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Setting and significance in wuthering heights
Setting and significance in wuthering heights
Discuss theme of social class in the novel Wuthering Heights
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Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights has lasted in the literary world for quite some time. The novel has flitted on the edges of the appreciated canon, only read by those avid readers. This book follows the basic story line of some of Jane Austen’s works. Set in 18th century England, the social aspects of this book stand out. These aspects are applicable in the present world, though in much less obvious ways. The meaning and themes of the novel show themselves fairly easily.
Brontë did not try to hide the meanings in between the lines, so to say. The major themes involve the social hierarchy and their importance in that time period. Catherine Linton prides herself on her place in life. She first has a place in her father’s heart, and as she ages, she finds the love of two men. One of these men, Edgar, is the one she ends up marrying. As she does this, she realizes her immense love for Heathcliff. These two characters find themselves detested by nearly every other character in the book. Their love might be their only redeeming quality in the novel. Catherine chose Edgar, not for love so much as for his position in society. This shows the way societal hierarchy worked in old England. Placement matters more than feelings. Today’s world works in much the same way. Those who marry for love tend to have difficulties for some time. Those who marry for placement or money or other such temporal matters find stability if not happiness. This time period exaggerates the hierarchy more than any other era.
Human nature causes this hierarchy to be in place. This time in literature depicts the perfection of human civilities. To be rude or uncouth constitutes no small peccadillo in society. The people rely on their societal...
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..., in that she certainly has some moments where rudeness appears to be all she exudes. On the flip side she shows remorse for being bad and seeks forgiveness in most cases. She can be the sweetest girl in the novel at times and therefore gains the ability to make up for the rest by her marriage.
Wuthering Heights show this ideal social aspect in tried and effective ways. This novel uses an old-fashioned style plot to show the author’s views on human nature and how she has always thought of humanity. She uses straight forward ways to get her meanings across, which usually consists of the characters telling the reader of their designs, and then acting them out. Brontë was more likely than not trying to enrich the lives of others through her book by letting them see how the societies they lived in should work regardless of the time period that person lived in.
Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights share similarities in many aspects, perhaps most plainly seen in the plots: just as Clarissa marries Richard rather than Peter Walsh in order to secure a comfortable life for herself, Catherine chooses Edgar Linton over Heathcliff in an attempt to wrest both herself and Heathcliff from the squalid lifestyle of Wuthering Heights. However, these two novels also overlap in thematic elements in that both are concerned with the opposing forces of civilization or order and chaos or madness. The recurring image of the house is an important symbol used to illustrate both authors’ order versus chaos themes. Though Woolf and Bronte use the house as a symbol in very different ways, the existing similarities create striking resonances between the two novels at certain critical scenes.
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
Immediately from the start Bronte’s character Jane is different. She is an orphan, mis-treated and despised by her family. She has no clear social position, is described as “less than a servant” and treated like one. A protagonist who one would assume had no characteristics worth aspiring too. Jane is displayed perfectly in her hiding behind the curtain. She is placed by a window, which beyond is icy and cold, contrasting immensely from the inside of the fire and warmth. A clear statement of the icy coldness of the family she has been put to live with, and her fiery and passionate nature which we discover th...
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.
Since the dawn of human thought, man has sought to define the relationships between all things surrounding him. He categorizes every living creature, labels every natural element and names every phenomenon. He then connects each object to another with a line and draws the line back to himself. This way, he feels omnipotent, confidently grasping the 'essence' of his world in his hands. Such behavior seems to have peaked in the nineteenth century when many intellectuals around the world were pre-occupied with defining the relationships between man and the society, man and God, man and nature, and man and man. The preservation of order intrigued them and the concept of entropy frightened them. Many of the writers from the nineteenth century were also captivated by these relationships and Emily Brontë was no exception. Although Brontë's Wuthering Heights is best known as a tale of tragic love, it is also a very provocative study of relationships, especially those between social classes. Brontë creates a microcosm of the upper-class English society in Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. It is a relatively controlled environment until Brontë allows 'factors' from the outside world (and different social classes) to seep into the society. Immediately, the balance of the two families is disturbed and when the pillars of support (the parents) disappear, the entire society is thrust into complete turmoil. From this premise, Brontë begins to highlight contrasting, paradoxical and complimenting relationships between the characters. These pairs are formed and/or destroyed by the interjection of influence from the 'outside.' Wuthering Heights is an incredibly poignant suggestion of the dangers ...
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.
Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, has 323 pages. The genre of Wuthering Heights is realistic fiction, and it is a romantic novel. The book is available in the school library, but it was bought at Barnes and Nobles. The author’s purpose of writing Wuthering Heights is to describe a twisted and dark romance story. Thus, the author conveys the theme of one of life’s absolute truths: love is pain. In addition, the mood of the book is melancholy and tumultuous. Lastly, the single most important incident of the book is when Heathcliff arrives to Edgar Linton’s residence in the Granges unannounced to see Catherine’s state of health. Heathcliff’s single visit overwhelmed Catherine to the point of death.
Set in the early nineteenth century, Charlotte Bronte’s coming-of-age novel, Jane Eyre remarks upon the ill acceptance of social behaviours between various social classes in the Victorian era; through the narration of Jane Eyre as a protagonist, and portray as a parallel to the authors’ life. When Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1832, Britain began its transformation into a world power and the fascinating aspect of that time period is the rigid class systems between the rich and poor, which also attributed to the social and economic injustice between the two groups. Throughout the novel, particularly those of the experiences of Jane Eyre, it is possible to observe how Bronte expresses her “personal” modernism in Jane Eyre. Rising from this modernism, the variable that enabled the Jane Eyre to outcompete her evolutionary rivals is passion. Indeed, passion is the hallmark of modernism, aiding the prevalence of Jane Eyre amongst the mindless followers of the upper-class, albeit whilst hiding an inherent dilemma. This dilemma is the cognitive shift in the social logic of the class system, underpinned by the misperception of specific social behaviours stemming from this class system. This is an examination of this shift in how society is thinking, brought about by standards set by the upper class, incorporating an analysis of why Victorian readers cannot be forgiven for holding the belief that social class defines social behaviour, and discussing the way in which Jane Eyre has disclosed the altered human attitudes, values, and beliefs about the discourse of social class and behaviour.
Meyer’s central argument is that Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights is a critique of British Imperialism during the 19th century in which social, economic and racial prejudice against women and the ‘dark races’ was prevalent. Meyer supports this central argument by asserting that both Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw are connected due to their respective exclusion and marginalisation from the British social order - however, as Meyer outlines, they then each navigate the experiences, views and attitudes imposed on them in different ways. As Catherine becomes assimilated into the social order and subjects to British Imperialism, Heathcliff remains steadfast in his refusal to conform to the subjugation and colonisation and proceeds to engage
Wuthering Heights opens in the year 1801, one defined by the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in England and its subsequent social and cultural alterations. As Emily Bronte was writing the novel during the mid 1840’s, the results of the Industrial Revolution were in full effect, creating new wealthy families, instilling a desire for prominence amongst the middle class, and forming a new definition of the gentleman ("Wuthering Heights as Socio-Eco...
During the first half of the book, Catherine showed different types of love for two different people. Her love for Heathcliff was her everything, it was her identity to love and live for Heathcliff but as soon as she found out how society views Heathcliff, she sacrificed their love and married Edgar Linton in the hopes of saving Heathcliff from Hindley and protecting him from the eyes of society. In her conversation with Nelly, Cathy who professed her love for Heathcliff quoted “My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself.” Catherine proved Nelly Dean that the only person who can make her feel pain and sorrow is Heathcliff. The extent of her love was uncovered when she sang her praise of “I am Heathcliff” because this was the turning point in the book that allowed the readers to truly understand and see the depth of Cathy's love for Heathcliff. On the other hand, Catherine's love for Edgar wasn't natural because it was a love that she taught herself to feel. It might have come unknowingly to Cathy but she did love Edgar as she said “My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees.” Cathy knew that it was not impossible to love Edgar for he was a sweet and kind gentleman who showed her the world but unlike ...
Wuthering Heights is a good novel to show that everyone and everything has the ability to change. Almost every character’s appearance or personality altered in some way. Sometimes this metamorphosis is for the better, and other times it is not. Some people can willingly change who they are or how they act while others find a hard time doing so. Novels that express this idea really appeal to the reader because they are relatable and reflect real life.
It is a question that has baffled readers and critics alike through generations, a question that can be endlessly pondered upon and debated over, as to why Emily Bronte chose to name her first and only novel, after the house in which a sizable part of the action chronicled takes place, despite being armed with characters of such extra-ordinary strength and passion as Heathcliff or Catherine. But on close scrutiny, a reader can perhaps discern the reason behind her choice, the fact that Wuthering Heights is at once a motif, a setting and according to a few critics, even a ‘premonitory indication’ of the tempestuous nature of things soon to occur.
The critical essay explains a main point in Wuthering Heights, Catherine's decision to marry Edgar Linton rather than Heathcliff, and this decision widens the gap between social classes. Edgar Linton is a wealthy man of high status, and Heathcliff is poor and possesses no assets. Catherine does not consider personal feelings, but instead, she focuses on her outward appearance to society. "Edgar Linton will be rich and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighborhood whereas if Heathcliff and I married, we should be beggars (81). It is obvious that wealth justifies social class, and Catherine strives to achieve high status.
Lockwood descends on the Yorkshire moors, like the reader unaware of the turbulence that the ‘beautiful country’ conceals. I have read that Bronte’s original purpose of the book was to show Lockwood the meaning of love and her choice of name, ‘Lockwood’, implies a depth that is not on display nor easy to withdraw. (From this respect it is an ambitious novel for Emily Bronte to attempt as her life is from all accounts barren of much romantic attachment. Perhaps her impression of love mimics Isabella Linton’s adoration for a Byronic Heathcliff, an ideal never quite within reach.) Lockwood strikes me as a character who is much astonished by his own intelligence, he dilutes his account of the Heights with Latinate words and pompous expressions, ‘relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs’. Either this is an early indication of his arrogance, later confirmed by his unlikely fear that Catherine would regret a union with Hareton on observing how ‘tolerably attractive’ he was or possibly the ‘primitive’ nature of the Heights provokes him to use language that he associates with civilised society in order to feel comfortable in an evidently uneasy situation. If this be the case Bronte mocks the established politeness of introduction showing his language to be simply a façade disguising his unsettled emotions. This language helps him to preserve his detached demeanour as only once is the reader given an insight to his insecure character. He relates an amusing incident in which a ‘goddess’ he professed to be in love with hinted at a reciprocation of feeling that unfortunately caused him to flee rabbit-like, rapidly lessening the warmth of his ‘glances’. This minor incident demonstrates his inability to handle complex emotions and in comparison to the forthcoming passion of Cathy and Heathcliff, Lockwood appears all the more sheltered. It is as though a distant relative of the Lintons has come to call.