In the famous novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Heathcliff is undoubtedly an evil character. He commits countless atrocious acts, but Brontë assures us that we cannot help but feel sympathy for him. One of the reasons the book is considered a study in psychology is the way in which Bronte tricks the reader into justifying and accepting Heathcliff's cruelty. The author's virtuoso manipulation of conflicting emotions is what gives the simple plot and characters of Wuthering Heights their intensity and intrigue. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayHeathcliff is first introduced as “a dirty, ragged, black-haired child” (Bronte 34) as Mr. Earnshaw brought back from Liverpool. Earnshaw names the boy after his deceased son, but other family members call him "it". The reader cannot help but pity Heathcliff due to Bronte's description that "he would endure Hindley's blows without blinking an eye or shedding a tear" (Bronte 35). The reader also thinks less of the other children due to their cruelty, which only amplifies sympathy for Heathcliff. As Heathcliff grows up, he and Catherine become friends; but after Catherine becomes friends with the Lintons, Heathcliff feels unworthy of her. Young Heathcliff at one point naively asks Nelly to “make me decent” because “I’m going to be good” (Bronte 52), before a dinner with the Lintons. The reader also adores young Heathcliff for his desires; as Van Ghent points out, the reader desires that “the beautiful black boy be enlightened, made angelic and happy, by the beautiful golden girl” (165). Heathcliff believes that he “must wish that the big blue eyes and even the brow of Edgar Linton” (Bronte 53) would fit in with the others and thus secure Catherine’s affection for himself. Much to the reader's dismay, Heathcliff fails in this attempt to be correct, and after hearing Catherine say that she could never marry him, he disappears before about a year. What Heathcliff hears, however, does not represent the full story; Catherine goes on to describe how much she loves Heathcliff and how she can't live without him. The reader cannot help but regret Heathcliff's misfortune which was due to his rashness, a flaw in his character which is not his fault. A year later, when Heathcliff returns from his trip to an unknown place, he is a changed man. “The Transformation of Heathcliff” (Bronte 90) gains the reader's respect through the militant and newly educated impression it leaves on the book's characters. It is at this point that it becomes clear how cruel Heathcliff is. However, what is quite incredible is that Brontë manages to keep Heathcliff at least partially in the reader's favor. When Edgar becomes enraged by Catherine's affection for the stranger, he hits Heathcliff, and even Catherine mocks him, calling him a "suckling dog" (Bronte 110). Bronte does this intentionally to highlight Heathcliff's strength of character in contrast to Edgar's weakness. The reader cannot help but imagine that his victims are weak and deserve to suffer, despite the fact that his cruelty “baffles and confounds the ethical sense” (Van Ghent 164). The contradictory reactions that Wuthering Heights evoke in the reader make it a work that is both philosophically and psychologically engaging. When Heathcliff rejects and scorns Isabella, it is as if he is mocking the audience by exposing their “bookish expectations of her” (Oates 5); the audience is shocked that he can laugh., 1953. 153-170.