Throughout the Victorian era, great pieces of literature were created. One of these pieces was Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." Unlike most books of that time, this one broke all of the rules with dramatic violent scenes, and unbridled passion. Many of the characters in the story take on a life of their own in that their development is so detailed by the author. Heathcliff is probably the most complex character in the novel. He's tortured by his love for Catherine and the fact that he'll never be able to be with her. He is also held down by the fact that he never was raised in a normal life and was not educated at all. He spends the majority of the novel bent on getting revenge for his broken heart and his broken memories of his childhood. By being obsessed with the idea of revenge he becomes the villain of the novel, but the read cannot help but feel sorry for him. Emily Bronte's portrayed Heathcliff's life so that the reader can get a feel for him as the "bad guy" and at the same time look upon him with pity and sympathy.
             Heathcliff's torment can be accredited to his awful past and how he could be warped and possessed by revenge as he is in most of the novel. The original owner of Wuthering Heights, Mr. Earnshaw, was setting off to Liverpool and upon his return, instead of being brought the presents they asked for, his family received a child that he had found on the streets and took pity on. None of Mr. Earnshaw's children liked the new boy, named Heathcliff. Even Nelly Dean, the daughter of the housemaid who was left to care for him left him on the front step over night had hoped that he would be gone in the morning. She had no intention on caring for the boy. Mr. Earnshaw had a liking to Heathcliff, even more so than to his own children. As young children, Hindley Earnshaw, the oldest son, hated Heathcliff. Jealous of all that Heathcliff was given, he would regularly ...