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Emily Bronte created a book called Wuthering Heights that was published in 1847. The book has been rejected multiple times by the Victorian readers because of its disturbing, unexplained vision of anarchy and decay (Knoepflmacher). I chose the book Wuthering Heights because it has an interesting name. I never thought the book was narrated by two people and that it had a dramatic romance to it. Also I have notice that there is a large amount of hate towards the character Heathcliff due to his actions towards revenge. Although many critics claim that Heathcliff is the true villain of Wuthering Heights I disagree with these critics because in my opinion Heathcliff is not the true villain of Wuthering Heights. I say this because a villain is someone who does wicked or evil deliberately. Even though his actions were cruel and evil much like a villain there is a character within the story that has done far worse than Heathcliff. In my opinion, I see Heathcliff more as a victim than a villain because he was mistreated when he was a child.
In the book Emily Bronte described Heathcliff as "dark, almost as if he came from the devil," (pg. 54) immediately making the reader view the character as evil. However Heathcliff became who he is because of the abuse from Hindley and Catherine’s ambitions. There are critics that question the existence of the Heathcliff like Charlotte Bronte notes “Whether it is right or advisable to create beings like Heathcliff, I do not know; I scarcely think it is” (pg. 16). All of his actions towards revenge were wicked and evil, but there is not enough evidence that indicates that Heathcliff is the true villain of Wuthering Heights because he is more of a victim than a villain.
First of all, when Heathcliff first...
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...e, Marilyn. "Who is Heathcliff? The Shadow knows." Victorian Newsletter (2002): 15+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
Knoepflmacher, U. C. "Wuthering Heights: A Tragicomic Romance." Laughter and Despair: Readings in Ten Novels of the Victorian Era. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1971. 84-108. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 165. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
Mathison, John K. “ Nelly Dean and the Power of Wuthering Heights.” Nineteenth Century Fiction 11.2 (1956). 106 -129. Print.
Ward, Mary A. "Introduction." Life and Works of the Sisters Bronte: "Wuthering Heights" V (1903). Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jay Parini and Janet Mullane. Vol. 16. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. Literature Resource Center. Web. 18 Apr. 2014
Harris, Laurie Lanzen. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Vol. 3 (Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism). Vol. 3. Belmont: Thomson Gale, 1983. Print.
"Jane Eyre." Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 3. Ed. Laurie Lanzen Harris. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1982: 42-3.
In the novel Wuthering Heights, author Emily Brontë portrays the morally ambiguous character of Heathcliff through his neglected upbringing, cruel motives, and vengeful actions.
Shapiro, Arnold. “‘Wuthering Heights’ as a Victorian Novel.” Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 16. Eds. Joann Cerrito and Paul Kepos. Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. 108-110.
Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, set in the countryside of England’s 1700’s, features a character named Heathcliff, who is brought into the Earnshaw family as a young boy and quickly falls into a passionate, blinding romance with the Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine. However, Heathcliff is soon crushed by this affection when his beloved chooses the company of another man rather than his own. For the remainder of the novel he exudes a harsh, aversive attitude that remains perduring until his demise that is induced by the loss of his soulmate, and in turn the bereavement of the person to whom the entirety of his being and his very own self were bound.
Through self-centered and narcissistic characters, Emily Bronte’s classic novel, “Wuthering Heights” illustrates a deliberate and poetic understanding of what greed is. Encouraged by love, fear, and revenge, Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff, and Linton Heathcliff all commit a sin called selfishness.
Greenblatt, Stephen, eds. The Norton Anthology English Literature. 9th ed. Crawfordsville: R.R. Donnelley & Sons, 2012. Print.
Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a novel about lives that cross paths and are intertwined with one another. Healthcliff, an orphan, is taken in by Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of Wuthering Heights. Mr. Earnshaw has two children named Catherine and Hindley. Jealousy between Hindley and Healthcliff was always a problem. Catherine loves Healthcliff, but Hindley hates the stranger for stealing his fathers affection away. Catherine meets Edgar Linton, a young gentleman who lives at Thrushcross Grange. Despite being in love with Healthcliff she marries Edgar elevating her social standing. The characters in this novel are commingled in their relationships with Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.
Brontë, Emily, Fritz Eichenberg, and Bruce Rogers. Wuthering Heights. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Victorian Age: Introduction." The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Victorian Age: Introduction. 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2014
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Norton Critical ed. 3rd ed. Ed. William M. Sale, Jr., and Richard J. Dunn. New York: W. W. Norton, 1990.
(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.
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights raises a question about the defensibility of personality: can wrongdoings be explained and forgiven by backstory? Do the choices one makes define how “evil” one is, and are they destined to happen? Can anyone’s identity be seen as solely malevolent? If so, why is Heathcliff a prime example? When questioning the effects of one’s inherent personality and past on their current choices, the answer clears: although Heathcliff was raised in a household that did not treat him well nor teach him how to act appropriately in social situations, he makes no effort to better himself and revels in torturous activities, establishing his irrevocably evil disposition. Thus, Brontë’s opinion shines through in that a person’s
Gérin, Winifred. “The Brontës.” British Writers, Vol. V. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982. Print.
Bronte's Use of Language and Setting in Wuthering Heights Between pages 15 and 18 there are identifiable ways in which 'Bronte' uses 'language and setting' to establish the characters and create a distinguishable atmosphere. In this essay, themes, genres and styles will be discussed to show how 'Bronte' establishes the characters; there will also be a discussion of the 'gothic' elements which Wuthering Heights contains. Many people would argue that the style of 'Wuthering Heights' is peculiar and complex, the power of Wuthering Heights owes much to its complex narrative structure and to the device of having two conventional people relate a very unconventional tale. Bronte importantly introduces the element of 'the supernatural' into chapter 3 which is an important technique as it grips the reader. Lockwood has come into contact with the ghost of Cathy, who died 18 years before, Some might argue that she is a product of Lockwood's imagination, and it is clear that Bronte has presented these facts in this way so that the reader can make up their own mind on the subject.