We begin to see the less attractive traits of Daz? character through his attitude towards revenging ?Subbies?:
?that?s wot Dreds all about. Killing Subbys. You cant join til 15 and now I am so watch out you basteds i?ll show you topping our Del.?
It is here that we see Daz? intense hate for ?Subbies?, he has not yet met Zoe in the plot, but we see how his attitude is similar to Heathcliff?s, when brooding, over his mistreatment by Hindley. Although we feel as though this aversion is well deserved, and even appropriate, as both Swindells and Bront? have created just reasons for these attitudes. The death of Daz? brother Del has obviously taken a great impact on his outlook on life, and of ?Subbies?, as it was presumably the ?Subby? police who killed him. We still see Daz as extremely violent here, as we, as the audience, have social attitudes as ?Subbies?, but we also sympathise with him because of his bereavement.
We can also see huge similarities to ?Wuthering Heights? by using Cecil?s principle of ?calm and storm? again. The tremendous contrasts in the environments, are seen in the personality of each character, even more so than in Wuthering Heights. Daz for instance lived among:
?Piles of brick and glass and cement everywhere, all smashed up?…?Cans and bottles, plastic bags, filthy mattresses, the skeletons of baby ? buggies, you name it.?
This is one of the many dramatic portrayals of Rawhampton, recounted again by Zoe, using our trust to enhance these descriptions and turn them to reality. Conversely Silverdale is:
?Safe and snug. Nothing can touch you. Nothing can hurt you. There are no hassles here. No problems.?
but still not everybody is happy here. It is described many times as a cage, which is why ?Chippying? is so popular with the younger generations who want some excitement in their lives. This is exactly what Zoe finds herself partaking in, and it is through ?Chippying? that she meets Daz:
?just another Chippy guy in a beat up leather jacket and wild, greasy-looking hair, but he turned round and our eyes met and that was it.?
This is the first sign of any romance between the two, and although they are complete opposites, Zoe is attracted to him. The same happens with Heathcliff and Catherine, she knows she has better educated, and socially more respected, but still finds herself falling in love with him.
This is one of the most important aspects within the plot, as Daz heroically saves Zoe, and her friends, from serious harm, in ?Blue Moon?, where they foolishly got themselves into trouble with Dred.
?You better leave with me. Now.?
Daz saves Zoe?s life at this point, by overcoming his upbringing as using his moral judgements, mixed with natural instincts and experience to save her. This brave gesture to strangers he has been brought up to hate, also shows that Daz has his own opinions, although they are greatly influenced by his society. Swindells is creating further respect for Daz by showing that even though his education is lacking dramatically, his morals are at least in the right direction, and his courage was going against everything he has been taught to do in such a situation. The irony is that Daz was in the bar on that night for his first meeting with Dred, he would soon be murdering ?Subbies? certainly not saving them, which again heightens our respect for him. Similarly, Bront? creates equal respect for Heathcliff when he caught baby Hareton, as he was thrown from the stairs by Hindley. Heathcliff hated Hindley with such passion, the last thing he wanted to save his child, yet his instincts, and morals made it an almost reflex action for him, and so he saved Hareton?s life. Both novelists are creating positive points for the two essential male characters, which inevitably counters their negative actions.
As the novel moves on , we begin to discover more about both Daz and Zoe. We learn that in fact, although Daz has been brought up to have typical rough features, his judgements of ?right? and ?wrong? are well adjusted for his age group and is a genuinely caring, intelligent individual, who is even prepared to reveal week feelings when confronted with fear:
?scairt and not even started yet.?
Swindells is continually enhancing our sympathy by adding these details and we eventually build up quite a strong sense of respect for him. Bront? only shows us one weaker area in Heathcliff?s demeanour; he sometimes portrayed to be ashamed of what he has become; though, Daz also blatantly shows this:
?ashamed ov yor movver, ashamed ov yor hoam.?
As the plot reaches a climax in the final chapters of the novel, Dred captures Daz, and Zoe. They use Zoe as a tool to get Daz from his hiding place, threatening to kill her if he does not show himself. Once out, Cal, makes a dramatic speech about torturing Daz, making his death the most slow and painful way possible. The end of that chapter was accomplished brilliantly as the incredible suspense of the moment, makes the audience hold their breath:
?He stooped, thrusting the gun into the crook of Daz?s knee. I cringed and turned my face away as the shot rang out.?
Swindells composed these seconds perfectly, as the audience is compelled to instantly rush to the next chapter, where they find the final, unexpected twist in the plot. Daz is found unharmed, and Dred and the police engaged in a spectacular firefight, with Cal, the Dred ?ring-leader? in agony, wounded on the floor. Daz and Zoe then make a successful escape from the city and as the novel closes we see them sitting on top of the hill which divides the city and the suburbs, commenting that in darkness it was impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. The closing sentence is a brilliant ending, leaving the audience to wonder how the life, which lies ahead of the two youngsters, will follow.
Swindells has used ?Daz 4 Zoe? as a distinct warning of the impending future, a foresight of what may happen if the increasing divide between our cities widens further. He has achieved this excellently, though one major difference, and perhaps disadvantage between his and Bront?s work, is the targeted audience. Swindells has aimed his piece at a younger, teenage audience, which although this has been accomplished well, there is definitely an age barrier, where once beyond teenage years the novel loses its effectiveness. I also feel it would be difficult for a middle-aged audience to fully relate to Daz? character, and find him attractive , whereas Bront? has cleverly enabled Heathcliff?s character to seem ageless. The same difference occurs with the story line, as Daz has a very na?ve view of life, and believes it was ?luck? when he met her in Silverdale. To a teenage audience, this is romantic, but for older audiences this is improbable, and the loss of realism is detrimental. Within ?Wuthering Heights?, although the style and use of vocabulary may be difficult to comprehend for lower ability readers, a huge variety of people can enjoy the plot. I therefore feel Bront? more successfully manipulates a much wider audience than Swindells, creating a timeless classic, which will be eternally notorious for its unusual, yet pragmatic characters and plot.
This is my major comp essay written in 2000. Got me an A* at GCSE under the title of: “How do the writers of ?Wuthering Heights? and ?Daz 4 Zoe? influence their audience?s opinions of the main characters? Discuss with reference to Heathcliff and Daz.” This essay took me a whole goddam year to write so I hope it can be of use to you!!