29 Later, Heathcliff shows his feeling of his inferiority. He cannot be
as good as Edgar Linton. Heathcliff‟s face brightened a moment; then it was overcast afresh,
and he sighed.
‟But, Nelly, if I knocked him down twenty times, that wouldn‟t make him less handsome or me more so. I wish I had light hair and
a fair skin, and was dressed and behaved as well, and had a chance
of being as rich as he will be‟ p. 83 Heathcliff feels envy to Edgar Linton. Heathcliff seems want to
improve his financial situation. He is not rich, so Catherine does not choose him.
f. Supersitious
Heathcliff is also a supersitious person. He believes that ghosts are exist. He believes that Chaterine is haunting him. It proved from the
statement of Mr. Lockwood that he sleeps in the Catherine room and he dreams about a Chaterine‟s ghost. He screams so loud and it makes
Heathcliff wakes up. Heathcliff goes into Mr. Lockwood‟s room. Mr. Lockwood tells about what happened in that dream. After listening to
Mr. Lockwood statement, Heathcliff asks Mr. Lockwood to leave the room. Outside the room, Mr. Lockwood witness Heathcliff craving for
Catherine to come again. „Come in come in‟ he sobbed. „Cathy, do come. Oh, do - ONCE
more Oh my heart‟s darling hear me THIS time, Catherine, at last‟ p. 57
30 g.
Disciplined Although he is a greedy person, Heathcliff is also a disciplined
person. He is good in influencing people to work hard. Heathcliff does not get a good education. He forced to work hard since he was young.
He does not like people who enjoy sitting and reading a book. Heathcliff is so angry to Catherine when she is not being a labour and
just reading a book. „There you are, at your idle tricks again The rest of them do earn
their bread - you live on my charity Put your trash away, and find something to do. You shall pay me for the plague of having you
eternally in my sight -
do you hear, damnable jade?‟ p. 59 h.
Irritable Heathcliff is an irritable person. It appears when Edgar comes to
Wuthering and mocks Heathcliff. As a person with bad temper, Heathcliff‟s violent nature cannot endure Edgar‟s words.
He seized a tureen of hot apple sauce the first thing that came under his gripe and dashed it full against the speaker‟s face and
neck; who instantly commenced a lament that brought Isabella and Catherine hurrying to the place. p. 85
i. Vengeful
In this part, this is the personality from Heathcliff that appears in the novel gradually. Heathcliff sets a plan how to take a revenge on
Hindley that make his childhood full of bad treatment and make him as a servant after Mr. Earnshaw died.
„I‟m trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don‟t care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last. I hope he will not die before I
do‟p. 87
31 „I only wish I knew the best way Let me alone, and I‟ll plan it out:
while I‟m thinking of that I don‟t feel pain.‟p. 87
B. The Meaning of Heathcliff’s Love
In this study, the researcher divides the meaning of Heathcliff‟s love into two parts. The first one, the literal meaning and the second is deeper meaning. The
researcher apply the theory of Stenberg 1986, May 1974, and Lee 1973 to find the literal meaning and deeper meaning about Heathcliff‟s love.
According to Robert Stenberg 1986, love is terms of of three components that formed into a triangle. Those three components are intimacy, passion, and
commitment. May 1974 also states that love is the cross-fertilization of mortality and
immortality. This two theories will be applied to find the literal meaning and deeper meaning.
To know the meaning of Heathcliff‟s love as seen in the novel, the researcher will analyze both literal and deeper meaning.
1. Literal Meaning
In the novel, Heathcliff appears to be the main character who needs love. Heathcliff‟s love to Catherine is not basically from their physical attraction, but it
appears deeply on the soul. Heathcliff is not telling Catherine directly that he loves her. He hides his feeling for Catherine, eventhough Catherine also loves
Heathcliff.
32 Nelly Dean told Mr. Lockwood that Heathcliff and Catherine have shown
their intimate since they were children. Nelly told that they cried together and support together when Mr. Earnshaw, the one that loves Heathcliff besides
Catherine, died. The little souls were comforting each other with better thoughts than I
could have hit on: no parson in the world ever pictured heaven so beautifully as they did, in their innocent talk; and, while I sobbed and
listened, I could not help wishing we were all there safe together. p. 71 In this part, the first components of love according to the Stenberg 1986
theory has fulfilled. The first component is intimacy, Heathcliff shows intimacy towards Catherine with their innocent talk that shows there is no awkward feeling
of being together. They show the intimacy eventhough Mr. Earnshaw has passed away, but the two components like passion and commitment is not fulfilled.
As the time passed, Heathcliff receives much love from Catherine. She accompanies him, teaches him to read, and plays with him. He likes the activities
because he never had friend like Catherine who wants to be with him. Heathcliff‟s
love grows into passion of possessiveness feeling toward Catherine. The researcher finds that Heathcliff can have positive attitude when the
needs of love are fulfilled. However, the positive attitude is not longer stay on his personality. It starts to dissapear when Heathcliff and Catherine were trapped on
the moors and spied on the Trushcross Grange house, Catherine was attacked by the Linton‟s dog, she has to stay in Trushcross Grange for five weeks. He wants to
stay in there, but he was re jected by the Linton‟s and he is dissapointed.
After five weeks, Catherine returns from Trushcross Grange, she changes into a lady from physically and manner also. From that changes, Heathcliff‟s
33 personality starts to change. He feels inferior about the changes in the person that
he loves. Heathcliff show the feeling of his inferiority when he refuses to shake hand to Catherine.
‟You needn‟t have touched me‟ he answered, following her eye and snatching away his hand. „I shall be as dirty as I please: and I like to be
dirty, and I will be dirty.‟p. 81 The relation between Catherine and Edgar Linton get closer after
Catherine stays at Trushscross Grange. Edgar visits Wuthering very often and have dinner together. Heathcliff is not allowed to join the dinner and he must stay
in the kitchen. Heathcliff‟s obsession to his love grows stronger. Heathcliff feels jealous
to Edgar who often visits Wuthering and whose relation with Catherine get closer. He feels afraid that Edgar will win Catherine‟s heart. The situation is getting
worse when Catherine responds Edgar attention, she prefers to have a date with Edgar rather than Heathcliff.
Heathcliff starts to think how he can have a time with Catherine. He marks the day when Edgar comes and have a day with Catherine, so the day that Edgar is
not visited Catherine will be his time with her. Heathcliff shows the almanack in the wall to Catherine.
‟Nothing - only look at the almanack on that wall;‟ he pointed to a framed sheet hanging near the window, and continued
, „The crosses are for the evenings you have spent with the Lintons, the dots for those spent with
me. Do you see? I‟ve marked every day.‟p. 96 Heathcliff hopes that Catherine will realize and have a time with him.
However the situation is different. Catherine is not care about the almanack on the
34 wall, she gets irritated about what Heathcliff does. Catherine‟s attitude have
changed. ‟And should I always be sitting with you?‟ she demanded, growing more
irritated. „What good do I get? What do you talk about? You might be dumb, or a baby, for anything you say to amuse me, or for anything you
do, either‟p. 96 Heathcliff also improves his intelligence in order to make him equal to
Catherine. Nelly told how Heathcliff tries to be the same with Catherine to gain her attention.
He struggled long to keep up an equality with Catherine in her studies, and yielded with poignant though silent regret: but he yielded completely; and
there was no prevailing on him to take a step in the way of moving upward, when he found he must, necessarily, sink beneath his former
level. p. 94 Heathcliff feels that Catherine is not respond his attention to her. He feels
that he looses Catherine. It happens when he overhears the conversation between Catherine and Nelly.
My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff‟s miseries, and I
watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and HE remained, I should still continue to be;
and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it. - My love for Linton is
like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I‟m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks
beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I AM
Heathcliff He‟s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being. So don‟t talk
of our separation again: it is impracticable; p.108
This is the evidence that Catherine‟s true love is for Heathcliff. But Catherine cannot marry Heathcliff because it will degrade the position of
Catherine. Catherine said it to Nelly in the conversation.
35 I shouldn‟t have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff
now; p. 106 In that position, decision to marry Edgar is the best choice for Catherine.
She thinks that marry Edgar will upgrade her position, and she will be rich also because Edgar is rich.
‟And he will be rich, and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighbourhood, and I shall be proud of having such a husband.‟p. 104
Heathcliff frustated after hearing the statement and confession from Catherine. He thinks that he cannot get Catherine‟s love and attention because of
his appearance now and his poverty. He leaves Wuthering Heights because of that situations. In this part, theory of motivation from Aiken 1969 will be applied to
answer the motivation of Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights. Aiken 1969 states that motivation is the influence from an internal state
of the organism that directs the behavior to one condition or object that is called goals. Since the motivation are always have relationship with behavior, it is true
that a motive or motivation explains the behavior that needed. In this situation, Heathcliff feels that he is not handsome and not rich
enough to attract Catherine‟s attention. Because of that reasons, Heathcliff is motivated to change his fate, the fate from God. In this part, the meaning of
Heathcliff‟s love starts to appear, Heathcliff‟s love is infatuated and maniac love. According to Lee 1973, Mania describes love as a mixture of conflict
and romantic from Eros. Maniac lovers rarely achieve happiness in love. Extreme jealousy is reasonable as a proof of love. Mania refers to the helpless obsession of
love, their love feelings beyond the rational control.
