In Wuthering Heights, Hareton’s new position after his father dies is now a worker. To live in his own home, he is now forced to do what is asked of him by Heathcliff. He is now described as a “servant.” Along with this, Heathcliff refers to him as “mine,” indicating he now feels he has ownership over him. His position can now be compared to the child’s position in the poem, “The Chimney Sweeper.” Like the father and mother who are absent in the poem because they are in the church praying, Hareton’s parents are both absent due to their deaths. While it seems the parents in the poem left the child willingly to pray at the church, Hareton’s parents are absent due to their untimely deaths. In comparison, both the children and Hareton have people force their ownership over them by people who aren’t even their parents and are forced to work in an environment they didn’t consent to. They are both treated as objects who are forced to be taken advantage of and aren’t seen as humans with feelings or opinions. They are now expected to do what is asked of them, so they can continue living. Along with this, both of their experiences of growing up are tainted because of what they are forced to endure. For instance, Hareton is uneducated and unable to read what he should be able to and the chimney sweepers’s health is negatively affected because by being a chimney sweeper, the children would damage their lungs and get diseases.
Hareton and The Chimney Sweepers
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