Joseph is an older man and servant to the Earnshaws and Heathcliff. He is religious, but it does not prevent him from being a negative character in the novel. He is stubborn, unfriendly, and strange in many ways. Joseph represents the mixture of faith with hatred.
Detailed answer:
The definition above seems exhaustive, and that is just one side of the story. On the other hand, Joseph is a complicated character. It is so because he has a few intriguing traits.
Firstly, Joseph shows adherence to religion; he is a Christian. But it does not free him from hatred. Simply put, the servant misinterprets religious beliefs to justify his adverse actions.
Secondly, Joseph deserves specific attention because of his dialect. He uses a Yorkshire accent that is difficult to understand for modern readers.
Thirdly, Joseph is worth mentioning because of his age. You see that he is the oldest character in Wuthering Heights. Nevertheless, a blog post says that he is one of those who have survived the novel.
Finally, the servant is a secretive character. Readers know nothing about his parents, siblings, children, wife, and even date of birth.
Joseph is a peculiar character in Wuthering Heights. Although he is a servant, he plays a significant role in the novel by Brontë. Here is why:
- Joseph is the oldest character in the book.
- The servant shows what happens when religion and hatred meet.
- Joseph uses a Yorkshire dialect.
- He ruins the readers’ expectations because he does not die by the novel’s end.
- Emily Brontë does not give us much information about Joseph, making him secretive.