Liberal Huminism of Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights has lasted in the literary world for quite some time. The novel has flitted on the edges of the appreciated canon, only read by those avid readers. This book follows the basic story line of some of Jane Austen’s works. Set in 18th century England, the social aspects of this book stand out. These aspects are applicable in the present world, though in much less obvious ways. The meaning and themes of the novel show themselves fairly easily.

Brontë did not try to hide the meanings in between the lines, so to say. The major themes involve the social hierarchy and their importance in that time period. Catherine Linton prides herself on her place in life. She first has a place in her father’s heart, and as she ages, she finds the love of two men. One of these men, Edgar, is the one she ends up marrying. As she does this, she realizes her immense love for Heathcliff. These two characters find themselves detested by nearly every other character in the book. Their love might be their only redeeming quality in the novel. Catherine chose Edgar, not for love so much as for his position in society. This shows the way societal hierarchy worked in old England. Placement matters more than feelings. Today’s world works in much the same way. Those who marry for love tend to have difficulties for some time. Those who marry for placement or money or other such temporal matters find stability if not happiness. This time period exaggerates the hierarchy more than any other era.

Human nature causes this hierarchy to be in place. This time in literature depicts the perfection of human civilities. To be rude or uncouth constitutes no small peccadillo in society. The people rely on their societal...

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..., in that she certainly has some moments where rudeness appears to be all she exudes. On the flip side she shows remorse for being bad and seeks forgiveness in most cases. She can be the sweetest girl in the novel at times and therefore gains the ability to make up for the rest by her marriage.

Wuthering Heights show this ideal social aspect in tried and effective ways. This novel uses an old-fashioned style plot to show the author’s views on human nature and how she has always thought of humanity. She uses straight forward ways to get her meanings across, which usually consists of the characters telling the reader of their designs, and then acting them out. Brontë was more likely than not trying to enrich the lives of others through her book by letting them see how the societies they lived in should work regardless of the time period that person lived in.