In Wuthering Heights, who is Hareton Earnshaw's father?

Hindley Earnshaw is Hareton Earnshaw’s father in Wuthering Heights.

Hindley is Catherine Earnshaw’s older brother and the biological son of Mr and Mrs Earnshaw. After Mr Earnshaw dies, Hindley inherits Wuthering Heights and returns with his wife, Frances. Their son, Hareton, is born soon afterward.

Frances dies not long after Hareton’s birth, and Hindley collapses into heavy drinking, gambling and neglect. Although Nelly Dean initially helps care for Hareton, Heathcliff gradually takes control of the household and raises the boy in deliberately harsh conditions as part of his revenge against Hindley.

Hareton is therefore an Earnshaw by birth, but his upbringing leaves him uneducated and treated almost like a servant. He is sometimes mistaken for Heathcliff’s son because Heathcliff raises him and becomes a father-like presence. They are not related by blood: Heathcliff is Hareton’s father’s enemy and later his guardian-like oppressor.