Heathcliff as a Romantic Character (on a novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte) Essay

Is Heathcliff Really a Romantic Character?
Although it embodies the features of Romanticism, Gothic novel and Realism, at first glance Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” of course seems to be a purely Romantic piece of literature. Uncontrollable passions and wild heroes, mysteries and sufferings, “demonic” characters make the reader view it in the light of Romanticism. Moreover, this understanding is sometimes followed by the interpretation of Heathcliff as a Romantic character, even “Byronic hero”! This point of view seems rather disputable, especially if you imagine Heathcliff how he was in the end of the book – old, vindictive, cruel and detestable.
But he starts his course of life rather Romantic-like. Heathcliff is a founding, brought to Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw. Nobody knows about his past, nobody knows where he comes from and who his parents are. Maybe he is even an illegitimate child of Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine’s half-brother (incestual love, Gothic novels…)? We never know, because Emily Bronte leaves this secret undisclosed. The readers are free to imagine anything they want, as well as Heathcliff himself. And who knows, maybe Nelly’s words about his origin even do have some sense?


There is another mystery connected with this character. When he found out about Catherine’s decision to marry Edgar Linton he left Wuthering Heights and for tree years he was missing. Nobody knew where he was, and just like the secret of his birth, this remains a mystery


But I think that when he returns home after this strange disappearance, he stops being Romantic to any extent. He returned with a manic, base and ruthless desire to revenge. And whom does he hurt in this fury? People who are dear to Catherine and eventually herself! (Because I believe that he was responsible for Catherine’s death). Thus he betrays his love, this passion that only made his actions Romantic. The situation reminds the one from Fizgerald’s “Great Gatsby”, when Jay Gatsby...