Quoted by Barbara Deming, “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds the thought of victory and the thought of punishing the enemy coincide.” In Wuthering Heights, one can see that an underlying theme of Brontë’s 1847 novel and William Wyler’s 1939 movie, scripted in 1938 by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, is the idea of seeking revenge. For example, since Catherine Earnshaw marries Edgar Linton and Heathcliff becomes jealous of this relationship, he wants to seek revenge on Catherine, the woman he had desired to marry. Hence, Heathcliff tries to avenge her by marrying Isabella, whom he does not truly love. Later in the novel, which differs from the screenplay, after Catherine has passed away, Heathcliff tries to avenge Catherine and Edgar by mistreating their relatives. On one hand, Heathcliff mistreats Linton, who is Edgar’s nephew and Heathcliff’s son, by treating him as property, informing him that his mother was a prostitute and acting as if he does not love him. Likewise, Heathcliff mistreats Cathy, Catherine’s daughter, by accusing her of toying with his son’s affections and eventually, torturing her until she decides to marry Linton. In both of these situations, Heathcliff has in mind that he is going to be victorious by punishing his enemies, which develops a great trouble or conflict in the novel.
On the other hand, since the movie and screenplay are different from the novel in that it omits the idea of Catherine Earnshaw (Merle Oberon) having a child, Catherine, does not exist, Heathcliff (Laurence Oliver) cannot avenge his ex-lover in the same manner. Instead, the screenplay and movie emphasize the fact that Heathcliff becomes a wealthy man and avenges his “brother,” Hindley Earnshaw (Hugh Williams), and the couple, Catherine and Edgar (David Niven). First, after being away from Wuthering Heights for two years, Heathcliff returns a wealthy and elegant man, having secretly taken Wuthering Heights from the drunkard, Hindley. In this situation, Heathcliff avenges Hindley, who had hated him from the time his father brought Heathcliff, the orphan home, by taking away Hindley’s inheritance he had received from his father. Later, Heathcliff avenges Catherine and Edgar by marrying Isabella, Edgar’s sister (Geraldine Fitzgerald). This great jealousy that becomes instilled in Cathy eventually causes her to fall ill. In conclusion, one can see how the underlying theme of vengeance throughout the plots of the novel, screenplay and movie differ based on information that is omitted in some of the sources. Although some part differ, one can image the trouble in Heathcliff’s mind that forces him to seek revenge on his enemies—Catherine, Linton, and Edgar.