“Heathcliff was difficult to discover at first. . . that bad boy who swears” (Wuthering Heights pp.51-3). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Since his arrival, nearly all the residents of Wuthering Heights treat young Heathcliff with disdain and as "the other" who has intruded on the wealthy enclave. Although the difference between the "intruding beggar" and the Earnshaw family results in some arguments and horrific mistreatment by Hindley, the issue of his distinction from them never truly comes to a head until Master Earnshaw dies and the influential ally of Heathcliff is lost (38). At about the same time, Catherine Earnshaw, having fallen ill at Thrushcross Grange, is taken in by the Linton family of the manor, and coddled and prodded until she recovers and transforms into a "true lady". The occurrence of these two events sets in motion a change in the environment of the manors and Heathcliff is suddenly more detached than ever from the life led by the families. Subsequently, the differences in class and appearance between the “real” characters in the novel and the adopted Heathcliff are emphasized in the language and tones of the different characters during conversation. Brontë employs these devices and broad imagery in her depiction of a sulky Heathcliff contrasted with the clean-cut “new” Catherine to suggest how extremely different the two had truly become. These devices and the use of language serve to develop one of the central themes of Wuthering Heights, namely the ruination of a pure, beautiful and seemingly indestructible bond by other institutions of social stratification. Catherine's time spent at Thrushcross Grange with the Linton family serves to properly accommodate the life she "should" have lived in Wuthering Heights with her own family. The change in the young girl comes rather suddenly, and only when her equally rebellious companion, Heathcliff, is not around to influence her actions. In this passage Heathcliff is introduced with his ex-girlfriend, now referred to as an entirely different person, "the new guy", and can do nothing but ruminate in her direction due to the already existing constraints on their relationship set up by his antagonist, Hindley . Brontë describes the coming aesthetic difference between the two as Catherine enters the Heights as a new person, with "fingers beautifully whitened without having done anything" for the last five weeks, new clothes, and shiny hair. Heathcliff, the "dirty boy", however, is described as having his "hair unkempt", a face "sadly bleary" and dirty, and having not seen soap and water for months. While the two have become inseparable playmates, confidants and as close to lovers as teenagers can, the five-week sojourn in the lap of luxury serves to completely differentiate Catherine from her former counterpart and there are now different rules for their interactions. Heathcliff is told to shake her hand and reconcile "like the other servants", again establishing the concept of Heathcliff as "the other", as well as not being worthy of introduction to the rest of the family he grew up with. What is shocking about this divide between the two children is how easily the difference in their social status can separate them. Although he is always represented in some way in terms of filth or filth, the images Brontë uses to describe Heathcliff become more negative: the “black and cross” boy is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the young Catherine. While it is Catherine who has undergone the restyling, thedescription of Heathcliff's image and, for the first time since his arrival, he is represented to the reader as innately different from Catherine. The suggestion then arises that this difference arises from differences in their lineage and race. When entering the Linton home, Catherine is almost immediately distinguished as being of Earnshaw blood whilst Mr Linton exclaims that Heathcliff might be "a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway", casting doubt on his past and raising the question of racism as possible reason. for his mistreatment (49). Shortly thereafter, the “pure” child Earnshaw is brought to the Linton home, and Heathcliff is removed like an orphaned animal and left to run alone in Wuthering Heights. The theme of black versus white in Brontë's imagery overflows in this passage, with the darker of the two children representing filth, wickedness, and something that Heathcliff should be ashamed of. Brontë refers to Catherine's fingers as "wonderfully whitened", and therefore something to be proud of rather than animalistic and dirty as Heathcliff's hands had been when tending the Heights' horses. Finally, this difference in colors between the two is also indicative in their new behaviors, as Heathcliff has become even more dark, brooding and morose while Catherine is no longer playful and interested in mischievous adventures with her partner. Instead, the girl has become bright and bubbly and becomes curious about things of propriety such as the neatness of her dress and the behavior and appearance of others. In just a few pages, Emily Bronte is able to suggest the capacity of a new dress and a new hygiene ritual as a barrier between two people and the cause of an undeniably uncomfortable tension between Heathcliff and Catherine. The dialogue between the two is also tense, as Catherine attempts to rekindle their friendship and closeness upon her arrival, while Heathcliff continues to mope. Almost immediately, the girl tells him how shabby he looks now, but that it must be "because [she's] used to Edgar and Isabella Linton" by now, suggesting a superiority in their appearance over his. Simply put, Catherine literally tells him that she has "seen the light" or the errors of his previous ways, and now realizes how he "should" act or look. Even though she means no harm in what she says, the current differences between the two are so obvious now that she has been reformed, that the girl can't help but take notice. Later she insists to him: “If you wash your face and brush your hair, everything will be fine; but you are so dirty!” suggesting that he is currently no longer "good" for her or an acceptable partner, but could be if he cleaned up his dirty image like she did. Adding to the tension in the dialogue is Catherine's seemingly unintentional tone of superiority when she suggests these changes to her partner. Although Heathcliff had protected and cared for Catherine prior to her stay at the Grange, the roles of who tries to care for whom change between the children. Catherine now takes an almost mockingly maternal tone towards the boy, indicating that with her new clothes she has also adopted a status superior to his which guarantees her the right to observe the changes he must make to his appearance. Therefore, Catherine adopted the mentality of the Linton family who welcomed her and felt it was their duty to change the dirty girl's appearance into a refined and appropriate one. Heathcliff later acknowledges this superiority of the Linton children in a conversation with Nelly, describing "Edgar Linton's great blue eyes and even forehead" in contrast to his own, and lamenting the fortune and fate he will incur throughout his life as a result of this ( 55)..