Wuthering Heights

Context:

Wuthering Heights is written between 1845 and 1846 by Emily Brontë', and was published in 1847. It was Emily’s only novel and under her pseudonym "Ellis Bell"; Emily died the following year in the age of 30. It is widely debated that whether Wuthering Heights should be regarded as a classic English literature. There are controversial opinions since the depiction of physical cruelty and mental torture were not common elements of an idealistic Victorian day. The English poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti described it as "A fiend of a book – an incredible monster ... The action is laid in hell, – only it seems places and people have English names there."

The story is told between Lockwood’s narrative and Nelly’s narrative. The book tells the story mainly by the flashbacks. However, there are enough clues inside the book that enable the readers to form a reconstruction of its chronology. Many people, who might have not read the book before, consider Wuthering Heights as an intense and crazy love story. However, this is not true. The focus is on revenge. It tells how Heathcliff was first favored in his adopted family and then abused after the death of his adoptive father, and how he first ran away after Catherine, the girl he loves, decides to marry someone else, and later returned, rich and educated, to seek a revenge on the both families.

What is the author communicating and how?

The major two themes are obvious: love and marriage, and revenge.

• Love and marriage

Emily put a sharp emphasize on the theme of love and marriage: The love between Catherine and Heathcliff, the love between Catherine and Edgar Linton, who she later married with, and the love between Heathcliff and Isabella Linton, who Heathcliff later married with. The entire story is triggered by the unchangeable love between Catherine and Heathcliff. There is one scene in the book that is very contagious is when Mr. Lockwood visited Heathcliff’s house for the first time and stayed in the room that Catherine used to stay. He saw the ghost of Catherine outside of the window. He screamed and Heathcliff rushed into the room: “He got on to the bed, and wrenched open the lattice, bursting, as he pulled at it, into a uncontrollable passion of tears.

‘Come in! Come in!’ he sobbed. ‘Cathy, do come. Oh do- once more! Oh! My heart’s darling, here me this time- Catherine, at last!’ ” The quote by Heathcliff is after the death of Catherine. It described the struggle and pain of loosing the beloved one. There are many other quotes about the love such as this.

• Revenge

Revenge is much highlighted throughout the entire novel. It is often connected with the love and marriage. Heathcliff went back and married Edgar’s sister Isabella, and he tortured Hindley’s son and Catherine’s daughter. He was blinded by his obsession on revenge and did not think about winning Catherine back instead. The novel includes many quotes on the revenge such as: "I'm trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don't care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last. I hope he will not die before I do" (7.69).

Why do I find it beautiful?

Many people have said that Wuthering Heights is a very dark and heavy novel. It sure is. There are many abuses, physically and mentally.

However, I love how the story was set up. The revenge Heathcliff started is because of the love between him and Catherine. It is because he loves her but cannot have her that he turned into revenge and hopes to ruin the two families, which leads to his misery. He abused Isabella and their child; he tortured Hindley’s son Hareton because Hindley abused him when he was young. However, the revenge also ended because of love. Heathcliff once was overwhelmed by anger, but in the end, he realized that the revenge was pointless. He saw the eyes of Hareton and Cathy, who’s the daughter of Catherine and Edgar, and that reminded him the love between him and Catherine. He was tired and lonely and awake from the craziness. He ended his life with suicide.

Heathcliff is hateful because he ruined the life of two families. But he is also a poor soul. He suffered all the abuses in his childhood and lost the girl that means everything to him. He only realized the most important thing after all the messes he had done. But Heathcliff is also a hero in someway. His faithful love to Catherine is a brave rebellion towards the old society full with stereotypes. Even although his resistance in negative and powerless, their love finally conquered death and reach another level.