ge and his main consideration lies in calculating whether Linton lives long enough to have married Catherine so having acquired Thrushcross Grange-: "We calculate it will scarcely last 'till it's eighteen." Once the marriage has taken place, Linton's life is seen as worthless by Heathcliff-: "His life is not worth a farthing, and I won't spend a farthing on him" His cruel treatment of Isabella is, for him, a source of enjoyment. He tells Nelly-: "The more the worms writhe, the more I yearn to crush the entrails" Isabella recognizes the sadistic treatment by Heathcliff and asks- "Is Mr. Heathcliff a man - is he the devil?" There is, however, another side of the novels leading character. At no point in the novel can we doubt Heathcliff's eternal faithfulness to Catherine. His love survives her rejection of him-: "It would degrade me to marry Mr. Heathcliff" and despite her marriage to Edgar, Heathcliff's love for her continues undaunted. Heathcliff suffers much emotional rejection, but at no point does he waiver in his loyalty to her-: "I seek no revenge on you...the tyrant grinds down his slaves and they don't turn against him, they crush those beneath them" His genuine concern for Catherine prevents him from exacting direct revenge from Edgar. He says to Catherine-: "I would have died by witches before I would have touched a single hair of his head." When hearing of Catherine's illness, he exclaims-: "Existence after loosing her would be hell" In this statement, we can see the extent of Heathcliff's dedication and loyalty to Catherine and the sense of desolation her death would bring to him. At times in the novel, Heathcliff is portrayed as a tormented spirit. After the death of Catherine, Heathcliff's lust for love is gone. His existence is then focused totally on exacting revenge. As his death approaches, he confesses to Nelly the extent of Catherine's hold over him, though she's now been dead 18 years-: "I cannot look down into the f...
