希克列夫人物性格.docx

希克列夫人物性格.docx

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希克列夫人物性格

AnAnalysisonHeathcliff’sDistortedCharacter

Introduction

WutheringHeights,whichhaslongbeenoneofthemostpopularandhighlyregardednovelsinEnglishliterature,seemedtoholdlittlepromisewhenitwaspublishedin1847,sellingverypoorlyandreceivingonlyafewmixedreviews.Victorianreadersfoundthebookshockingandinappropriateinitsdepictionofpassionate,ungovernedloveandcruelty（despitethefactthatthenovelportraysnosexorbloodshed）,andtheworkwasvirtuallyignored.Itwasnotuntil1850,whenWutheringHeightsreceivedasecondprintingwithanintroductionbyEmily'ssisterCharlotte,thatitattractedawidereadership.Andfromthatpointthereputationofthebookhasneverlookedback.Today,WutheringHeightshasasecurepositioninthecanonofworldliterature,andEmilyBronteisreveredasoneofthefinestwriters—maleorfemale—ofthenineteenthcentury.AnditisalsowidelyrecognizedasoneofthegreatnovelsofEnglishliterature.

I.BackgroundAnalysis

A.ABriefReviewofWutheringHeights

WutheringHeightsshowedusastoryaboutloveandrevenge:

theabandonedboyHeathcliffwasadoptedbyMr.EarnshawandlivedwithMr.Earnshaw’ssonHindleyanddaughterCatherine.HindleydislikedHeathcliff.HeinsultedandmaltreatedHeathcliffineverypossiblewayafterMr.Earnshaw’sdeath.Atthesametime,peculiaremotionoccurredbetweenCatherineandHeathcliff.Becauseofvanityandignorance,CatherinedecidedtomarryLinton.HeathcliffleftWutheringHeightsinadarknightwithanger.Catherinelookedforhiminrainstorm,andshewasillbadlyafterthat.Ayearlater,CatherineandEdgargotmarried.Threeyearshadpassed,Heathcliffreturned.Hebecameahandsomeman.Buthiseyeswasfilledwithwildness,hecamebacktorevenge.Hindley,whowasthehostofWutheringHeights,keptHeathcliffstayinginWutheringHeightsduetohisfortune.HeathcliffinducedHindleytoplaycards,drinkalcohol.Atlast,hebankrupted,mortgagedthewholeWutheringHeightstoHeathcliff.HeathcliffoftenwenttotheThrushcrossGrange,Edgar’ssister,Isabella,fellinlovewithhim.EdgarpreventedHeathclifffromcomingtotheThrushcrossGrange.ButIsabellaelopedwithHeathclifftotheWutheringHeights,andgotmarried.Aftermarriage,Heathclifftookactiontorevenge,Isabellawaslikeaservant,shewantedtoreturntoThrushcrossGrange,buthisbrotherrefusedher.Havingachild,Catherinewasillbadly.WhenEdgarwasnotin,Heathcliffcametoseeher,theyhuggedeachothercrazily,scoldedeachother.Theireyeswerefulloftears.CatherinegavebirthtoagirlnamedCathyinunconscious,andpassedaway.Heathcliffwasindeepgrief.HeaskedCatherine'sghoststaywithhimallthetime,didn’tleavehimalone.

Hindleydied,HeathcliffbecamethemasteroftheWutheringHeights,henurturedHindley’sson,Haretonasanimpoliteanduneducatedboy.IsabellaescapedtoLondon;shehadaboynamedLinton.12yearslater,Lintongrewupabeauty,too.Heathcliffabusedtohisson,Linton,whenEdgargotworseandworse,hetookCathytoWutheringHeights,HeforcedCathytomarryLinton,Edgarpassedaway,Heathcliffrefusedtosendtothedoctor,anddidn’tallowanybodytolookafterhim,onlyCathyaccompaniedhishusbanduntilhisdeath.Afewdayslater,themaidservantcameback,Heathcliffdidn’ttalkwithanybody.HaretongotclosetoCathy;HeathcliffsawCatherine’sspiritfromCathy’sface.Hishopeofrevengedisappeared.

Onemorning,Heathcliffpeddledintheswampforanight,thencameback,hewasveryhappy.HethoughtthathesawCatherine,anddesiredtostaywithCatherine.HegroanedandcalledCatherine’sname.HeaskedthemaidservanttoburyhimnexttoCatherine,andshuthimintoCatherine’sroom.Thenextday,themaidservantfoundthatHeathcliffpassedaway.

AtlasthesucceededinannexingallthepropertyofHindley’sandtheLinton’s,buthisrevenge,hegotnothingthoughCathiner’sghostpesteredhimallthetime,hediedinmentaldisorder.

B.ABriefReviewofEmilyBronte

EmilyBrontewasborninThornton,Yorkshire,inthenorthofEngland.HerfatherwastherectorofHawortfrom1820.Aftertheirmotherdiedin1821,thechildrenspentmostoftheirtimeinreadingandcomposition.Toescapetheirunhappychildhood,Anne,Emily,CharlotteandtheirbrotherBranwellcreatedimaginaryworlds-perhapsinspiredbyJonathanSwift'sGulliver'sTravels（1726）.EmilyandAnnecreatedtheirownGondalsaga,andBramwellandCharlotterecordedtheirstoriesaboutthekingdomofAngriainminutenotebooks.Betweentheyears1824and1825EmilyattendedtheschoolatCowanBridgewithCharlotte,andthenwaslargelyeducatedathome.Herfather'sbookshelfofferedavarietyofreading:

theBible,Homer,Virgil,Shakespeare,Milton,Byron,Scottandmanyothers.ThechildrenalsoreadenthusiasticallyarticlesoncurrentaffairsandintellectualdisputesinBlackwood'sEdinburghMagazine,Fraser'sMagazine,andEdinburghReview.

In1835EmilyBrontewasatRoeHead,butsufferedfromhomesicknessandreturnedafterafewmonthstothemoorlandsceneryofhome.In1837shebecameagovernessatLawHill,nearHalifax,whereshespentsixmonths.Tofacilitatetheirplantokeepschoolforgirls,EmilyandCharlotteBrontewentin1842toBrusselstolearnforeignlanguagesandschoolmanagement.EmilyreturnedonthesameyeartoHaworth,whereshestayedfortherestofherbrieflife.

Unlikeherdearsister—CharlotteEmilyhadnoclosefriends.Shewroteafewlettersandwasinterestedinmysticism.Herfirstnovel,WutheringHeights（1847）,astory-within-a-story,didnotgainimmediatesuccessasCharlotte'sJaneEyre,butithasacclaimedlaterfameasoneofthemostintensenovelswrittenintheEnglishlanguage.IncontrasttoCharlotteandAnne,whosenovelstaketheformofautobiographieswrittenbyauthoritativeandreliablenarrators,Emilyintroducedanunreliablenarrator,Lockwood.HeconstantlymisinterpretsthereactionsandinteractionsoftheinhabitantsofWutheringHeights.MorereliableisNellyDean,hishousekeeper,whohaslivedfortwogenerationswiththenovel'stwoprincipalfamilies,theEarnshawsandtheLintons.

EmilyBrontediedoftuberculosisinthelate1848.ShehadcaughtcoldatherbrotherBranwell'sfuneralinSeptember.AftertheappearanceofWutheringHeights,someskepticsmaintainedthatthebookwaswrittenbyBranwell,onthegroundsthatnowomanfromsuchcircumscribedlifecouldhavewrittensuchpassionatestory.In1848CharlotteandAnnevisitedGeorgeSmithtorevealtheiridentityandtohelpquellrumorsthatasingleauthorlaybehindthepseudonyms.Afterhersisters'deaths,Charlotteeditedasecondeditionoftheirnovels,withprefatorycommentaryaimedatcorrectingwhatshesawasthereviewers'misunderstandingofWutheringHeights.Thecomplextimeschemeofthenovelhadbeentakenasevidencebythecritics,thatEmilyhadnotachievedfullformalcontroloverhernarrativematerials.However,hermodelinlayeringnarrativewithinnarrativemayhavebeenMaryShelley'sFrankenstein（1818）.Emily'srefusaltoreduceambiguitytosimplisticclaritydidnothaveanyimmediateinfluenceonthenovelformuntilWillkieCollinsexperimentedwithmultimodalfirst-personnarrativesinsuchworksasTheWomaninWhite（1860）andTheMoonstone（1868）.

ІІ.TheFormingCourseofHeathcliff'sDistortedCharacter

ThemainreasonofHeathcliff'sdistortedcharacter:

hisgrowthbackground,themanwhohetreathimasananimal,andthelovebetweenCatherineandhimwastheantidoteofhissoulmate（therightmedicinetocurehisrevenge）,butthenewsaboutCatherinewillmarryLintonnearlytookhimdiedandsoon.Nowwewillanalyzewhyhebecomesuchamanjustknowrevengeandforgettheessentialhumanity—kindness.Iwillanalyzeitfromthreeera—thegrowthbackgroundofHeathcliff;thesuperficialphenomenonofHeathcliff'sdistortedcharacter;theindwellingphenomenonofHeathcliff'scharacter.

A.TheGrowthBackgroundofHeathcliff

Heathcliffisanorphanwithunknownfamilybackground.Bychance,heispickedupandadoptedbyoldEarnshaw.Earnshaw’sdoteonHeathcliffleadsHindley’sjealousyandresentment.AfterEarnshaw’sdeath,HindleybeginstopersecuteHeathcliff.Duringtherevolt,thelovebetweenHeathcliffandCatherinedevelops.Butduetosomeworldlyreasons,CatherinefinallybetraysHeathcliffandtheirlove.Allthesorrowleadshimtofulfillhiscrazyplansofrevenge.ButwhenheaccomplisheshisrevengeandcatchesthelovebetweenCathyandHaretonandtheirresemblancetoCatherine,humanityfinallyreturnstohim.Thenrevealsthatitisimpossibleforthehatredtodominatetheworld,whiletheloveistherightmedicinetocurehatredandisthefinalhomeofthehumansociety.Peoplecannotgainhappinessinpursuingrevenge.Onthecontrary,totolerateandforgiveisaperfectmethodtoobtainhappiness.

Heathcliff'slowbornsenthimasamanwhowasalwayslookeddownupon,hewasadoptedbyMr.Earnshaw,andbroughthimfromLiverpoolbacktoWutheringHeights.Mr.Eearnshaw'schildrendislikedhim,includingthemanwhoservedinWutheringHeights;justbecauseofhisappearancewasdifferentfromthem.WhenMr.EarnshawtookHeathcliffhome,hesaidsomethingslikethat:

"Andattheendofit,tobeflightedtodeath!

'hesaid,openinghis

greatcoat,whichheheldbundledupinhisarms.'Seehere,wife!

Iwas

neversobeatenwithanythinginmylife:

butyoumuste'entakeitasa

giftofGod;thoughit'sasdarkalmostasitcamefromthedevil."1

AndthesewordswillshowushowMr.EarnshawandMrs.EarnshawlikeHeathcliff--agiftfro