Charles Dickens Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations When you first meet Heathcliff he is a person that is uncommunicative and difficult to talk to at the age of 8. My impression of him is that he is very shy. He seems to do whatever anyone says, especially his foster parents, they have total control over him, even though his foster parents aren't really too caring about him. His personality, I think, seems odd, he is quiet and boring, but also he has made good friends with Cathy and they soon fall in love. But with everyone else he is quiet, and his slaved for work. The kind of life I think he had before he came to Wuthering Heights, was that his parents abused him, as he sometimes got into trouble and was cheeky to his parents, but then again I think he was the type who had no friends, a loner, just stayed in his room all the time. I don't think his parents cared about him, so they fostered him out. Also he complained a lot, moaned, just what normal kids do, but his parents couldn't stand it. Now that he has foster parents, I don't think he is the kid he used to be, his mean foster parents really bully him - because he seems to be doing lots of work where as the other children aren't, so really they are just picking on him. After Mr Earnshaw died, Hindley decides to recall his old hatred, and he turns into an evil man. He turns Heathcliff into a labourer on the farm. His hatred towards Heathcliff grows, and decides to forbid him seeing his loved one Cathy. I don't think this treatment was fair as he seemed to be nice to Heathcliff and treated him with respect - the reason I think that Hindley decided to awaken his hatred and throw it all towards Heathcliff is because Hindley needed someone who was known by Mr Earnshaw, so it was Heathcliff who was chosen for this punishment, while Mr Earnshaw was alive, also I think that Hindley wasn't the way he was now is because was scared of Mr Earnshaw and since Heathcliff is his son he turned it all on him. But when he did die, Hindleys revived hatred seems to make him want to own Heathcliff. And he cannot do anything about this treatment, except plan his revenge on Hindley. Around Christmas Heathcliff wants to be more responsible, so he tries to not cause trouble, but Edgar is really unfair to him and insults him inadvertently 'I wonder they don't make his head ache.