Abstract: In her representative work Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte explores human nature with her unique perspective. This thesis, by analyzing the protagonists’ defects in their  personality and humanity, aims to find out the causes leading to their distortion and degradation. Innocent and carefree at the beginning of the story, Heathcliff’s personality and humanity is distorted and degraded by the setbacks in love-suit and by the shackles of the society. Heathcliff’s revenge on Catherine for her betrayal comes as the breaking point of his depression from the discrimination and the unfairness as well as his psychological compensation for his inferiority. Catherine’s love to him can be characterized by rebellious, traditional and straightforward but cannot last long and prove to be true in a world of the mammonism and materialism. Hindley is an incarnation of the bourgeois and the upper class with the characteristics of idleness, arrogance and wealthiness inherited from his birth and his stratum. It concludes that the distortion and degradation of the protagonists can be traced and analyzed by the abnormal values, social hierarchy and marriage concept at that time.

Key words: Wuthering Heights; defects; humanity

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要：

1. Introduction1

1.1 Introduction to Emily Jane Bronte

1.2 Introduction to Wuthering Heights

2. Literature Review...2

3. Heathcliff’s Defects4 

  3.1 Ruthlessness and Fury in Heathcliff

  3.2 The Causes of Heathcliff’s Defects

3.2.1 Heathcliff’s Self-defense 

3.2.2 Heathcliff’s Inferiority

4. Catherine Earnshaw’s Defect.6

4.1 Earnshaw’s Vanity in Catherine

4.2 The Causes of Catherine Earnshaw’s Defect

4.2.1 Social Influence 

4.2.2 Hierarchy of Needs 

5. Hindley Earnshaw’s Defects..9

5.1 Idleness and Arrogance in Hindley Earnshaw

5.2 The Causes of Hindley Earnshaw’s Defects

5.2.1 His Birth and Identity 

5.2.2 The Tension and Stress because of Heathcliff’s Presence

6. Conclusion11

Bibliography.12

Acknowledgements..13