows. heathcliff , the protagonist, is a gypsy waif picked up by mr. earnshaw one street of liverpool and brought up with hindley and catherine, who are the son and daughter of mr. earnshaw. he is always suffered maltreatment and discrimination from

12、 servants and hindley however, mr. earnshaw loves him more than his children. after mr. earnshaws death, hindley ill-treats him by all means. fortunately, catherine shows her sympathy with him and they plays innocently together, therefore, they fall in love gradually. however, when he hears catherin

13、e is going to marry edgar linton who is a rich man, the owner of thrushcross grange, he leaves runs away. everything changes since then. after three years left, heathcliff goes back as a rich man to take his revenge. a great conflict occurs to heathcliff and hindley, catherine falls ill since then.

14、catherine dies after she gives birth to little catherine, heathcliff continues with his revenge on hindley, linton and the next generation. during the revenge, heathcliff has always haunted by catherines spirit nearly for twenty years. after finishes his revenge, he finds hareton, hindleys son, and

15、little catherine fall in love, but he is not willing to prevent them because he sees catherines eyes from theirs. he dies of insanity at last.1.2 thesis statementthe book has brought about lots of dispute since it was published, especially, the protagonist, heathcliff, who becomes to be a hot topic.

16、 some people think he is a demon, while others send their sympathy and understanding to him because they think it is a reasonable response to his unfair treatment. however, the author thinks one can not judge him only by his deed during revenge, because heathcliffs personality is not static but vari

17、ed in three different periods. in general, heathcliffs personality has experienced three times great change, that is, from a boy with human beings merits to a devil then to a man who recovers his humanity. what does cause the formation of his personality in the three different periods? there are bot

18、h objective and subjective elements. it is love that keeps him a good boy before catherines marriage. the formation of heatgcliffs distorted personality results from catherines betrayal to their love, special circumstance and heathcliffs own character during his revenge. the unhappiness and emptines

19、s, and the non- destructive of love and humanity in heathcliffs mind promote him recovery.chapter two2. the elements for the formation of heathcliffs personality before catherines marriage2.1 heathcliffs personality before catherines marriage“his name consists of two words heath (an open piece of wi

20、ld land without any farm) and cliff (a high very steep face of rock and a coast). these two words make readers feel and ferocious, but heathcliff is not born with a cruel and ferocious personality” (li, 2008:71). as a matter of fact, heathcliff possesses many human beings merits when he comes to wut

21、hering heights. first, he is a tolerant boy. “he would stand hindleys blows without winking or shedding a tear, and my pinches moved him only to draw in a breath and open his eyes, as if he had hurt himself by accident and nobody was to blame” (bronte, 2003:44 ).he could have treated them as what th

22、ey do, however, he seldom complains about it. he knows clearly that mr. earnshaw regards him as his own son and treats him better than hindley. if he tells what hindley and nelly do, mr. earnshaw will scold them for him. however, he endures silently. second, he is persevering and quiet boy. even tho

23、ugh nelly, the nurse, who dislikes heathcliff very much in the first place, yet she is moved by heathcliffs hardness against illness. she says “he was the quietest child that ever nurse watched over” (bronte, 2003: 45). third, he is a kindhearted and innocent boy. he is a common person as others wit

24、h human feeling. when mr. earnshaw dies, heathcliff sets up a heart-breaking cry and does his utmost to comfort catherine with the thought: “no parson in the world ever pictured heaven as beautifully as they did, in their innocent talk” (bronte, 2003:52).it shows that he is a good boy with human bei

25、ngs emotion. because of his innocence and kindhearted, he gains catherines love gradually, who dislikes him at the beginning. fourth, he is ambitious. he has his own dream as others, that is, he desires to be a handsome, rich, elegant and civilized person. when he sees the bright and graceful cather

26、ine go home from thrushcross grange, he tells nelly: “make me decent, i am going to be good.” “i wish i had light hair and a fair skin, and was dressed and behaved as well, and had a chance of being as rich as he will be”(bronte, 2003:67-68). although the author did not tell readers clearly what mer

27、its does heathcliff possess, yet the author hinted that heathcliff is a youth who has many merits of human nature through other people love and care to him. since mr. earnshaw loves him more than his own son, heathcliff must have many merits that attract mr. earnshaws attention.2.2 the elements for

28、the formation of his personalitywhen heathcliff comes to wuthering heights in the first place, he is not welcomed. almost everyone has an aversion to him, especially, hindley. just as nellys words“his treatment of the latter (heathcliff) was enough to make a fiend of a saint” (bronte, 2003:81). howe

29、ver poor the condition is, his humanity is not destroyed totally. what keeps him a good boy? it is love. it is mr. earnshaws and catherines love that supports him to go through. 2.2.1 mr. earnshaws fatherly love to himon the one hand, mr. earnshaw treats him better than his own children. mr. earnsha

30、w“took to heathcliff strangely, believing all he said, and petting him up far above cathy” (bronte, 2003:44). he knows his position in earnshaws heart, because of mr. earnshaws love, “he had only to speak and all the house would be obliged to bend to his wishes” (bronte, 2003:45). however, he never

31、makes trouble to mr. earnshaw in return for mr. earnshaws love. therefore, when hindley bullies him, he always endures the pain and humiliation silently and never tells it to mr.earnshaw. because he is a waif and never enjoys parents love, so he regards mr. earnshaws love as bliss and treasure it ve

32、ry much. he is not willing to destroy it, so no matter how hindley ill- treats him, he will let everything go and be tolerant. 2.2.2 catherines love to himon the other hand, after mr. earnshaws death, it is catherines love that gives him strength to endure the humiliation from others. catherine is a

33、 headstrong, mischievous and wayward girl. even though she dislikes him at the beginning, because they have something in common in their nature, catherine loves him gradually and has a good relationship with him. so, after mr. earnshaw dies, catherine becomes to be the only spiritual support for him

34、 to live. “she was much too fond of heathcliff. the greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him: yet she got chided more than any of us on his account” (bronte, 2003: 50). it shows that she loves heathcliff heartily and they have been indivisible. when mr. earnshaw

35、is alive, it is catherine who comforts and plays with heathcliff as he is bullied by hindley. when mr. earnshaw is dead, hindley degrades him into a servant and maltreats him by all means; it is catherine who helps him with doing work and plays with him in field, meanwhile, teaches him what she lear

36、nt. “it was one of their amusements to run away to the moors in the morning and remain there all the day and the after punishment grew a mere thing to laugh at.” “joseph might thrash heathcliff till his arm ached; they forgot everything the minute they were together again” (bronte, 2003:55). two of

37、them can not separate from each other. heathcliff is also fond of staying with catherine, because he can feel the dignity as a man. “as a mater of fact, their love makes him strong to stand everything unfair. catherine is his spiritual mainstay and the hope of his life” (li, 2008:71). after mr. earn

38、shaws death, he is still tolerant not because he is cowardly but because catherine. only if he possesses catherines love, he will forget all pain and humiliation; only if he possesses catherines love, there is reason for him to continue living. he regards his love to catherine more important than hi

39、s own life. the love is supreme in his heart, and it can not be substituted by any thing. therefore, only if they still love each other, he will not change his attitude of kindness to the whole world.“when the conflict between love of the soul and society does not occur, love of the soul is till in

40、the dominant position undoubtedly” (wu, 2007:107). so, heathclff shows more love than hate before catherines marriage. because of mr. earnshaw;s love to him, he shows his tolerance and leniency to people around him in return; because of catherines loyal love to him, he endures peoples ill-treatment

41、to him. under the guide of love, his honest and kind nature develops very well. only if there are people concerned about him and loving him, he will not rebel against them regardless of maltreatment and humiliation. “the sweet love makes him willing to devote his whole life to catherine, living in t

42、he shadow of catherine forever, even though he is ordered by hindley and mocked by others, he is never mind”(li, 2009).chapter three3. the elements for the formation of heathcliffs personality during his revenge3.1 heathcliffs personality during his revenge catherines marriage is deathly stroke to h

43、im. when he hears catherine will marry to linton, he leaves wuthering heights. his personality is gradually distorted since then. he is distorted to be a vampire, a devil, just as he says: “i have no pity! i have no pity! the more the worms writhe, the more i yearn to crush out their entrails” (bron

44、te, 2003:198)! the disgusted words show that his personality is totally twisted. he has lost human beings merits and the common sympathies of human nature. he has become an oppressor. first, he is destroyer as hindley. little catherine is a kindhearted, gentle and hospitable girl in the first place,

45、 but under heathcliffs torture, she not only loses her property but also loses her spiritual property and becomes to be an arrogant and indifference woman. besides, “he controls wuthering heights and takes an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (zhang, 2008). he trains hareton as an idiot and let h

46、im live in the shadow of him. take an example, after hindleys death, he says to hareton: “now, my bonny lad, you are mine! and we will see if one tree imwont grow as crooked as another with the same wind to twist it” (bronte, 2003:244)! heathcliff deprives hareton of receiving education as hindley d

47、oes to him. he tries his best to cultivate hareton to be a rascal. “he appeared to have bent his malevolence on making him a brute: he was never taught to read or write; never rebuked for any bad habit which did not annoy his keeper; never led a single step towards virtue, or guarded by a single pre

48、cept against vice”(bronte,2003:256). so, he is a destroyer both on mental and on physical. second, he is emotionless, cold-blooded and brutal. to some extent, heathcliff expedite hindleys death. however, when hindleys coffin is passing from the house, something like exultation appears in heathcliffs

49、 countenance. what is worse, his son is only a tool for his revenge. he shows little emotion towards him. in heathcliffs eyes, his son is less important than money. when little catherine tells him that little linton is seriously ill and should send for a doctor, however, heathcliff answers coldly: “

50、we know that, but his life is not worth a farthing, and i wont spend a farthing on him” (bronte, 2003:383). his cruelty shows not only on treating human but also on treating animal. he hates isabella, and he hates anything related with her. he says to nelly: “the first thing she saw me do, on coming

51、 out of the grange, was to hang up her little dog; and when she pleaded for it, the first words i uttered were a wish that i had the hanging of every being belonging to her” (bronte, 2003:196). all of these show that heathcliffs personality has been distorted seriously. heathcliff, who is engulfed b

52、y hatred, transmutes into a devil and is swallowing his so-called enemies heart and soul.3.2 the elements for the formation of his distorted personalitythere are objective and subjective elements for the formation of his distorted personality. 3.2.1 catherines betrayal to their love first, catherine

53、s betrayal to their love is the direct and most important reason. when heathcliff hears catherines words that she will marry linton and it will degrade her to marry heathcliff, his heart is broken. catherines betrayal makes the remained love to the world in him lost. then the crazy love to catherine turns into crazy hatred. the humanity in him is totally destroyed. after many years discrimination and maltreatment, the poor man loses the only person who loves him in the world, so his hatred is up to the limit and he is driven to extremes. “the utmost love must lead to the utmos