If you've watched the 2026 Wuthering Heights, you might have seen no issue with JAcob Elordi playing Heathcliff, but heathcliff being white is more inaccurate and detrimental to the story than you think. --- Domino H.c. , 8th grade
(Disclaimer: The following article has a prevalent use of the slur: “gypsy”, the author of this article does not condone the usage of said slur in any way, and it is only used for educational purposes.)
After over 35 Wuthering Heights adaptations and probably over 34 white Heathcliffs, watching the eurocentric looks of Australia’s finest, Jacob Elordi, prancing about in the 2026 Wuthering Heights trailer felt uninspired. Elordi’s whiteness in contrast to Heathcliff’s straightforward “dark-skinned gipsy” description in the book, has led to a revival of articles, video essays, and more popping up ever since the first trailer in September. However, given that the book was written in the 19th century, there's a more nuanced conversation to be had than “Heathcliff was POC, all adaptations are racist and ignorant.”
Written by the 29 year old Emily Brontë in 1887, Wuthering Heights tells a story set in the late 18th century Yorkshire Moors. Principally about the turbulent relationship of the two neighbouring families Earnshaw and Linton. The Earnshaws are a wealthy but not extraordinary family, who make their means off of their farm house called Wuthering Heights. And on the other hand, the Lintons, are an affluent family of the landed gentry, their estate Thrushcross Grange separated by the wild Yorkshire Moors from Wuthering Heights.
In the book, Heathcliff is described as a " ‘[...] a dirty, ragged, black-haired child’ from Liverpool, claiming Mr. Earnshaw ‘picked him up’ in the streets, even asking whether the boy had an owner. Mrs. Earnshaw’s reaction is blunt: she calls him a ‘gipsy brat.’ “
A look into Heathcliff’s harsh description in the book from Mental Floss, discounting the use of the slur, this look into his book profiling isn’t half wrong. Heathcliff was indeed found a street urchin, a starving and scruffy boy. For Mr Earnshaw its a nice ego boost in the books, he thinks of himself the “great savior” of the “waif— destined to a life on the dirty street stones.”
This savior complex from Mr. Earnshaw is a prominent theme in their relationship for as long as it lasts. With this in mind, imagining the level of nuance it would add if Heathcliff really was of color, makes many adaptations seem like a missed opportunity.
More vague comments on Heathcliff’s non-whiteness are scattered through the book, things like "a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway." From Mr. Linton In Chapter 6, or the previously mentioned “dark, almost as if it came from the devil […] imp of Satan,” in Chapter 4, all get tossed around. But with “non-whiteness” in mind, you’d be surprised just who was considered white around the time this book was written and took place.
Most would say they have a firm grip on who and what they believe to be ‘white,’ Europeans from tiny Ibiza to the Caucasus Mountains, they’re you know… white people. However this wasn’t quite the case in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although not considered of color, the many deemed below the whites, were a shockingly broad range of people. Ethnic groups including Slavs, Italians, Greeks, etc, were people mushed into this inbetween class. According to Andscape, in America, Pennsylvanians called jobs dominated by Hungarians “hunky jobs” and refused them for it. In fact even by 1908, Italian and Greek copper miners were non-white, at least by Utah Standards
“Between 1886 and 1925, [...] Up until that point, people considered white generally hailed from England, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavian countries,” Andscape also mentions.
However in England, there was one more addition to the many considered non-white, and this was the Irish. There’s an extensive history of British rule over Ireland with the first attempt of conquest being the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century, when English kings claimed supreme rule over just some of the island called “The Pale.”, as stated by Britannica.
On top of this, the Irish were ritually caricatured and viewed as less than human by the British. Something important to note is that, “gypsy” the term interwoven with Heathcliff’s description countless times, although a word often tied to the Romanichal of England, and some South Asian or Romani passing people, was also historically used against the Irish. Irish travellers were often marked undistinguishable from actual Romani people in England, and therefore referred to as “gypsies”.
Another snippet of Wuthering Heights from Mental Floss: “Heathcliff doesn’t appear to speak English at first, either. Nelly Dean, the family’s housekeeper and a secondary narrator, recalls that he repeated ‘some gibberish that nobody could understand’—a term often used at the time to dismiss non-European languages.” This quote, although vague on what language, makes it highly plausible Heathcliff may have been Irish, since the original Irish language of Gaelic was also historically dismissed in an identical manner to this. It's also an interesting touch that the writer Emily Brontë, was the daughter of a very poor Irishman herself, who imigrated to England to escape poverty.
Now there's another argument to be had for Heathcliff being African, remarks such as “dark, almost as if it came from the devil” aiding this claim. Liverpool, where Heathcliff was found, was also one of, if not the most major trading ports in Europe during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. According to the University of Liverpool .“During the trade, over 1.3 million Africans were enslaved on ships that began their journey in Liverpool.” the University of Liverpool
And in Andrea Arnold’s 2011 version of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is played by two black actors (James Howson and Solomon Glave). Sadly, this is the only adaptation with a POC Heathcliff as of today.
But Mr Linton’s “Little Lascar” comment sparks a final debate. The argument that Heathcliff was of South Asian descent, isn’t one without plausibility. In the late 18th century, the East India Tea Company was at its peak according to History. Much of the British empire's wealth was dependent on foreign goods being sailed port to port by seamen called lascars. Lascars were often men of color hailing from South or Southeast Asia. And many settled in Liverpool, which is of course, where Heathcliff was found.
“Many of these merchant seamen settled in Britain’s ports such as Liverpool, Cardiff, Hull, London and South Shields. Some chose to live in Britain, sometimes after jumping ship to escape the poor treatment and conditions on board,” says BBC UK. But of course, Heathcliff was much too young to have been a lascar when he was found in Liverpool, so that brings us to the next point, which is that within the East India Tea Company, many young Indian children were brought to England via rich British lords.
Many of said young Indians were left to beg on the streets right at the port they were dropped off, with little chance of returning home, and if not left to become beggars, they would turn to jobs as servants or nannies, a story not dissimilar to Heathcliff’s.
However Heathcliff's ethnicity will forever remain a debated mystery due to Bronte's cut short legacy, your own interpretation may be your only reliable answer … But why does it matter?
The highly discussed subject of whether Heathcliff was of color, is one that's been happening for as long as it started to become adapted, which was 106 years ago, and for good reason, as it changes how the story would be perceived entirely.
Retired 12th grade British Literature Teacher, Blair Whitcomb touches up on the impact of Heathcliff’s race.
“[...] class is the main issue that is shared with the book,” Whitcomb says. “Heathcliff is ’outsider,’ lower class than all the rest of them and, even when he becomes wealthy, by whatever means, and educated he still will never be seen as equal. Of course, their attitude makes them speculate that he got his wealth through piracy or some other illegal or lower moral means. In England of that time the poorest White would still be recognised and privileged above the richest Black or Brown skinned person.”
Character dynamics would be shifted in terms of how they were viewed with a white Heathcliff. Take for example the dynamic between Heathcliff and Mr. Linton, when Mr. Linton describes him as a “little lascar,” it’s meant as derogatory. It’s Mr. Linton assuming he made his means of dirty jobs, and there are many more similar interactions throughout with Heathcliff. If he were really of color it would change the dynamics entirely.
Whitcomb also mentions how, “[...] The ways Heathcliff is affected by the abuse from his step-brother Hindley, (or his step-father in the movie) and treated throughout as an inferior undeserving other who is expected to be lawless and dangerous, mold him to be so. Catherine decides to choose the high life with the bland yet refined and mannered, wealthy Edgar and the life and position Heathcliff can never have at the Grange. The loss drives him to a life of obsessive revenge, and monumental cruelty.”
“This raises the question of whether Heathcliff has been made to be what he is,” Whitcomb continues. “Or, as the people around him believe to varying degrees, that he, because of his genetics, was born to be thus. Here lives a question for much speculation. In any case, as Outsider, he is beyond the laws of morality, the rules by which the other characters live.”
With this very involved conversation aside, to have a POC love interest in a Hollywood film is a rare and very gratifying thing, especially for the South and West Asian community. In an industry like the movie industry, there can never be enough representation.
After over 35 Wuthering Heights adaptations and probably over 34 white Heathcliffs, watching the eurocentric looks of Australia’s finest, Jacob Elordi, prancing about in the 2026 Wuthering Heights trailer felt uninspired. Elordi’s whiteness in contrast to Heathcliff’s straightforward “dark-skinned gipsy” description in the book, has led to a revival of articles, video essays, and more popping up ever since the first trailer in September. However, given that the book was written in the 19th century, there's a more nuanced conversation to be had than “Heathcliff was POC, all adaptations are racist and ignorant.”
Written by the 29 year old Emily Brontë in 1887, Wuthering Heights tells a story set in the late 18th century Yorkshire Moors. Principally about the turbulent relationship of the two neighbouring families Earnshaw and Linton. The Earnshaws are a wealthy but not extraordinary family, who make their means off of their farm house called Wuthering Heights. And on the other hand, the Lintons, are an affluent family of the landed gentry, their estate Thrushcross Grange separated by the wild Yorkshire Moors from Wuthering Heights.
In the book, Heathcliff is described as a " ‘[...] a dirty, ragged, black-haired child’ from Liverpool, claiming Mr. Earnshaw ‘picked him up’ in the streets, even asking whether the boy had an owner. Mrs. Earnshaw’s reaction is blunt: she calls him a ‘gipsy brat.’ “
A look into Heathcliff’s harsh description in the book from Mental Floss, discounting the use of the slur, this look into his book profiling isn’t half wrong. Heathcliff was indeed found a street urchin, a starving and scruffy boy. For Mr Earnshaw its a nice ego boost in the books, he thinks of himself the “great savior” of the “waif— destined to a life on the dirty street stones.”
This savior complex from Mr. Earnshaw is a prominent theme in their relationship for as long as it lasts. With this in mind, imagining the level of nuance it would add if Heathcliff really was of color, makes many adaptations seem like a missed opportunity.
More vague comments on Heathcliff’s non-whiteness are scattered through the book, things like "a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway." From Mr. Linton In Chapter 6, or the previously mentioned “dark, almost as if it came from the devil […] imp of Satan,” in Chapter 4, all get tossed around. But with “non-whiteness” in mind, you’d be surprised just who was considered white around the time this book was written and took place.
Most would say they have a firm grip on who and what they believe to be ‘white,’ Europeans from tiny Ibiza to the Caucasus Mountains, they’re you know… white people. However this wasn’t quite the case in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although not considered of color, the many deemed below the whites, were a shockingly broad range of people. Ethnic groups including Slavs, Italians, Greeks, etc, were people mushed into this inbetween class. According to Andscape, in America, Pennsylvanians called jobs dominated by Hungarians “hunky jobs” and refused them for it. In fact even by 1908, Italian and Greek copper miners were non-white, at least by Utah Standards
“Between 1886 and 1925, [...] Up until that point, people considered white generally hailed from England, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavian countries,” Andscape also mentions.
However in England, there was one more addition to the many considered non-white, and this was the Irish. There’s an extensive history of British rule over Ireland with the first attempt of conquest being the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century, when English kings claimed supreme rule over just some of the island called “The Pale.”, as stated by Britannica.
On top of this, the Irish were ritually caricatured and viewed as less than human by the British. Something important to note is that, “gypsy” the term interwoven with Heathcliff’s description countless times, although a word often tied to the Romanichal of England, and some South Asian or Romani passing people, was also historically used against the Irish. Irish travellers were often marked undistinguishable from actual Romani people in England, and therefore referred to as “gypsies”.
Another snippet of Wuthering Heights from Mental Floss: “Heathcliff doesn’t appear to speak English at first, either. Nelly Dean, the family’s housekeeper and a secondary narrator, recalls that he repeated ‘some gibberish that nobody could understand’—a term often used at the time to dismiss non-European languages.” This quote, although vague on what language, makes it highly plausible Heathcliff may have been Irish, since the original Irish language of Gaelic was also historically dismissed in an identical manner to this. It's also an interesting touch that the writer Emily Brontë, was the daughter of a very poor Irishman herself, who imigrated to England to escape poverty.
Now there's another argument to be had for Heathcliff being African, remarks such as “dark, almost as if it came from the devil” aiding this claim. Liverpool, where Heathcliff was found, was also one of, if not the most major trading ports in Europe during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. According to the University of Liverpool .“During the trade, over 1.3 million Africans were enslaved on ships that began their journey in Liverpool.” the University of Liverpool
And in Andrea Arnold’s 2011 version of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is played by two black actors (James Howson and Solomon Glave). Sadly, this is the only adaptation with a POC Heathcliff as of today.
But Mr Linton’s “Little Lascar” comment sparks a final debate. The argument that Heathcliff was of South Asian descent, isn’t one without plausibility. In the late 18th century, the East India Tea Company was at its peak according to History. Much of the British empire's wealth was dependent on foreign goods being sailed port to port by seamen called lascars. Lascars were often men of color hailing from South or Southeast Asia. And many settled in Liverpool, which is of course, where Heathcliff was found.
“Many of these merchant seamen settled in Britain’s ports such as Liverpool, Cardiff, Hull, London and South Shields. Some chose to live in Britain, sometimes after jumping ship to escape the poor treatment and conditions on board,” says BBC UK. But of course, Heathcliff was much too young to have been a lascar when he was found in Liverpool, so that brings us to the next point, which is that within the East India Tea Company, many young Indian children were brought to England via rich British lords.
Many of said young Indians were left to beg on the streets right at the port they were dropped off, with little chance of returning home, and if not left to become beggars, they would turn to jobs as servants or nannies, a story not dissimilar to Heathcliff’s.
However Heathcliff's ethnicity will forever remain a debated mystery due to Bronte's cut short legacy, your own interpretation may be your only reliable answer … But why does it matter?
The highly discussed subject of whether Heathcliff was of color, is one that's been happening for as long as it started to become adapted, which was 106 years ago, and for good reason, as it changes how the story would be perceived entirely.
Retired 12th grade British Literature Teacher, Blair Whitcomb touches up on the impact of Heathcliff’s race.
“[...] class is the main issue that is shared with the book,” Whitcomb says. “Heathcliff is ’outsider,’ lower class than all the rest of them and, even when he becomes wealthy, by whatever means, and educated he still will never be seen as equal. Of course, their attitude makes them speculate that he got his wealth through piracy or some other illegal or lower moral means. In England of that time the poorest White would still be recognised and privileged above the richest Black or Brown skinned person.”
Character dynamics would be shifted in terms of how they were viewed with a white Heathcliff. Take for example the dynamic between Heathcliff and Mr. Linton, when Mr. Linton describes him as a “little lascar,” it’s meant as derogatory. It’s Mr. Linton assuming he made his means of dirty jobs, and there are many more similar interactions throughout with Heathcliff. If he were really of color it would change the dynamics entirely.
Whitcomb also mentions how, “[...] The ways Heathcliff is affected by the abuse from his step-brother Hindley, (or his step-father in the movie) and treated throughout as an inferior undeserving other who is expected to be lawless and dangerous, mold him to be so. Catherine decides to choose the high life with the bland yet refined and mannered, wealthy Edgar and the life and position Heathcliff can never have at the Grange. The loss drives him to a life of obsessive revenge, and monumental cruelty.”
“This raises the question of whether Heathcliff has been made to be what he is,” Whitcomb continues. “Or, as the people around him believe to varying degrees, that he, because of his genetics, was born to be thus. Here lives a question for much speculation. In any case, as Outsider, he is beyond the laws of morality, the rules by which the other characters live.”
With this very involved conversation aside, to have a POC love interest in a Hollywood film is a rare and very gratifying thing, especially for the South and West Asian community. In an industry like the movie industry, there can never be enough representation.
