Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights – Themes of Reading and Books

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Recommended: Character analysis in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights – Themes of Reading and Books

An author’s particular style and technique, is usually greatly attributed to their personality and individual preference. In the case of Emily Bronte, she was an extremely withdrawn and private person; and it is because of this, why she turned to books as a form of expression. In her notorious Wuthering Heights, she uses books as an important way to illustrate a number of key issues; most notably character, and the theme of love. Although subtle in her method, Bronte passion is what she employs as a tool in the construction of the epic tale.

In the novel Wuthering Heights, the first time we are given reference to books is during chapter 3, prior to Lockwood’s nightmare. Here we find the delirious houseguest in the confines of a mysterious room, and we are told that “Catherine’s library was select, and its state of dissipation proved it to have been well used.”(p.24). Instantly, this simple piece of information proved useful in giving the reader a glimpse of Catherine’s character. From this statement, we are able to conclude that Catherine was in fact a woman of knowledge; but we are still left to wonder exactly what type of knowledge she had. The fascinating attribute about books is that we all have different preferences. Furthermore is the fact that reading is usually seen as escapism of some sort; thus, it brings a sense of individualism into a world of persuasion, as well as peace of mind in an atmosphere of chaos. We will go further into this as we progress.

Books are often used to shield us against the genuine problems of the human race. This is a main method of avoidance, although we must realize that there weren’t many other alternatives for entertainment. Books have the most powerful effects on its’ audience because it’s the only form of media whose outcomes rely solely on that of the reader; we also must consider that literature has been present for thousands of centuries. Books, therefore, are not only able to inform us, but let us portray the outcomes to our liking.

When Lockwood’s nightmare scene is at it’s climax, he is able to get rid of the terrifying figure when “(he) snatched (his hand) through the hole, (and) hurriedly piled the books up in a pyramid against it.

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