I found the illustrations and depictions of the gypsy lifestyle to be very interesting - especially the one where the pig is fleeing the gypsy tent. It is a sketch, so I assume someone had intended it to be an insult to the gypsy way of life - that even a pig wouldn't want to live like a gypsy. That mindset perfectly describes Hindley's and Catherine's initial rejection of Heathcliff once they had learned his origins and Catherine's inability to marry him despite her love for him. I think most of the pictures just show strangers as compared with the "normality" of the Earnshaw's home. People tend to reject the things they are not familiar with and I think in this case the Earnshaws not only saw Heathcliff as mysterious, but also dangerous because of the prejudices associated with his supposed origins. The illustrations then go on to depict royalty - this being the way Nelly views Heathcliff. She is the only one (maybe besides Catherine, although she is in denial) that sees Heathcliff from a positive point of view - she has an optimistic view of his origins, despite everyone else's negative ones.
I also like the tie-in of the legal aspect with Heathcliff's degradation. Although he is depicted as someone of lower class, gypsy origins, he rises to the top. And not only that, but he is seen as strange and not of their world. Yet, he uses the laws that they are so familiar with to become successful. By doing this, he proves two assumptions wrong. 1. That he is of lower class and will never be able to rise above this stature, and 2. That he is not able to assimilate into their society.
I think your description of Heathcliff is right on. He is an example of just how far education/literacy can take you. He rises up from nothing to become the dominate force in the lives of so many. He went from being someone they kept down to someone who kept them down.
ReplyDeleteI think you are also right on when it comes to the fear of anything gypsy. Due to the fact that they are a nomadic people, regular towns people fear them so they attach all kinds of negative stereotypes and terms on them. They are raised to believe they are less human than "normal" people.
Not only does Heathcliff use the laws the other characters are familiar with in order to better his social position in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, but Heathcliff uses his common sense, or street smarts rather, as well.
ReplyDeleteHeathcliff’s street smarts are revealed when Heathcliff causes Hindley to occur more debt by loaning him money. As a result of this, Heathcliff inherits Wuthering Heights, which previously awarded to Hindley (chapter 17). Though Heathcliff’s tactic of furthering Hindley’s debt was deceitful, it was very clever at the same time because Heathcliff was able to seek revenge in secrecy. Another reason Heathcliff’s plan can be described as clever is because Heathcliff took the time to scope out Hindley. In his observations, Heathcliff notices Hindley’s greedy nature. For this reason, Heathcliff knew his plan would be a success.