Many aspects of Heathcliff's personality are seemingly "diabolical", complementing his role as the "Byronic hero" of Wuthering Heights, a dark, rebellious and antisocial character. However, the Byronic hero is also considered a seductive and romantic character, while Heathcliff displays a very different type of personality. With his abuse as a child, his isolation, and his psychological deterioration after Cathy's death, Heathcliff is a remarkably romantic character. sympathetic character. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Bronte presents Heathcliff's childhood as harsh, full of mistreatment that makes us feel sympathetic towards him as he grows up. He's so vulnerable. We learn that Heathcliff is already an orphan, and knowing that "Mrs Earnshaw was ready to throw him out of the house" appeals to the Gothic theme of injustice. Heathcliff's objectification through "it" cements him as a superfluous object to Mrs. Earnshaw, a person who can be "thrown away" just like a piece of rubbish. To further exemplify his mistreatment, Heathcliff is also subjected to great physical violence, but "withstands Hindley's blows without flinching", which shows how Heathcliff does not retaliate with those who hurt him. Instead, he simply tolerates the violence. However, some may argue that although Heathcliff experienced physical and psychological torment in his childhood, he is still a demon because he is a "usurper of [Hindley's] parents' affections" and manipulates Hindley in a more intelligent way. Heathcliff tells Hindley to give him his horse or he will "tell [his] father about the three beatings [he] gave him this week", using his role as victim to manipulate Hindley. This subtle rebuttal, some might argue, makes Heathcliff just as bad as Hindley, perhaps cruel enough to be labeled a demon. However, this argument can be refuted by the fact that Heathcliff is simply reacting to the situation given to him and not initiating the evil behavior. Therefore, we sympathize with Heathcliff because he cannot really defend himself from the cruelty he experienced in his childhood, due to the fact that he is not part of the Earnshaw family. He is simply a "dirty, ragged, black-haired child." Heathcliff's isolation also begins in his childhood; however, this isolation carries over to a large extent into his adult life, evoking even more sympathy from the reader. Heathcliff's isolation begins from an intellectual perspective when Hindley denies him education. This sense of denial later evolves into physical isolation when Hindley shouts “Go away! Tramp!” at the Christmas party. The word “vagrant” implies someone who travels and doesn't really have a place in society; we can infer that Heathcliff's isolation stems from such moments, as he has never truly settled into the Earnshaw family dynamic. This isolation is cemented when Heathcliff is “administered a rough remedy” away from everyone else; the euphemism illustrates how the violence Heathcliff endures is kept away from others so they cannot describe exactly what is happening to him. An event like this also demonstrates the reluctance of others to accept the brutality that Heathcliff is experiencing and to see him as one of them; instead, he is ignored and isolated. To a Victorian reader, the violence Heathcliff experienced may not be as surprising as a reader today would find it, due to the fact that violent tyrannical figures in Victorian families were not uncommon...