Tabitha Adams - English
Though it may not be possible to view Heathcliff as a hero from a moral perspective, or explain
away his moral ambiguity by classifying him as a Byronic hero, I believe there is still justification
for Heathcliff as the hero in Wuthering Heights. First of all he does gain some sympathy from
the reader because of his upbringing, which is far from just and harmonious. We are introduced
to Heathcliff as a child, compliant and passive to the violence he receives, described by Nelly in
Chapter 4 “he was as uncomplaining as a lamb; though hardness, not gentleness, made him
give little trouble” 9 . The innovative use of a narrator’s perspective throughout the novel is an
important technique employed by Brontë to gain sympathy for Heathcliff. Nelly’s narrative
voice encourages us to observe and judge Heathcliff’s actions in a particular way; the image
here of a ‘lamb’ portrays Heathcliff as particularly helpless. Additionally, we are able to admire
Heathcliff as a hero for his innate intelligence and ingenuity, clearly demonstrated by his
gradual rise to fortune and social status despite his meager beginnings. There is also something
attractive about his rebellion and unrepentant self-assurance which makes him heroic.
Although Brontë does not make a specific digression from an archetypal hero with Heathcliff, as
Homer does with Odysseus, she is certainly breaking the conventions of stringent Victorian
literature with her morally dubious protagonist.
Both Brontë and Homer depict their protagonists as outsiders. This is one of the main reasons
why Odysseus and Heathcliff must adapt and break from convention. In The Odyssey, Odysseus
encounters many strange lands where as an outsider he must adapt from conventional heroic
behaviour, demonstrating self-restraint and guile. A key example of this self-discipline is shown
in Book 9 when Odysseus is trapped in the Cyclops’ cave. Having witnessed the monster
brutally devour several of his comrades and with Polyphemus now in a wine-induced sleep, it is
the perfect opportunity for Odysseus to take his revenge. However he checks himself; “On first
thoughts I planned to summon my courage… and stab him in the breast ...But on second
thoughts I refrained … because we would have found it impossible … to push aside the huge
rock with which he had closed … the cave.” 10 The conventional heroic action here would be to
slay the Cyclops and perhaps a more passionate and impulsive hero would have done so.
However Odysseus knows he must be patient and enduring, until he can use his cunning to
escape.
The most poignant portrayal of Odysseus as an outsider, where he is forced to demonstrate
remarkable self-restraint, is shown when he meets his wife again for the first time after 20
years. Disguised as an old man, Odysseus cannot reveal himself to Penelope nor even embrace
her, he is forced to speak of himself as an acquaintance and when Penelope weeps for her
husband whom she believes is dead, Odysseus’ venerable self-control does not falter, as
9
Pg. 27, Brontë, Wuthering Heights
Pg. 118, Homer, The Odyssey
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