Have you ever loved someone and they loved you as well, but you cannot be with them. Whether the reason may be based on money, cultural differences, or social class, it is near impossible to stay away from that person. You wish to hold that person, kiss them, and never let them go, until they find someone new. Your heart breaks at the sight of them; you feel hatred at the sight of them smiling and enjoying themselves. You wish to get revenge for them, for breaking your heart. In 1847 a writer, named Emily Bronte, publicized a book called, Wuthering Heights. The story begins with a man, named Mr. Lockwood, who stays at an estate, called Thrushcross Grange. There he meet a cold-hearted man, Heathcliff, and asks the housekeeper to tell how Heathcliff, …show more content…
Love, by nature, is greedy. In Chapter 9, Catherine tells Nelly that she accepted Edgar Linton’s marriage proposal. Nelly asked her what she loves about him. Catherine has a hard time coming up with why she loves him. “’Why do you love him, Miss.Cathy?’ ‘Nonsense, I do –that’s sufficient.’ ‘By no means; you must say why.’ ‘Well, because he is handsome, and pleasant to be with.’ ‘Bad!’ Was my commentary” (Brontë 80). This conversation goes on until Cathy admits she loves him, because he is rich. Nelly, once again, disagrees: “’You love Mr. Edgar, because he is handsome, and young, and cheerful, and rich, and loves you. The last however, goes for nothing: you would love him without that, probably; and with it you wouldn’t, unless he possessed the four former attractions.’ ‘No, to be sure not; I should only pity him- hate him,’ (Brontë 80). Catherine admits that she would not only pity, but also hate Edgar if he was not rich. This may mean that Catherine only loves Edgar for his money. …show more content…
In chapter 14, Heathcliff married Isabella, who is infatuated with him, to gain power over her and get revenge on Edgar. “It was a marvellous effort of perspicacity to discover that I did not love her. I believed, at one time, no lessons could teach her that! And get it is poorly learnt; for this morning she announced, as a piece of appalling intelligence, that I had actually succeeded in making her hate me!”(Brontë 148). After marrying Isabella, Heathcliff makes her hate him. Furthermore, in chapter 13, Isabella writes a letter to Nelly about how poorly Heathcliff treats her. “Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?” (Brontë 134). Heathcliff treats her so harshly, that she questions if he is truly a human. Later in the letter, Isabella states, “I do hate him- I am wretched- I have been a fool! Beware of uttering one breath of this to anyone at the Grange” (Brontë 143). Isabella regrets marring Heathcliff. Her infatuation with him was replaced with hatred. She asks Nelly to keep the letter to herself, in fear that Heathcliff may find out and hurt her. Later, Isabella ran away, to London, to get away from Heathcliff. Heathcliff marries Isabella to hurt Catherine the same way when she married Edgar. Even though they were married to different people, the two still met with each
“I have not broken your heart - you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine”. (Brontë 156) Since the beginning of time, love is something all aspire to attain. It has shown through novels, movies, plays, and songs, however not all love is the same. In Emily Brontë’s novel, Wuthering Heights, published in 1847, characters illustrate through disputes that occur, deception and selfishness. This is illustrated through the events of; Heathcliff's hunger for revenge, Edgar Linton's impact on Catherine in comparison to Heathcliff, and Heathcliff’s deception on all characters.
Society today embellishes the words romance and passion, claiming them to be all good and positive. However, almost no works of media capture the darkness of intense fervor like Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Her two protagonists, Heathcliff and Catherine, are one of literature’s most romantic star-crossed lovers, whose only parallel is Romeo and Juliet. Once her father brings the young and wild gypsy home, Catherine forms an unbreakable attachment with him. They embody the term “gothic romance” with tragedy and distress in every chapter threatening the relationship and sanity of the two characters. Catherine and Heathcliff’s amorous affinity and bond towards each other kindles drama that inflicts pain and suffering on those around them, causing the world that encompasses Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange to fall apart.
Wuthering Heights is a gothic novel by Emily Brontë. In this novel, there are tragic events that transpire and appear to have taken place due to jealousy. Several of these events include, when Heathcliff had feelings for Cathy but Isabella liked Heathcliff and so Isabella was jealous of Cathy because she was more closer to Heathcliff and more beautiful. Another event was when Hindley was envious of Heathcliff because he was more favored by Mr. Earnshaw and last but not least, Heathcliff was covetous of Edgar because he got married to Cathy because he was wealthier and well brought-up. All these events that took place in the book occurred due to jealousy but others may oppose and argue that it was due to other emotions such as hatred or revenge.
Heathcliff is the center of conflicts in “wuthering heights”. His inner conflict is mainly due to jealousy, since he had been left by his love because of his social class. This social class conflict added bitterness to him and led to clashes with Edgar and Hindley, dedicating his life to vengeance in both physical and mental state; and influencing how the majority of characters interrelate, as depicted by Emily Bronte. Heathcliff was introduced into a whole new world at thrush cross grange. As an orphan, he neither had wealth nor status; he emerged from the darkness into the knot family system of the Earnshaw.
“My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods; time will change it… My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath... Nelly, I am Heathcliff!” This quote from Catherine explains her love for both men, even though one is stronger than the other. Her love for Edgar is superficial. Edgar Linton is made to feel helpless when Catherine falls into a catatonic depression, after she is alerted that Heathcliff and Isabella eloped. He was gullible to Catherine's love, even if it was not a full devotion to him. She needed to keep up her responsibility as Edgar's wife, and not let herself fall for Heathcliff. Similarly to what Eleanor Roosevelt said, “And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility”
of all[society’s]wishes”(232).Hareton was also a lower status than Cathy, but their love union was cherished unlike Catherines, and Heathcliff's love which shows Bronte’s view of love.Her view seems to prefer the domestic,stable,and serene love of the second generation to the eccentric love of the first generation lovers.
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
Catherine Earnshaw appears to be a woman who is free spirited. However, Catherine is also quite self-centered. She clearly states that her love for Edgar Linton does not match how much she loves Heathcliff. She is saying that she does love both, and she is unwilling to give one up for the other; she wants “Heathcliff for her friend”. Catherine admits that her love for Linton is “like the foliage in the woods”; however, her love for Heathcliff “resembles the eternal rocks beneath”. She loves Heathcliff and yet she gives him up and marries Linton instead, Catherine believes that if she marries Heathcliff it would degrade and humiliate her socially.
In a failed attempt to discourage Isabella Linton’s budding desire for Heathcliff in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Nelly Dean does not hesitate in standing behind Catherine’s assertion that he would destroy Isabella if she were to pursue him romantically: “She is better acquainted with his heart than I, or any one besides,” Nelly warns, “and she would never represent him as worse than he is” (103). While Nelly’s plea falls upon deaf ears, her admission rings true—if there is anyone in Wuthering Heights with more insight on Heathcliff’s actions and motives, it is Catherine Earnshaw. Had Brontë aimed to interrogate Heathcliff’s individual growth and regression in Wuthering Heights, Catherine may have narrated the tale, but as the original
The basic conflict of the novel that drives Heathcliff and Catherine apart is social. Written after the Industrial Revolution, Wuthering Heights is influenced by the rise of new fortunes and the middle class in England. Money becomes a new criterion to challenge the traditional criterias of class and family in judging a gentleman’s background. Just as Walpole who portrays the tyrannies of the father figure Manfred and the struggles of the Matilda who wants to marry the peasant Theodore, as depicted in the quote “(…) improbability that either father would consent to bestow his heiress on so poor a man, though nobly born”(p. 89), Brontë depicts a brutal bully Hindley who torments Heathcliff and separates Catherine from him. Heathcliff, a gypsy outcast picked u...
...ctive. Catherine is pushed to death and Heathcliff to brutal revenge, bordering on the psychotic. Yet before Cathy’s death, the knowledge that the other loves them is strong enough to make Wuthering Heights such a classic love story, and “that old man by the kitchen fire affirming he has seen two of 'em looking out of his chamber window, on every rainy night since his death,” shows that as they walk together on the moors, their self destruction may have led them to death, but also to what they most desired-being together.
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.
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. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë does not idealize love; she presents it realistically, with all its faults and merits. She shows that love is a powerful force which can be destructive or redemptive. Heathcliff has an all-consuming passion for Catherine. When she chooses to marry Edgar, his spurned love turns into a destructive force, motivating him to enact revenge and wreak misery. The power of Heathcliff’s destructive love is conquered by the influence of another kind of love. Young Cathy’s love for Hareton is a redemptive force. It is her love that brings an end to the reign of Heathcliff.
(2) Emily Bronte’s purpose in writing Wuthering Heights is to depict unfulfilled love in a tragic romance novel and hence the theme of Wuthering Heights is love is pain. Emily Bronte reveals an important life lesson that love is not sufficient for happiness and if anything, stirs up more agony. This message is important because, although it is difficult to accept, the message is devastatingly honest. In Wuthering Heights, two characters named Heathcliff and Catherine loved each other immensely. However, their pride and adamance disabled them from making any progress on their romantic relationship. In fact, Heathcliff and Catherine purposely hurt each another through reckless and cruel actions. The author is exemplifying a recurring theme in history that love is associated with pain. The message allows readers to be aware that love is not constant perfection and happiness.
In the novel Wuthering Heights, a story about love that has turned into obsession, Emily Bronte manipulates the desolate setting and dynamic characters to examine the self-destructive pain of compulsion. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a novel about lives that are intertwined with one another. All the characters in this novel are commingled in their relationships with Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.