毕业论文（设计）A Comparative Analysis of the External andInternal Components of the Two Revenges inWuthering Heights and The Scarlet Letter1.Introduction.....32.Reasons for revenge....................2.1 Objective elements for Heathcliff's vengeance.2.1.1 Heathcliff's life experience...............2.1.2 The abuse from Hindley................52.1.3 Betrayal of Catherine.....62.1.4 Ambiguous class status........72.2 Subjective elements for Heathcliff's vengeance ...........2.2.1 A sense of inferiority..............82.2.2 Twisted character.....2.2.3 A blend of love and hatred.2.3 External reasons for Chillingworth's avenge......102.3.1 Adultery of Hester....23.2 Puritanism…122.4 Internal reasons for Chillingworth's avenge....132.4.2 Hatred.132.4.3 Chillingworth's true nature-evil in heart..143.The Similarities between the characters and the ways they revenge....................153.1 Typical villains of gothic novels.153.2 Inability to forgive.163.3Self-destruction..174.The differences in significance and functions of revenge in these two stories........................184.1 Emily Bronte's vision of humanity and evil represented by the image of Heathcliff......184.2 Nathaniel Hawthorne's concept of the "original sin"symbolized by Chillingworth 19Inability of characters to forgive others is shown to be the cause of deep unhappiness.Heathcliff'sinability to forgive Catherine for marrying Edgar,his failure to forgive Hindley's abuse on himindirectly leads to their tragic love story and the misery of his destiny.However,when Cathy dies,Heahcliff has forgiven her betrayal."Kiss me again,but don't see your eyes!I forgive what you1毕业论文（设计）have done to me"(Emily Bronte,1994:148).Chillingworth,yet,couldn't forgive Hester's adulteryeven though he doesn't revenge on her."Therefore,as a man who has not thought andphilosophized in vain,I seek no vengeance,plot no evil against thee.Between thee and me,andscale hangs fairly balanced.But,Hester,the man lives who has wronged us both!"(NathanielHawthome,1994:75).Yet he would not give up the revenge on Dimmesdale.He tells Hester intheir interview."I shall see him tremble.I shall feel myself shudder,suddenly and unawares,sooner of later,he must needs be mine!"(Nathaniel Hawthome,1994:75)."His fame,his positionhis life,will be in my hand,Beware!"(Nathaniel Hawthome,1994:76)..................................163.3 Self-destruction.17Heathcliff and Chillingworth come to destruction in the end.Hawthome says after the death ofDimmesdale,"All his strength and energy to desert him;in so much that he positively withered up,shriveled away,and almost vanished from mortal sight,like and uprooted weed tat lies wilting insun"(Nathaniel Hawthome,1994:260).Heathcliff,the same,lives in deep desire for the reunionwith Catherine in the heaven,died in the end.He said at the end of the novel"You have left me solong to struggle against death,alone that I feel see only deathl I fell like death!"(Emily Bronte,Fortunately,just before they died,they give up vengeance and do some good deeds.Chillingworh"Has bequeathed a very considerable amount of property,both here and in England,go littlePearl"(Nathaniel Hawthorne,1994:261).Perhaps this act,to some extent,redeems the personwho has the blackest sin.Heathcliff gave up his plan to block the engagement between Cathy andHareton.As he said to Nelly,"I have lost the faculty of enjoying their destruction,and I am tooidle to destroy for nothing"(Emily Bronte,1994:295).Maybe his last mercy helps him regainHeathciff and Chillingworth are similar in their images,but these two characters'revenges havedifferent significances and functions under the two authors...................................184.The differences in significance and functions of revenge in these two stories........................184.1 Emily Bronte's vision of humanity and evil represented by the image of Heathcliff......18Wuthering Heights reflects the harsh reality of English society in the 19th century and is a criticalrealism masterpiece."In Victoria's period,the rich are enormously proud of their success andproperty;the secular sense of hierarchy penetrates into the daily life of common people;moneyand property is nothing but everything.Under the control of this concept,the spirit of human issuppressed and humanity is twisted and deformed.At this time,Emily who has strong rebellingand strong desire for freedom wrote Withering Heights and created the character Heathcliff todisclose the evilness of the society”(a綦小风，2006).Heathcliff's humanity was twisted,brokenand destroyed under the cruel reality of the society.In the world reined by Heathcliff,the love2毕业论文（设计）between Cathy and Hareton breaks through the hard soil of hatred.Only the pure love can save adegenerated soul and heal the injured heart.The stormy and fierce environment in the heights,theobvious prejudice toward the poor changed Heathcliff,from a kind boy to a vicious villain,and helost his humanity during the revenge.Emily Bronte shows us that the oppression of the socialenvironment on one's spirit and desire brings about the dissatisfaction or even revenge,whichleads to the destruction of one's humanity.Yet,only true love can revive the lost soul and humannature.Heathcliff eventually regains his soul and humanity through the reunion with his beloved.Emily Bronte reveals and criticizes the evilness and unfaimess of the society by creating thecharacter of Heathcliff.And Heathcliff's revenge could be considered as Emily Bronte's rebellingagainst the oppression from the society..18The novel reflects on Emily Bronte's vision of evil in human nature.She thinks that evil is notinborn.But human might become an evil and take avenge under the influence of such factors asthe hardship of life,fierce environment,class status and so on...........................194.2 Nathaniel Hawthorne's concept of the "original sin"symbolized by Chillingworth.......195.Conclusion.......20Through the comparison of the two figures of Heathcliff and Chillingworth,we leam about theirreasons for vengeance.Heathcliff's life experience,and the ill--treatment from Hindley and thelost love and his ambiguous class status all lead to the twists of Heathcliff's personality.Hededicates himself to elaborate the revenge plan on two generations.Hester's adultery andChillingworth's selfishness and his hatred for Dimmesdale that fit Chillingworth's evil nature andall that lead to a distortion of his personality.So,these two villains spent their lifetime on plottingand practicing revenge that is the biggest similarity between Heathcliff and Chillingworth.Theyare both typical villains of gothic novel and can't forgive other's wrong.Finally,these two figurescome to self-destruction.Yet the different significances of these two vengeances also give us amuch clear look into the two authors of these novels.Emily Bronte creates Heathcliff to show usthat in Victorian England,the concept of money and class status were everything and theysuppressed human's spirit and desire.Heathcliff,under the social environment loses his humanityand soul through his avenge.Emily Bronte believes that pure love can revive Heathcliff'shumanity,which denotes that human is not evil natured,but Nathaniel Hawthome createsChillingworth as a symbol of evil.He thinks that human is evil natured and sinful,which is thebasic idea of his interpretation of the "original sin".Chillingworth takes evil's job and iscondemned by the author throughout the story..20fulfilled but becomes tragedy,while revenge is achieved yet brings pain and sorrow to the peopleinvolved.To some extent,we could say love serves for the foundation of vengeance.These two3