Paper Topic:

Romantic hero

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Heathcliff : The Most Romantic Hero of all Time

Forget those Fabio looking men on the cover of Harlequin romance novels . While the eyes may lead one to believe that these handsome shapely , and majestic looking creatures are romantic heroes , the truth of the matter is that these characters know nothing of romance , and technically , by definition , are not romantic heroes . Look to the more ragged , rugged , tortured soul of Emily Bronte 's Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights for the epitome of a romantic hero

. Although not a likable character by the end of the novel , the poor , fatherless child (Bronte 36 ) certainly fits the criteria of a romantic hero : he triumphs over social conventions , suffers from wanderlust , melancholy , and alienation and isolation , and in the end , gets both exactly what he wants and what he deserves

Heathcliff begins his pitiful life as an orphan . Already , he is abandoned by not only his family , but society . When Mr . Earnshaw finds him and brings him into his family , Heathcliff is once again rejected initially by the other members of the family . The years following his homecoming are uneventful , as Mr . Earnshaw treats Heathcliff as his favorite child , but with the passing of Earnshaw , Heathcliff is once again an orphan and shunned by his adopted family . The eldest brother turns Heathcliff into a servant , and even the neighbors , the Linton 's view Heathcliff 's presence as unacceptable . Edgar Linton scolds Catherine (Heathcliff 's adopted sister , love interest , and Edgar 's future wife ) as she shows affection toward Heathcliff , The whole household need not witness the sight of your welcoming a runaway servant as a brother (95 . Through the course of the novel , Heathcliff triumphs over being an outcast of society by marrying well (Edgar Linton 's sister , bearing children , and ultimately , having the control over both the Earnshaw and Linton estates

Heathcliff is also a wanderer by nature . He always seems to be running from or to something . After the death of Mr . Earnshaw , he disappears for some time . When he returns , Catherine warmly welcomes him , but then tells him you don 't deserve this welcome . To be absent and silent for three years , and never to think of me (Bronte 96 . His absence , while it does not change the actions of Catherine , affect her emotionally Heathcliff had gone absent with the intention of bettering himself in to make himself more attractive to Catherine , but while he was gone , she married Edgar Linton . Heathcliff tells her , Nay , you 'll not dive me off again -[ .] I 've fought through a bitter life since I last heard your voice , and you must forgive me , for I struggled only for you (96 . Later , with the passing of Catherine , Heathcliff takes to wandering the moors where they both played as children . Traveling seems to bring strength to Heathcliff , but while he is absent , his world changes itself

The whole novel Wuthering Heights has a tone of melancholy to it...

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