“Heathcliff was difficult to discover at first. . . that naughty boy who swears” (Wuthering Heights pp.51-3). Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay Since his arrival, almost everyone in Wuthering Heights has treated young Heathcliff with disdain and as "the other" who intruded into the rich enclave. Although the difference between the "interloping beggar" and the Earnshaw family results in fights and horrible mistreatment by Hindley, the question of his distinction from them never really arises until Master's death. Earnshaw and the loss of Heathcliff's influential ally (38). Almost at the same time, Catherine Earnshaw, who had fallen ill at Thrushcross Grange, was taken in by the Linton family of the manor, pampered and encouraged until she was both recovered and transformed into a "proper lady". The occurrence of these two events triggers a change in the environment of the manors and Heathcliff suddenly finds himself more detached than ever from the life led by the families. Subsequently, the differences in class and appearance between the novel's "proper" characters and adopted Heathcliff are emphasized in the language and tones of the different characters during conversation. Brontë employs these devices as well as numerous images in the description of a sulking Heathcliff in contrast to the clean "new" Catherine in order to suggest how extremely different the two had truly become. These devices and 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 the institution of social stratification of others. Catherine's time at Thrushcross Grange with the Linton family serves to properly adapt her to the life she "should" have lived at Wuthering Heights with her own family. The change in the girl occurs quite suddenly, and only when her equally unruly companion, Heathcliff, is not there to influence her actions. In this passage, Heathcliff is presented with his former girlfriend, now referred to as an entirely different person, "the newcomer", and can do little but brood in her direction due to the already existing constraints on their relationship instituted by his antagonist, Hindley. Brontë describes the looming aesthetic difference between the two as Catherine enters the Heights a new person, with "fingers wonderfully whitened from doing nothing" over the past five weeks, new clothes, and waxed hair. Heathcliff, the "dirty boy", is however described as having his own "uncombed hair", a "miserably darkened" and dirty face, and having not seen soap and water for months. While the two had become inseparable playmates, confidants and as close to lovers as teenagers can get, the five-week stay in luxury serves to entirely differentiate Catherine from her former counterpart and different rules now exist for their interactions. Heathcliff is told to shake his hand and become acquainted again "like the other servants", again instituting the concept that Heathcliff is "the other", and also not worthy of being introduced 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 social status can tear them apart. Although still represented in terms of filth or filth, the images Brontë uses to describe Heathcliff become more negative: the "black and cross" boy» is the opposite of young Catherine. Although it is Catherine who gets a makeover, the description of Heathcliff's image also changes, and for the first time since his arrival he is represented to the reader as inherently different from Catherine. It is then suggested that this difference comes from differences in their lineage and race. When entering the Linton house, Catherine is almost immediately distinguished by Earnshaw's blood while Mr. Linton exclaims that Heathcliff may be "a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway", questioning his background and raising the issue of racism as a possible reason. for his mistreatment (49). Soon after, the "pure" child Earnshaw is taken to the Linton household, and Heathcliff is turned away like an orphaned animal and left alone to return to Wuthering Heights. The theme of black versus white in Brontë's imagery overflows into this passage, with the darker of the two children representing dirtiness, wickedness, and something Heathcliff should be ashamed of. Brontë calls Catherine's fingers "wonderfully whitened", and therefore something to be proud of rather than being animalistic and impure as Heathcliff's hands were when tending the Heights' horses. Finally, this color difference between the two is also indicative of their new behaviors, since Heathcliff has become even more dark, brooding and moody while Catherine is no longer cheerful and interested in mischievous adventures with her companion. Instead, the girl has become bright and bubbly and interested in things of propriety such as the neatness of her dress and the behavior and appearance of others. In very few pages, Emily Bronte is able to suggest the capacity of a new ritual of dress and hygiene 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 dull he looks now, but that this must be "because she is now used to Edgar and Isabella Linton", hinting at a superiority in their appearance compared to his. In other words, Catherine is literally telling him that she has "seen the light" or the wrongs of his old ways, and she now realizes how she "should" act or appear. Although 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 note. Later she said to him: “If you wash your face and brush your hair, everything will be fine; but you are so dirty! which suggests that he is currently no longer "good" for her or an acceptable mate, but could possibly be if he cleaned up his dirty image like she did. The tension in the dialogue adds to Catherine's seemingly unintentional tone of superiority when she suggests these changes to her companion. Although Heathcliff protected and cared for Catherine before her time at the Grange, the roles of who tries to watch over whom change between the children. Catherine now takes an almost mocking maternal tone with the boy, indicating that with her new clothes she has also adopted a status higher than his which gives her the right to notice the changes he must make to his appearance. So, Catherine adopted the mindset of the Linton family who took her in and found it her duty to change the dirty girl's appearance to one that was refined and appropriate..