Daniel answers “Do you think Heathcliff loved Hareton,...”

Phoebe Jeziel asked this question about Wuthering Heights:

Do you think Heathcliff loved Hareton, even though he said he didn't? Heathcliff used Hareton for his revenge, but I can't help but feel like Heathcliffe loved Hareton despite not wanting too (or maybe he loved him as much as someone like him could love the son of his sworn enemy). Not to mention that Hareton loved Heathcliff like a father and Hareton's love couldn't have come up out of nowhere.

Daniel I see the relation between the two as an ironic example of Stockholm Syndrome and its reverse, for Hareton was, arguably, the only one living whom Hea…moreI see the relation between the two as an ironic example of Stockholm Syndrome and its reverse, for Hareton was, arguably, the only one living whom Heathcliff did not loathe, if not even loved.
The irony lies in the origin of his love: Hareton was clearly Heathcliff's own creation; meant to satisfy by his brutish nature the fiend's perverse revenge. However, he has thus become a mirrored image of the villain in his youth, connecting him, in some sense and to a moderate degree, to humanity.
Nevertheless, it was probably not the only reason for this "tenderness", since the lad was Catherine's close relation and bore a resemblance to her, but I prefer the first explanation.(less)

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Wuthering Heights

by Emily Brontë

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