The characters in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë treat the hierarchy of classes as if it were something natural and immutable, but the author shows that the way characters treat each other is largely based on class. they come to identify themselves. This identity is acquired through how the characters are raised, not something they are truly born with. While Heathcliff is mistreated due to his origin, he manages to remove himself from this position and gain a position of power. On the other hand, Hareton, son of the prestigious Earnshaw family, becomes an illiterate servant thanks to Heathcliff's manipulation. While other characters treat them as if they belong to these positions, Brontë uses these characters to show that social class is a construct, a matter of nurture rather than nature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayThe first clear example of class building is when Mr. Earnshaw takes young Heathcliff back to Wuthering Heights after his trip to Liverpool. The immediate response to it was overwhelmingly negative. Nelly, who tells Lockwood the story and is a servant herself, first describes him as a "dirty, ragged, black-haired child" who speaks "in gibberish that no one could understand" (26). Nelly also continually refers to Heathcliff as "that", speaking of him in statements such as "They totally refused to have him in bed with them, or even in their room...so, I put him on the landing of the stairs, hoping that it might disappear tomorrow” (27). Calling it “gibberish” denies it language and reduces it to the level of an animal, but calling it “that” denies it even a gender and thus reduces it to a simple object. His previous quote also shows how Heathcliff is mistreated by many of the residents of the house. Nelly later tells Lockwood that Heathcliff was "perhaps hardened to abuse" because he "beared Hindley's blows without blinking an eye or shedding a tear" (27). This suggests that Heathcliff, as a child, had already learned to internalize certain class roles and societal expectations, and that he acted accordingly in his new home, believing that there was nothing that could be done about the abuse he faced. on Hindley's part, perhaps even seeing himself as the object for which others see him, something to be used and abused without objection. These characters do not treat Heathcliff this way out of a direct desire to assign him to a lower social class. Nelly never mentions exactly why they react so badly towards Heathcliff and treat him this way. Their actions are simply presented as natural reactions to Heathcliff's appearance or perceived status: orphaned, classless, and with darker skin than they normally see. The Linton family react similarly when he and Catherine arrive at Thrushcross Grange. While Catherine is accepted by the family, Heathcliff is rejected. They first describe him as a “gypsy”, then as “a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway”, again addressing the question of his skin color. After this, Mrs. Linton says he is a “naughty boy…and entirely unfit for a decent home!” » before forcing him to leave (36). While they talk as if they are kicking her out of the house for misbehaving, Catherine had also entered without permission. It seems rather that they reject Heathcliff while they accept Catherine because she belongs to a family that they recognize and.”