Philosophical Review: Whutering Heights

 

The figure of Hareton Earnshaw represents a turning point in the novel. Although Heathcliff deprives him of a happy childhood—raising him in a wild state within an environment of pure hatred—evil does not take root in him. On the contrary, Hareton preserves a fundamental goodness of soul. Because he was not abandoned as a child and knows no alternative lifestyle, living in the wild feels completely normal to him. Consequently, he never develops resentment toward his father figure; he is simply unconscious of his own degradation. In this sense, he is saved by his ignorance, and his ultimate renewal comes through Cathy.

Hareton believes he has a good father and is living a normal life, so he sees no reason to hate him. This dynamic implies that hatred is neither hereditary nor inevitable. Heathcliff did not become a monster merely because Hindley mistreated him; rather, it was his disruptive and obsessive passion for Catherine that consumed him. This stands in stark contrast to the love between Hareton and Cathy, which is regenerative and constructive. Heathcliff’s hatred and desire for revenge arise from Catherine’s betrayal—leaving him with no beacon, no guide, and no reference point other than hatred as his sole purpose for living.