Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights – Themes of Reading and Books

1085 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights – Themes of Reading and Books

An author’s particular style and technique, is usually greatly attributed to their personality and individual preference. In the case of Emily Bronte, she was an extremely withdrawn and private person; and it is because of this, why she turned to books as a form of expression. In her notorious Wuthering Heights, she uses books as an important way to illustrate a number of key issues; most notably character, and the theme of love. Although subtle in her method, Bronte passion is what she employs as a tool in the construction of the epic tale.

In the novel Wuthering Heights, the first time we are given reference to books is during chapter 3, prior to Lockwood’s nightmare. Here we find the delirious houseguest in the confines of a mysterious room, and we are told that “Catherine’s library was select, and its state of dissipation proved it to have been well used.”(p.24). Instantly, this simple piece of information proved useful in giving the reader a glimpse of Catherine’s character. From this statement, we are able to conclude that Catherine was in fact a woman of knowledge; but we are still left to wonder exactly what type of knowledge she had. The fascinating attribute about books is that we all have different preferences. Furthermore is the fact that reading is usually seen as escapism of some sort; thus, it brings a sense of individualism into a world of persuasion, as well as peace of mind in an atmosphere of chaos. We will go further into this as we progress.

Books are often used to shield us against the genuine problems of the human race. This is a main method of avoidance, although we must realize that there weren’t many other alternatives for entertainment. Books have the most powerful effects on its’ audience because it’s the only form of media whose outcomes rely solely on that of the reader; we also must consider that literature has been present for thousands of centuries. Books, therefore, are not only able to inform us, but let us portray the outcomes to our liking.

When Lockwood’s nightmare scene is at it’s climax, he is able to get rid of the terrifying figure when “(he) snatched (his hand) through the hole, (and) hurriedly piled the books up in a pyramid against it.

Show More
Related

  • The Social Value of 19th Amendment

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Constitutional amendments from freedom of speech to flag burning.. 2nd ed. Detroit, Mich.: UXL, 2008. Print.

    Read More

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was a milestone in American history, as it began the long process of racial integration, starting with schools. Segregated schools were not equal in quality, so African-American families spearheaded the fight for equality. Brown v. Board stated that public schools must integrate. This court decision created enormous controversy throughout the United States. Without this case, the United States may still be segregated today.

    Read More

  • Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mainly from the dialogue between America and Jig, it seems that the two are an unmarried couple. Their discussion suggests that they are facing some kind of problem. With further analysis, we can begin to discern that the couple was actually talking about having an abortion. It was not explicitly stated, but with their words, "this is really not an operation at any" one can perceive that they were in fact talking about having an abortion.

    Read More

  • Criminal Profiling

    1761 Words  | 4 Pages

    The process of using behavioral evidence left at a crime scene to make inferences about the offender, including inferences about personality characteristics and psychopathology is called criminal profiling. Around the country, several agencies rely on the minds of criminal psychologists to lead them in the right direction to finding the correct offender. Criminal profiling provides investigators with knowledge of the appearance and behavior of a potential criminal.

    Read More

  • Serial Killer Profiling

    2173 Words  | 5 Pages

    Profiling itself has been in use since Jack the Ripper in London during the 1880s. George Phillips and Thomas Bond made predictions about the murderer’s personality based on the information at the crime scene (Winerman, 2004). The FBI now runs the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) and the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) made popular by the television show Criminal Minds. Forensic profilers interact with a large variety of crime, but the focus of this paper will lie on the interaction of profiling and serial killers.

    Read More

  • The Affordable Care Act

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Www.aamc.org (n.d.). Affordable Care Act - Initiatives - AAMC. Retrieved February 8, 2014, from https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/aca/

    Read More

  • The Life and Art of Paul Gauguin

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though Gauguin wanted to find respect and acceptance in France, this would not happen during his lifetime. Critics at a major exhibition in Paris discovered Gauguin’s work three years after his death. Today he is recognized as the most audacious and perhaps most imaginative of all of the Post-impressionist painters (Harmon 7).

    Read More

  • Psychological Profiling

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    Historically, crime and criminals have always caught the attention of law-abiding citizens. Whenever there is mention of serial killers or unsolved murders or abductions, psychological profiling, now a household term, floats to the top of the list of concerns (Egger, 1999). Psychological profiling is an attempt to provide investigators with more information about an offender who has not yet been identified (Egger, 1999). Its purpose is to develop a behavioral composite that combines both sociological and psychological assessment of the would-be offender. It is generally based on the premise that an accurate analysis and interpretation of the crime scene and other locations related to the crime can indicate the type of person who could have committed the crime (Egger, 1999).

    Read More

  • A Late Encounter With the Enemy by Flannery O’Connor

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sothern gothic literature that include Works like Flannery O’Connor’s “A Late encounter with the enemy” incorporates the idea of “investigating madness, decay and despair, and the continuing pressures of the past upon the present, particularly with respect to the lost ideals of a dispossessed Southern aristocracy and to the continuance of racial hostilities.”(Marshall 3). These ideas all share a common theme that O’Connor brings to the table in “A Late Encounter with the enemy, along with “The American South serves as the nation’s ‘other,’ becoming the repository of everything from which the nation wants to disassociate itself” (Marshall 3–4). But in true Gothic fashion, the horrors of the past continue to dominate the present.” (Marshall 12). Flannery O’Connor gives readers insight into the life of the granddaughter Sally Poker Sash and how she heavily relies on her families past lineage to shape her present and future in this southern gothic horror (O’Connor 87).

    Read More

  • Characters of Catherine and Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights can be considered a Gothic romance or an essay on the human relationship. The reader may regard the novel as a serious study of human problems such as love and hate, or revenge and jealousy. One may even consider the novel Bronte's personal interpretation of the universe. However, when all is said and done, Heathcliff and Catherine are the story. Their powerful presence permeates throughout the novel, as well as their complex personalities. Their climatic feelings towards each other and often selfish behavior often exaggerates or possibly encapsulates certain universal psychological truths humans are too afraid to express. Heathcliff and Catherine's stark backgrounds evolve respectively into dark personalities and mistaken life paths, but in the end their actions determine the course of their own relationships and lives. Their misfortunes, recklessness, willpower, and destructive passion are unable to penetrate the eternal love they share.

    Read More

  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, has 323 pages. The genre of Wuthering Heights is realistic fiction, and it is a romantic novel. The book is available in the school library, but it was bought at Barnes and Nobles. The author’s purpose of writing Wuthering Heights is to describe a twisted and dark romance story. Thus, the author conveys the theme of one of life’s absolute truths: love is pain. In addition, the mood of the book is melancholy and tumultuous. Lastly, the single most important incident of the book is when Heathcliff arrives to Edgar Linton’s residence in the Granges unannounced to see Catherine’s state of health. Heathcliff’s single visit overwhelmed Catherine to the point of death.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Setting in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    The setting is the backbone for a novel it sets the tone and gives the reader a mental image of the time and places the story takes place. The Wuthering Heights Estate in Emily Bronte’s novel “Wuthering Heights” is one of the most important settings in the story. Wuthering Heights sets mood for the scenes taken place in the house, and reflects the life of Heathcliff through its description, furniture, windows, gates, and the vegetation.

    Read More

  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    Much meaning that was not overtly written into Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights can be discovered by using Freudian interpretation. This meaning was not consciously intended by Bronte, but can be very interesting and helpful in finding significance in the book. Freud used dream analysis, symbolism, and psychoanalytical techniques to find meaning that was not apparent in his patients the other subjects of his analysis.

    Read More

  • Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    Often in literature, the fictional written word mimics or mirrors the non-fictional actions of the time. These reflections may be social, historical, biographical, or a combination of these. Through setting, characters, and story line, an author can recreate in linear form on paper some of the abstract concepts and ideas from the world s/he is living in. In the case of Emily Bronte, her novel Wuthering Heights very closely mirrors her own life and the lives of her family members.   Bronte's own life emerges on the pages of this novel through the setting, characters, and story line of Wuthering Heights.

    Read More

  • Bronte's Use of Language and Setting in Wuthering Heights

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bronte's Use of Language and Setting in Wuthering Heights Between pages 15 and 18 there are identifiable ways in which 'Bronte' uses 'language and setting' to establish the characters and create a distinguishable atmosphere. In this essay, themes, genres and styles will be discussed to show how 'Bronte' establishes the characters; there will also be a discussion of the 'gothic' elements which Wuthering Heights contains. Many people would argue that the style of 'Wuthering Heights' is peculiar and complex, the power of Wuthering Heights owes much to its complex narrative structure and to the device of having two conventional people relate a very unconventional tale. Bronte importantly introduces the element of 'the supernatural' into chapter 3 which is an important technique as it grips the reader. Lockwood has come into contact with the ghost of Cathy, who died 18 years before, Some might argue that she is a product of Lockwood's imagination, and it is clear that Bronte has presented these facts in this way so that the reader can make up their own mind on the subject.

    Read More

More about Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights – Themes of Reading and Books

Open Document