Wuthering Heights: Innocence vs Evil

In Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Heathcliff is the main character in this novel who is a prime example of a character born inherently good and turns evil because of his upbringing. Heathcliff is adopted into the Earnshaw family, and is described as being a normal, quiet, little child who is greatly loved particularly by Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine Earnshaw. However, as Mr. Earnshaw dies, his upbringing completely changes into hell. Heathcliff is poorly treated by Mrs. Earnshaw and Hindley Earnshaw. They neglect him, verbally abuse him, and figuratively make him into the family slave. This goes on for many years, until he is grown enough to take care of himself and fight his own battle. However, these events that took place in his early stage of childhood shape his personality and identity for the rest of his life. He becomes a grumpy, angry, old man who treats everyone else the way he was treated as a child. Because of his early life events, Heathcliff turns into an "evil" person purely shaped by his scarring and neglected childhood.