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Analyze the gathering heights’ setting
Analyze the gathering heights’ setting
Analyze the gathering heights’ setting
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Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is the story of Heathcliff, an orphan found on the streets and adopted by the Earnshaws – an upper class family. Once his adoptive father died, he was treated more like a servant and his life was made miserable by his jealous “brother” Hindley. The woman he loved, Catherine Earnshaw, chose to marry another man, Edgar Linton, and Heathcliff spent the remainder of his days attempting to ruin the lives of those around him in order to gain revenge for his youthful mistreatment. Brontë, publishing her novel in 1847, crafted a classic piece of gothic literature where she writes about the uncanny embodiments of werewolves and vampires. Popularized during the Victorian era, gothic novels contained elements of the supernatural …show more content…
The superhuman aspects imbued in gothic literature are especially interesting as they allow authors to subtly make a social commentary about their community. In this gothic tale, the persistent howling symbolizes those people in our society who are unsocialized, feral even, and follow no rules while the vampires represent the people in our world who are reserved, well-dressed, and have good exterior facades. However, vampires also represent the strict social rules and suffocating social boundaries observed by the upper class during the Victorian era. While it seems like Wuthering Heights is a tale of love and revenge, the Victorian reader may have interpreted it as a story abound with supernatural and mystical forces.
The Linton family – especially Edgar and Isabella – possess traits similar to those of vampires. Vampires are described
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Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw’s children, Hindley and Catherine, as well as the adopted Heathcliff, all behave like werewolves. Werewolves are loyal, have a deep desire for freedom, and have powerful emotions. Bonded by true love, Catherine and Heathcliff represent werewolves from the same pack and they remain loyal to each other despite appearances. Werewolves can’t control their emotions. when they express their emotions, they do so in the extreme. Hindley is violent; Heathcliff rages for revenge; Catherine often goes through melancholy fits. Vampires, typically show reserved emotions. Isabella stays loyal to Heathcliff who treats Isabella very poorly. It finally takes Heathcliff throwing a knife at her head for Isabella to leave him. Catherine, in contrast, is ready to abandon people at a moment’s notice. Edgar and Catherine’s love is sweet, whereas Heathcliff and Isabella’s love is cold and distant. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love, although unrealized, is very strong, and passionate. Catherine Earnshaw is talking to Nelly and she mentions, “[Heathcliff’s] more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire” (Brontë 81). When Catherine says they're the same, she means they both have the qualities of the same species - werewolves. When Lockwood first arrived to Wuthering Heights he said there was, “a swarm of
Primarily, Heathcliff's hunger for revenge blindsides the character’s, Hindley, Catherine, Hareton, and young Catherine. Revenge is what Heathcliff wishes to
Spencer, Kathleen L. “Purity and Danger: Dracula, The Urban Gothic, and the Late Victorian Degeneracy Crisis.” English Literary History 59.1 (1992): 197-226
Catherine and Heathcliff have had an indisputable connection from the very beginning of the story. A special connection Catherine doesn’t want to admit to, but truly knows it’s there. From their exuberant adventures on the moors, to them making memories in the same household, and eventually Heathcliff’s desire for Catherine’s ghost to haunt him. It’s obvious they would’ve spent the rest of their waking moments together if it wasn’t for their difference in status. Otherwise, they could live the life they are supposed to live. Everything from how compatible and seemingly destined they are for each other, to the unfortunate turn of events that undoubtedly keep them apart. Their lifelong relationship plays a vital role in understanding this story and is expressed through the novel’s use of
Although, Heathcliff may have seemed vicious towards Hindley, Hindley was just as or even more monstrous. Hindley constantly told Isabella of his plans to kill Heathcliff and Hindley was resentful of Heathcliff becoming part of his family. Also, Heathcliff and Catherine are the true definition of a whirlwind romance and they may seemed insane at times, but he is so cruel because he simply cannot control his love for Catherine. Of course readers feel sorry for Hareton and for the cold-hearted treatment he endured from Heathcliff, but it is disclosed that Hareton’s eyes reminded Heathcliff so much of Catherine and the loss he feels. He is mad at the world that she ended up with Edgar rather than him. Despite Heathcliff’s thoughtless intentions for marrying Isabella, readers feel sorry that he didn’t end up with the woman he really loves, Catherine.
Initially, the young Catherine that was in love with Heathcliff would have done anything to be with him. When Mr. Earnshaw passed, Heathcliff's class was degraded as Hindley
In conclusion Emily Bronte employs the literary devices of repetition and anthesis to make closure for the wild love of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff with the union of Hareton and Cathy’s love.With the characters being so similar the reader can't help to tie these sets of doubles together making Catherine’s and Heathcliff's forbidden love acceptable with the peaceful relationship of Cathy’s and Haretons relationship.
The complicated nature surrounding Heathcliff’s motives again adds an additional degree of ambiguity to his character. This motivation is primarily driven by Catherine’s marriage to Edgar and past rejection of Heathcliff, since he was a servant whom Hindley disapproved of. Prior to storming out of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff overhears Catherine say, “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now…” (Brontë 87). The obstacles that ultimately prevent Heathcliff from marrying Catherine provide insight into Heathcliff’s desire to bring harm to Edgar and Hindley. The two men play prominent roles in the debacle, Edgar as the new husband and Hindley as the head figure who refused Heathcliff access to Catherine. Following this incident, Catherine says, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same…” (Brontë 87). Catherine’s sentiment indicates she truly would rather be with Heathcliff, but the actions of others have influenced her monumental decision to marry Edgar. Furthermore, Heathcliff is motivated to not only ruin Edgar’s livelihood, but also gain ownership of his estate, Thrushcross Grange. This becomes clear when Heathcliff attempts to use Isabella
Heathcliff is a character who was abused in his childhood by Catherine’s brother, Hindley, because of his heritage as a “gypsy”, and Hindley was jealous of the love that Heathcliff got from Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley’s father. This is also selfishness upon Hindley’s part since he only wanted his father’s love for his sister and himself. So to reprimand Heathcl...
Catherine is free-spirited, wild, impetuous, and arrogant as a child, she grows up getting everything she wants as Nelly describes in chapter 5, ‘A wild, wicked slip she was’. She is given to fits of temper, and she is torn between her wild passion for Heathcliff and her social ambition. She brings misery to both of the men who love her, ultimately; Catherine’s selfishness ends up hurting everyone she loves, including herself.
Setting his work in the Middle Ages in a remote castle with horror and fantastic elements, Horace Walpole popularized the Gothic Romance genre with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto. He was the vanguard in bring thrills to readers with ancient prophecies, mysterious deaths, specters and supernatural events in his novel. However, the Gothic genre reaches a climax in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), which is marked by its intensity of emotions and artistic subtlety. Wuthering Heights is an exquisite blend of realism and romance that makes it a classic love story that haunts us till today. In this paper, I will argue that social problems of class and economics pull Heathcliff and Catherine apart, and the Gothic Romance genre affects Wuthering Heights by adding Gothic elements of an extreme weather and landscape, supernatural events and death in her novel to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere appropriate for a revenge plot with heightened emotions.
On the face of it, it would seem that the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff is self-destructive to an extreme. Due to the lovers’ precarious circumstances, passionate personalities and class divisions, it seems that fate transpires to keep them apart and therefore the hopelessness of their situation drives them to self destruction. However, although the relationship is undeniably self-destructive, there are elements within it that suggest the pain Heathcliff and Catherine put each other through is atoned for to an extent when they share their brief moments of harmony.
Wuthering Heights is a novel which deviates from the standard of Victorian literature. The novels of the Victorian Era were often works of social criticism. They generally had a moral purpose and promoted ideals of love and brotherhood. Wuthering Heights is more of a Victorian Gothic novel; it contains passion, violence, and supernatural elements (Mitchell 119). The world of Wuthering Heights seems to be a world without morals.
(4) Wuthering Heights’s mood is melancholy and tumultuous. As a result, the book gives off a feeling of sorrow and chaos. For example, Catherine’s marriage with Edgar Linton made Heathcliff jealous and angry. In retaliation, Heathcliff married Edgar’s sister, Isabella, to provoke Catherine and Edgar. Heathcliff and Isabella’s marriage ignited a chaotic uproar with Edgar and Catherine because Linton disapproved of Heathcliff’s character, and Catherine loved Heathcliff in spite of being married to Edgar. Inside, Catherine wanted to selfishly keep Heathcliff to herself. Their relationships all had tragic endings because Catherine died giving birth to Edgar’s child. Isabella also died, leaving behind her young son. Heathcliff and Edgar resented each other because of misery they experienced together. The transition of the mood in the story is from chaotic to somber.
Hindley was instrumental in moulding Heathcliff into the destructive character he became. As we know, Heathcliff was recognised more for his love affair with Catherine, than his revenge in the later part of the novel.... ... middle of paper ... ...
During the first half of the book, Catherine showed different types of love for two different people. Her love for Heathcliff was her everything, it was her identity to love and live for Heathcliff but as soon as she found out how society views Heathcliff, she sacrificed their love and married Edgar Linton in the hopes of saving Heathcliff from Hindley and protecting him from the eyes of society. In her conversation with Nelly, Cathy who professed her love for Heathcliff quoted “My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself.” Catherine proved Nelly Dean that the only person who can make her feel pain and sorrow is Heathcliff. The extent of her love was uncovered when she sang her praise of “I am Heathcliff” because this was the turning point in the book that allowed the readers to truly understand and see the depth of Cathy's love for Heathcliff. On the other hand, Catherine's love for Edgar wasn't natural because it was a love that she taught herself to feel. It might have come unknowingly to Cathy but she did love Edgar as she said “My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees.” Cathy knew that it was not impossible to love Edgar for he was a sweet and kind gentleman who showed her the world but unlike ...