Quote 1
But
Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style
of living. He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners
a gentleman, that is, as much a gentleman as many a country squire:
rather slovenly, perhaps, yet not looking amiss with his negligence,
because he has an erect and handsome figure—and rather morose. Possibly,
some people might suspect him of a degree of under-bred pride; I
have a sympathetic chord within that tells me it is nothing of the
sort: I know, by instinct, his reserve springs from an aversion
to showy displays of feeling—to manifestations of mutual kindliness.
He’ll love and hate, equally under cover, and esteem it a species
of impertinence to be loved or hated again—No, I’m running on too
fast—I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him.
This passage, from the first chapter
and spoken in the voice of Lockwood, constitutes the first of many
attempts in the book to explain the mysterious figure of Heathcliff,
his character and motivations. Outside of the novel, when critics
and readers discuss Wuthering Heights, the same
question arises repeatedly. How is Heathcliff best understood? We
see here that the question of his social position—is he a gentleman
or a gypsy?—causes particular confusion.
The situation of the reader, just beginning to enter into Wuthering
Heights as a novel, parallels the situation of Lockwood,
just beginning to enter into Wuthering Heights as a house. Like
Lockwood, readers of the novel confront all sorts of strange scenes
and characters—Heathcliff the strangest of all—and must venture
interpretations of them. Later illuminations of Heathcliff’s personality show
this first interpretation to be a laughable failure, indicating
little beyond Lockwood’s vanity. Lockwood, in claiming to recognize in
Heathcliff a kindred soul, whom he can understand “by instinct,” makes
assumptions that appear absurd once Heathcliff’s history is revealed.
Lockwood, while he rather proudly styles himself a great misanthrope
and hermit, in fact resembles Heathcliff very little. In the many
misjudgments and blunders Lockwood makes in his early visits to
Wuthering Heights, we see how easy it is to misinterpret Heathcliff’s
complex character, and the similarity between our own position and
Lockwood’s becomes a warning to us as readers. We, too, should question
our instincts.
