Wuthering Heights

What effected Heathcliff's transformation at the novel's end?

In the book Wutheing Heights what effected Heathcliff's transformation at the novel's end? In what ways does this affect other characters, and in what way does this transformation contribute to th meaning of the work as a whole?

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The change that we see in Heathcliff at the end of the novel is eery to say the least. This brooding man, always angry, always described as dark...... different........ becomes more human. He gains an emotional aspect, something we first see in his interaction with Mrs. Dean. A conversation in which we see the onset of a smile for the very first time. We no longer see descriptions that allude to a "sneer" or a "grin," but rather a smile, a sense of happiness.

In this smile we see the foreshadowing of a change...... but will Heathcliif change? Or is it all simply the anticipation of death and a reunion with Catherine...... the one thing that would truly make him happy. 

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Wuthering Heights