Moral Poison Heathcliff as an Antihero - 1291 Words

In literature, a hero is fundamentally a paragon of moral strength while a villain is a challenger of virtue. As the protagonist of Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff fulfills the broadest definition of a literary hero but this only thinly veils his dark delight in causing torment that places him squarely in the realms of villainy. His only trace of humanity is revealed by the transcendent love he shares with Catherine. It is this value that evokes sympathy from the audience and mitigates his immorality, rendering him an antihero rather than a villain. Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s choice to portray Heathcliff so heinously allows vengeance to overwhelm love as the salient theme of the novel and therefore elucidates the darkest and most†¦show more content†¦The way in which the novel is structured allows for more sympathy towards Heathcliff, as the reader experiences his hardships and isolation in childhood that become causes of his actions later on in the novel. The story begins with a portrait of Heathcliff as a cold, reserved host, establishing the personality he has as an adult before jumping back to his childhood. Because of the lack of background information, the reader automatically distances themself from Heathcliff. As the plot returns to the past and reveals the unwarranted terrorizing to which Hindley subjects Heathcliff, the reader begins to grasp the reason why he grows up into such a desensitized, unpleasant adult. With the experience of Heathcliff’s difficult upbringing, the reader also better understands his need to exact revenge on Hindley, his love for Catherine (as it grew out of the isolation of his childhood), and the parallel between Hareton’s childhood and his own. The progression of his character becomes apparent and the contempt for Heathcliff from the beginning of the novel is softened by the sympathy that comes from understanding the reasons behind his behavior. Heathcliff’s role as an antiher o stems from his imbalance of good and bad characteristics and the way that the novel is presented allows