As a part of Characters' Profile Project, students analysed characters' motives behind their demeanor.

1. Members: Faaris M. Khan
Hassan Bin Obaid
Ahmed Affan
Hashir Shahid

2.  Motivations:- a)Catherine's love
b)Mistreatment by Hindley
 Desire:- a) to attain Catherine
b) Thrushcross Grange & Wuthering
Heights (revenge)
c) achieve high status

3. “I shall not stand
to be laughed at. I
shall not bear it!”
 Heathcliff to Catherine upon her arrival
from the Grange “I shall be dirty as I please:
and I like to be dirty and I will be dirty”
pg.58, 25th line
 But later alone with Nelly he says “Nelly
make me descent. I am going to be good”
pg.59, last line

4.  “He had listened till he heard Catherine say it
would degrade her to marry him, and then he
stayed to hear no further”
(Nelly’s narration, pg.80 line 22)
 After return:- “I was amazed more than ever to
behold the transformation of Heathcliff. He had
grown a tall, athletic......thought too stern for
grace” (pg.92, 4th paragraph)

5.  Thus he went through internal conflict due to
denial by her love (according to him).
 The realization motivated him into altering to a
better person as his only and only desire was to
attain Catherine without whom he felt incomplete.
 However, with the passage of time and the death
of his love Heathcliff forgot all his morals and
values. As he was treated when young he treats all
the other children and people similarly.

6.  His main rival is Edgar Linton who had married his
love Catherine
 “ But do you think that I shall leave Catherine to his
duty and humanity? And you can compare my
feelings respecting Catherine to his?” At several
other places too Heathcliff compares his love for
Catherine to Edgar’s.
 Hindley Earnshaw, his first rival who had been
extremely cruel to him in his youth Heathcliff
equally takes revenge from him too.

7.  Heathcliff is spurned by Cathrine and the conflict
results in Heathcliff rebelling against this change, thus
spending most of his life contemplating and acting out
revenge against all those associated with Cathrine and
Edgar due to his tormented heart.
 He marries Edgar’s sister Isabella and seeks revenge
from Edgar by treating her infernally and depriving her
of her needs, in order that Edgar may come to know of
it and being helpless against Heathcliff may be
tormented in much the same way Heathcliff is.

8.  But Isabella soon dies leaving behind Linton whom
Heathcliff manipulates and uses as a pawn to
empower Cathy (daughter of Edgar) in order that
he may take revenge from Edgar, Cathy being his
final hope. He carries out the plan by forcing Cathy
to marry Linton who is a weakling and is soon to
die. But as the marriage commences Edgar dies
away and so does Heathcliff’s desire to seek
revenge.

9.  This is then replaced by his over powering wish to
meet Catharine eternally, leading him to such an
extent that he replaces Edgar’s coffin with his own in
order to lie beside Catharine, that they may rejoin
easily.
 Meanwhile Heathcliff also seeks revenge from Hindley
whom he despises, as being a child Hindley had been
jealous and treated Heathcliff shabbily. Returning
after many years Heathcliff gains control of the
Heights through gambling leaving Hindley shelter less
and utterly at his mercy, thus he gets a chance to
avenge

10.  But Hindley dies soon, and as a means of
continuing his revenge Heathcliff seizes Hareton,
(Hindley’s son) and treats him almost as a servant.
But Hareton’s miserable life ends soon with
Heathcliff’s death.

11.  Heathcliff seeking revenge towards Hindley
“On only one condition can I hope to forgive
him, it is if I may take an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth, for every wrench of agony
return a wrench: reduce him to my level.”
(Heathcliff to Nelly), Page158, Para 4

12.  Linton tormented due to Isabella
“Say that I am not angry but am sorry to have
lost her; especially as I can never think she’ll
be happy. It is out of question my going to
see her, however we are eternally divided and
should she really wish to oblige me let her
persuade the villain she has married, to leave
the country.” (Edgar to Nelly)
Page 132, Para 2

13.  Heathcliff’s tormented heart
“Be with me always -take any form-drive me
mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss
where I cannot find you” (Heathcliff after
Catharine’s death) Page 148, Para 8

14. Heathcliff’s plan to avenge Hindley through
Hareton
“It expressed plainer than words could do, the
intense anguish having made himself the
instrument of thwarting his own revenge had
it been dark I dare say he would have tried to
remedy the mistake by smashing Hareton’s
skull on the steps” (Nelly’s narration when
Heathcliff saves Hareton from falling on the
stair case) Page 75, Para 2

15.  Heathcliff’s plan to avenge Edgar through
Isabella
“What ever be your notion of Mr. Edgar you
cannot doubt that she has a capacity for
strong attachment or she wouldn’t have
abandoned the elegance and comforts and
friends of her former home to fix contently in
such a wilderness as this, with you” (Nelly to
Heathcliff) Page 135, Para 3

16.  Heathcliff’s plan to avenge Edgar through
Catherine
“I shall enjoy myself remarkably in thinking
your father will be miserable. I shall not sleep
for satisfaction. You could have hit no surer
way of fixing your residence under my roof
for the next twenty four hours then informing
me that such an event would follow”
(Heathcliff to Cathy) Page 230, Para 5

17. Narrators tone towards HeathCliff
“Rough as a
saw-edge, and
hard as a
whistle”
Negative view concerning Heathcliff,
showing him as a harsh, stern person.
This is at the beginning of the story when Nelly is introduced to Heathcliff
thus it is a first impression.

18. “Cathy and her brother
harassed me terribly ,
though he was as
uncomplaining as a lamb;
though hardness, not
gentleness, made him give
little trouble.”
Gentle tone shows that Nelly has
now spent time with the
character and is beginning to
discover his attributes.

19. “A half-civilised ferocity
lurked yet in the depressed
brows and eyes full of black
fire, but it was subdued; and
his manner was even
dignified: quite divested of
roughness, though stern for
grace.”
Very critical view on the
character showing interest in
him. Aware of the inner-
Heathcliff and the rage he
possessed.

20. “Edgar had sense to
comprehend Heathcliff's
disposition: to know that,
though his exterior was
altered, his mind was
unchangeable and
unchanged.”
Yet again a critical tone is
adopted and the usage of strong
words such as ‘unchangeable’
may give light to an omniscient
nature of the narrator.

21.  Nelly Dean was the only one to know the
reason for Heathcliff’s departure.
 She was the first one to find out about his
desire of vengeance.
 Nelly even had a premonition, as she said
that Heathcliff’s arrival would bring
something evil.

22.  Nelly was a mother-figure for Heathcliff
 She nurtured Heathcliff when he was young
and admonished him when he was wrong
 She also observed, perhaps better than
anyone else, the deep connection between
the two.