Wuthering Heights, the classic novel by Emily Brontë, is a tale of intense and tumultuous relationships set in the wild and rugged landscape of the Yorkshire moors. At its core, the novel explores themes of love, revenge, and the destructive power of jealousy.
One of the central themes in Wuthering Heights is the destructive nature of love. The love between the main characters, Catherine and Heathcliff, is intense and all-consuming, but it is also deeply troubled and often turns violent. Catherine's decision to marry Edgar Linton instead of Heathcliff leads to a deep rift between the two, and Heathcliff's obsession with getting revenge on Edgar and the Linton family consumes him for the rest of his life. The love between Catherine and Heathcliff ultimately destroys both of them and those around them, leading to a cycle of misery and suffering.
Another major theme in the novel is the power of revenge. Heathcliff's desire for revenge on Edgar and the Linton family drives much of the plot, and his actions have tragic consequences for all involved. Heathcliff's need for revenge ultimately consumes him, leading to his own demise and the suffering of those around him.
Jealousy is another major theme in Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff is jealous of Edgar's position and wealth, and his jealousy drives his desire for revenge. Catherine's jealousy of Edgar's sister Isabella also plays a significant role in the novel, as Catherine's jealousy of Isabella's relationship with Heathcliff drives a wedge between the two.
Overall, Wuthering Heights is a novel that explores the destructive power of love, the destructive nature of revenge, and the destructive force of jealousy. These themes are woven throughout the novel and help to drive the plot, ultimately leading to the tragic ending that has made Wuthering Heights a classic piece of literature.
Major Themes
Too much too young: popular music, age and gender. The landscape is described as the Learn More Moreover, not only can you get lost there because it all looks similar, but also drown. In 2018 Wuthering Heights at number 71, saying: "Widely considered a staple of Gothic fiction and the English literary canon, this book has gone on to inspire many generations of writers—and will continue to do so". Lockwood also states that his desire for isolation has forced him to move to Thrushcross Grange. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
Masculinity and Femininity Theme in Wuthering Heights
I have not broken your heart—you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine. Instead of symbolizing a particular emotion, characters symbolize real people with real, oftentimes not-so-nice emotions. In Changing Heaven, the novel Wuthering Heights, as well as the ghost of Emily Brontë, feature as prominent roles in the narrative. However, neither of that would have happened if Mr. The story shows the vagaries of social class making it one of the themes in Wuthering Heights.
While he recovers, Lockwood's housekeeper Ellen "Nelly" Dean tells him the story of the strange family. Revenge One of the major themes in Wuthering Heights is revenge. I have passed it really in my walks, twice or thrice; it lies in a hollow, between two hills: an elevated hollow, near a swamp, whose peaty moisture is said to answer all the purposes of embalming on the few corpses deposited there. There are two primary examples of this: Heathcliff and Hareton. He wants their children to suffer, as well. . People become revengeful when they are ill-treated in their childhood.
Retrieved 10 October 2017. The author tells the impacts of violence along with the theme of revenge. Reprinted in Life and Letters of Sydney Dobell, ed. Cathy herself dies during difficult childbirth complicated by disease. Through Heathcliff, the readers see the abuse he suffers.
Most siblings in the story tend not to get along, with the first generation absolutely despising each other. But where is the use? On the surface, this blend of styles causes the feeling of pessimism towards human nature and love in readers. The New York Times. You have killed yourself. Self-knowledge Brontë frequently dissociates the self from the consciousness——that is, characters have to get to know themselves just as they would another person. Only then, Cathy and Hareton are free to be happy in love. They seized those aspects of the earth which were most akin to what they themselves felt or imputed to their characters, and so their storms, their moors, their lovely spaces of summer weather are not ornaments applied to decorate a dull page or display the writer's powers of observation—they carry on the emotion and light up the meaning of the book.
The inner story is that of Nelly Dean, who transmits to Lockwood the history of the two families during the last two generations. He learns of his father's identity and existence only after his mother dies when he is twelve. Everyone who enters Heathcliff's household is infected by his inability to love and ends up miserable. Even in the beginning, Heathcliff and Hindley want to stay isolated instead of joining others. Wuthering Heights is now considered a classic of English literature. Heathcliff subconsciously tries to take revenge by limiting the education of Hareton in an effort to lower his social standing. It is because almost all of them die desiring for the fulfilment of their emotional hunger which is not met.
Wuthering Heights Themes with Examples and Analysis
It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Thus the point of view comes from a combination of two speakers who outline the events of the plot within the framework of a story within a story. However, Heathcliff refuses to educate him, and everyone else mostly ignores him, so his manners a very important indicator of class status are rough and gruff. It is not without evidences of considerable power: but, as a whole, it is wild, confused, disjointed, and improbable; and the people who make up the drama, which is tragic enough in its consequences, are savages ruder than those who lived before the days of In the whole story not a single trait of character is elicited which can command our admiration, not one of the fine feelings of our nature seems to have formed a part in the composition of its principal actors. Other pairings include Hareton Earnshaw vs. Love is the dominant theme throughout the novel; however it is not the conventional love story that most people are accustomed to reading. London: The Women's Press.
Nelly says that the locals have seen the ghosts of Catherine and Heathcliff wandering abroad together. Brontë's exploration of love is best discussed in the context of good versus evil which is another way of saying love versus hate. . We came to the chapel. Rather than imply that gender roles are correct, Catherine who inherits her mother's strong will finds a way to be happy while avoiding gender stereotypes.
Eventually, the feud lasting generations is solved by the love of Catherine and Hareton. Wuthering Heights is an old house high on the Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. In his selfishness and capacity for cruelty he resembles Heathcliff; physically, he resembles his mother. I believe—I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. . London, I895 , pp. It is this spirit which moves Catherine to exclaim, 'surely you and everybody have a notion that there is, or should be, an existence of yours beyond you.
Nineteenth Century Contexts, 4:1, 1—15, 1980. If you have no time to work with a summary maker but still need a shortened version of this story,. Humanity versus nature Brontë is preoccupied with the opposition between human civilization and nature. That sounds as if I had been labouring the whole time only to exhibit a fine trait of magnanimity. Instead, his single-minded pursuit of revenge leaves him empty and exhausted.
