Emily Bronte's novel is an important work of the 19th century, peculiar in describing the nature of people. One of the characters, Heathcliff, is very interesting because his lineage and parents are never really defined. Because of this uncertainty, the reader is led to believe that Heathcliff may have gypsy heritage. Gypsies were thought to be dark-haired, dark-skinned, dirty, untidy and ignorant. Gypsies were often subjected to discrimination, usually because they looked different from typical whites and due to their itinerant lifestyle made them people without a nation or land. Heathcliff's gypsy ways are commonly attributed to Irish travellers. The portrayal of Heathcliff is based on this native Irish gypsy group. It was a group whose history Bronte knew and he was a cultured person despite his loneliness growing up. This novel was written at a time when the theme of gypsies and gypsy tales were in fashion and may have had some influence on the characterization of this novel. Heathcliff ended up in Liverpool seeking refuge from the Great Famine of Ireland. The English consider the Irish to be animals, this explains the family's hatred towards Heathcliff. The Irish were represented as the Africans of Europe. This is an ironic depiction of the combination of the Irish and Africans because after Mr. Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is enslaved and expelled from the family. The first description of Heathcliff's outward appearance imitates the stereotype almost exactly: “I had a peep at a dirty, ragged, black-haired child; old enough to both walk and talk - in fact, his face looked older than Catherine's - and yet, when he got to his feet, he simply looked around and repeated... center of paper... capable to reach Hareton in time before any damage occurred. It is also precarious that Heathcliff went to the trouble of capturing the son of his oppressor whom he despises. Other mysterious things surrounding Heathcliff's character include that it is never revealed where and how he made his fortune after returning to Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff's parents and origin before he was taken into refuge by Mr. Earnshaw are unknown and his reasons for digging up Catherine's body after her death, except that we know that his obsession with her became stronger after the his death. Heathcliff appears as a person of gypsy origin from all the characteristics of his character presented in the novel compared to the stereotypical view of gypsies portrayed in that time period. Works Cited Nestor, Pauline, and Lucasta Miller. Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights. London: Penguin, 1999.