Love, Hate and Cruelty in Wuthering Heights

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Love, Hate and Cruelty in Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights written by Emily Bronte, was a novel filled with

many emotions and activity. Her characters represent an on going conflict

between love and hate. Upon the publication of the book articles and

reviews were written regarding Brontes novel. Following her death some of

these were recovered such as the following written January 15 1848: " In

Wuthering Heights the reader is shocked, disgusted, almost sickened by

details of cruelty, inhumanity and the most diabolical hate and vengeance,

and anon come passages of powerful testimony to the supreme power of love-

even over demons in the human form. The women in the book are of a strange

fiendish-angelic nature tantalizing and terrible, and the men are

indescribable out of the book itself. " The critic fills my complete

expectations for what a review of this book should be. It is, in a sense,

a blending of elements that make the book what it is. Both atmosphere and

characters are filled with a mystery that keeps the reader drawn to the

book.

One of the main elements of the story that is mentioned in the

review is cruelty. Cruelty has helped form some of the characters to be

what they are. When a young Heathcliff is brought into the Earnshaw family,

he is instantly disliked by Hindley Earnshaw. Hindley hates Heathcliff for

intruding onto his family. He loses his fathers love and sets out to

destroy Heathcliff. Within Catherine's diary was written: " I wish my

father were back again. Hindley is a detestable substitute-his conduct to

Heathcliff is atrocious. " (25) Hindleys hate toward Heathcliff is...

... middle of paper ...

... the review suggest shocking and disgusting displays of

human nature. One could not be more shocked than idea of removing a corpse

from its grave to fulfill an undying love.

The book ends as Heathcliff dies. We can see that the novel

revolved around his life. He stands in the end unredeemed. His soul was

forever locked in between his love for Catherine and his hate for the rest.

Wuthering Heights can have a different interpretation by anyone who reads

it. There are the evident struggles between love and hate, and as we can

see through the end, love is stronger than hate.

Works Cited and Consulted

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Dover Thrift Editions, 1996.

Mamicheva, Valerie. Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, http://www.shared-visions.com/explore/literature/WutheringHeights.htm

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