Final answer:
Heathcliff's lack of a surname in 'Wuthering Heights' symbolizes his unclear social status and outsider identity, reflecting the significance of lineage and family names in the societal hierarchy of the time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The character Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë lacks a surname, which represents his ambiguous social position and outsider status within the society of the novel. Heathcliff’s lack of a family name symbolizes the absence of familial lineage, inheritance rights, and the associated social identity.
It also underscores themes of identity and belonging central to the narrative, reflecting how individuals were often defined by their family and social rank during the period in which the novel is set. In similar literary contexts, the absence of a detailed name can signify a lack of identity or autonomy.
For instance, in the play Trifles, women are identified only by their husbands’ names, which suggests a loss of individual identity upon marriage. Additionally, the tactic of keeping a name secret, such as in the case of the Shanly name, illustrates how names carry power and social implications, and in this case, it is to avoid market manipulation in a financial transaction.