Dichotomy In Frankenstein

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1. After Catherine’s death, the true dichotomy between Edgar and Heathcliff is revealed. While Edgar’s grief appears too painful to express outwardly, Heathcliff shows his bereavement in a way that one has come to expect. Soon after her death, Heathcliff bangs his head repeatedly against the trunk of a nearby tree and ceremoniously howls like the lone wolf he became when Catherine passed. This demonstrates both of their personalities, which have most definitely been shaped by their past. Edgar, who was raised with society’s expectations in mind, and Heathcliff, who is an orphan that was treated as an outsider the majority of his life, exhibit behavior that sums up their relationship with Catherine. Though Edgar truly loved her, Heathcliff portrayed such passion that Edgar’s feelings faded into the background. Affected by her death, Edgar quietly waited by her coffin, while Heathcliff wandered outside to the moors, where he and Catherine spent their childhood together. Heathcliff…show more content…
Though Heathcliff does demonstrate behavior that would indicate him as a fiend from hell, Bronte does portray him as an outsider. An orphan that was luckily “saved” by Mr. Earnshaw, HeaHHHhhhHhoishgslakgnsalkgnsadHeathcliff was not meant for Wuthering Heights, and for the majority of his childhood, he was not particularly welcome. He was repeatedly put down, most evident when Catherine acknowledges the fact that by marrying Heathcliff, she would have nothing. This forces him to accept the fact that his social status, or lack of one, forbids him from being with her. His actions when he returns from his absence are those of an impassioned man who is forced to watch his love be with another. He has never had any restrictions concerning his actions, allowing him to believe that he does not need to hide his affections and hatred. On account of his origins and social class, Heathcliff had to suffer. Not only from the abuse by Hindley, but the unrequited love that he experiences to his
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