Honestly, if you ask the average person about Wuthering Heights, they’ll probably start rambling about Heathcliff and Catherine standing on a windy moor, screaming each other's names. It’s all very gothic. Very dramatic. But if you actually sit down and read the thing—really read it—you’ll realize that the most important guy in the book isn’t the brooding anti-hero everyone puts on posters. It’s Hareton Earnshaw.
Hareton is the real heartbeat of Emily Brontë's ending. Without him, the whole story is just a depressing cycle of people hurting each other until they die.
Who is Hareton Earnshaw anyway?
Basically, Hareton is the son of Hindley Earnshaw and his wife, Frances. He’s born in 1778, right into a house that’s already falling apart. His mom dies almost immediately after he’s born, and his dad, Hindley, handles the grief by becoming a violent, gambling alcoholic.
You’ve gotta feel for the kid. Early on, Nelly Dean (the narrator who’s always in everyone’s business) tries to look after him. But once Heathcliff comes back with a mysterious fortune and a massive grudge, Hareton becomes a pawn. Heathcliff decides to do to Hareton exactly what Hindley did to him: turn him into a "brute."
He’s denied an education. He’s forced to work as a common laborer on the farm that he should technically own. By the time Lockwood (our clueless city-boy narrator) shows up at the start of the book, Hareton Earnshaw is a rough, dirty, illiterate young man with a massive chip on his shoulder.
The Heathcliff Connection: It's Complicated
Here’s the thing that trips people up: Hareton actually loves Heathcliff.
It’s a classic case of a distorted father-son dynamic. Heathcliff treated him like garbage, sure, but he also gave him more attention than his biological father ever did. Heathcliff even admits at one point that he likes Hareton better than his own son, Linton, because Hareton has some actual "spirit."
"I've a pleasure in him," Heathcliff says, even as he’s actively ruining the boy's life.
It’s twisted. Hareton grows up as a sort of "mirror" to Heathcliff. He has the same Earnshaw eyes as the original Catherine—dark and deep—which makes Heathcliff both hate him and feel weirdly drawn to him.
Why the Love Story With Young Cathy Actually Matters
If the first half of the book is about destruction, the second half is about whether Hareton Earnshaw and young Catherine Linton (the daughter of the first Catherine) can fix what their parents broke.
At first, they hate each other. Cathy is a bit of a brat—she mocks Hareton for being illiterate and "low class." She laughs at him when he tries to read his own name carved above the door of Wuthering Heights. Imagine being a grown man, finally trying to learn, and your cousin just makes fun of your Yorkshire accent. It’s brutal.
But then, things shift. Cathy realizes she’s lonely and starts offering to teach him.
This isn't just some cute literacy plot. In Brontë's world, education is power. By learning to read, Hareton isn't just "becoming a gentleman"; he’s reclaiming his identity. He’s taking back the mind that Heathcliff tried to stomp out.
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The image of them reading together by the fire is the direct opposite of the chaos from the first generation. It’s quiet. It’s productive. It’s... healthy? Sorta.
The True Hero of the Heights
Most people think Heathcliff is the hero because he’s "cool" and "dark." Wrong.
Hareton Earnshaw is the hero because he breaks the cycle. He had every reason to become a monster. He was abused, neglected, and humiliated. Yet, when Heathcliff dies, Hareton is the only one who actually mourns him. He doesn't go on a revenge spree. He doesn't kick Cathy out.
He stays kind.
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Critics like to point out that Hareton represents the "restoration" of the Earnshaw line. His name was carved over the door in 1500 by an ancestor, and by the end of the book, he’s the one who truly owns the house again. He wins back his inheritance not through gambling or violence, but through growth.
What You Should Take Away
If you're studying the book or just trying to sound smart at a book club, remember these specific points about Hareton:
- The Eyes: Both he and young Cathy have the "Earnshaw eyes." It’s the physical proof that the family hasn't been completely destroyed.
- The Literacy Arc: His transition from throwing books in the fire to reading them with Cathy is the most important symbolic shift in the novel.
- The Ending: He and Cathy plan to marry on New Year's Day and move to Thrushcross Grange, leaving the "ghosts" of the past behind at Wuthering Heights.
If you want to dive deeper into the Earnshaw family tree, the next thing you should look at is the parallel between Hindley's treatment of Heathcliff and Heathcliff's treatment of Hareton. It’s a perfect loop that only breaks when Hareton decides to be a better man.
You should also check out the specific dates Brontë uses. The fact that they marry on New Year's Day isn't an accident—it's the ultimate symbol of a fresh start for a family that’s been through hell.