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Characterisation In The Wuthering Heights
The role of social class in Wuthering Heights
Society in the Victorian era
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The Character of Hareton in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights, written by Emile Bronte, is on of the most famous
Victorian novels in English literature. This novel was the only novel
written by her. The novel has the social and moral values in England
in the nineteenth century as the recurring theme. The adjective
‘wuthering’ is used in some parts of rural England to describe stormy
weather. Wuthering Heights is a farmhouse on top of a small hillock,
which is open to all the elements of wind and weather and hence is
synonymous with passion and violence. The other house nearby,
Thrushcross Grange contrasts sharply with Wuthering Heights. The two
groups of people residing here, the Earnshaws in the former and the
Lintons in the latter, are also people with opposing tendencies. Into
this world comes a man alien to both extremes, Heathcliff who is
adopted by the Earnshaws. The whole story revolves around these
characters.
Hareton Earnshaw, son of Frances and Hindley Earnshaw has a small but
important part in the novel. Belonging to the second generation of
characters, he personifies the passionate nature of the Earnshaws and
yet is warm and gentle. Hareton is of a warm and, considering his
situation, a very genial disposition. He owns his own share of the
wild passions that are so common to the Earnshaws, but is forced into
a life of subjugation. He is quite intelligent, but is made to lead a
life of an ignorant by Heathcliff, who after Hindley’s death denied
him any further education. Hareton as a child is wild and unruly,
having a mouthful of foul words. Hareton as young man is still very
rough, though subdued ...
... middle of paper ...
...riendship with
Cathy grows into a strong and mutual love culminating in a marriage.
His love for Cathy is also, like him, pure and innocent. He
transforms, from a shabbily clad ignoramus to a respectably dressed
gentleman. We do not see any of the common Victorian hypocrisy in his
nature. His good character and genial temperament makes him one of the
best characters in the novel.
Hareton’s presence cannot be felt throughout the novel, but he
effectually completes the story. He can be compared to a rough,
unpolished diamond whose shine was not so well perceivable until
another genial soul unearthed it from the mines of ignorance. He is a
shining example of the fact that no matter where the circumstances of
one’s life leads to, they will, sooner or later fall upon the track of
life on which they are supposed to be.
Although certainly not as complex as the character of Heathcliff, Hareton Earnshaw from Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights, is a compelling character in his own right. He is a character who has been raised to be a massive fuck you to the family that he was born into, nonetheless, he seems to have no issue with this, because he loves the man, as a father, who made him this way. Yet, despite his feeling content with being uneducated and acting as a servant to his father figure, regardless of being born into a wealthy family, Hareton eventually makes an effort to effectively change who he is for love. With this in mind, the focus of this essay will be to evaluate how Hareton came to be who he is, and why him changing for love, even if
Social status is so important to the characters it is used as a weapon against enemies, and a tool... ... middle of paper ... ... s him education, but also the gift of friendship and love which enables Hareton to become a more complex character with greater respect not only from other people, but of other people too. In Heathcliff's death, Hareton can become what he was always supposed to be. Even though Hareton is affected very greatly by his nurture, we see his nature too.
of all[society’s]wishes”(232).Hareton was also a lower status than Cathy, but their love union was cherished unlike Catherines, and Heathcliff's love which shows Bronte’s view of love.Her view seems to prefer the domestic,stable,and serene love of the second generation to the eccentric love of the first generation lovers.
Heathcliff cried vehemently, "I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" Emily Brontë distorts many common elements in Wuthering Heights to enhance the quality of her book. One of the distortions is Heathcliff's undying love for Catherine Earnshaw. Also, Brontë perverts the vindictive hatred that fills and runs Heathcliff's life after he loses Catherine. Finally, she prolongs death, making it even more distressing and insufferable.
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
The sympathetic part of Heathcliff shows through when he sees Catherine in the beginning stages of her sickness after childbirth. “He neither spoke, nor loosed his hold, for some five minutes, during which period he bestowed more kisses than ever he gave in his life before, I dare say…” (159). The sympathetic part of Heathcliff kicks in when he sees the woman he loves dying right before him. Heathcliff began to ask Catherine the questions he had not been able to ask her before, whether it had been due to his pride or to his absence - was insignificant., “‘...You loved me - then what right had you to leave me? What right - answer me - for the poor fancy you felt for Linton?” (162). When the novel begins, it is mentioned that Heathcliff is shouting, “‘Come in! Come in!’ he sobbed. ‘Cathy, do come. Oh do - once more! Oh! My heart’s darling, hear me this time - Catherine, at last!’” (28). Heathcliff attempts to get Catherine’s ghost to speak to him, because his main goal is to be united with her in death. Heathcliff’s character changes relatively fast when he sees Catherine dying in her bed. There is a sympathetic side shown that has not been quite expressed before, and also the feelings that Heathcliff kept bottled
The setting used throughout the novel Wuthering Heights, helps to set the mood to describe the characters. We find two households separated by the cold, muddy, and barren moors, one by the name of Wuthering Heights, and the other Thrushcross Grange. Each house stands alone, in the mist of the dreary land, and the atmosphere creates a mood of isolation. These two places, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange differ greatly in appearance and mood. These differences reflect the universal conflict between storm and calm that Emily Bronte develops as the theme.
Bronte says, ‘His dress and speech were both rude, entirely devoid of the superiority observable in Mr. and Mrs. Heathcliff; his thick brown curls were rough and uncultivated’. The use of the word ‘uncultivated’ when describing his curls is a metaphor for what Hareton’s nature is. It shows that he lives wild, with no rule. A typical anti-hero does not abide to the typical values and rules that society has put in place. A hero’s typical outer appearance is clean and you can generally tell when looking at a hero that he is superior. Hareton lacks the elegance and charm a hero would typically have; his roughness shows that he lives freely, not abiding to societies norms, which makes him an anti-hero. His outer appearance gives no indication of him being a
the novel as a whole ends on a note of hope, peace, and joy, with
For Hareton, he was stripped of his education, so he doesn’t know all the potential that resides within him. He was raised by a man who had no love for him because of what his father did to him. Hareton will become a product of his environment, being mean and malicious, as well as, not having a true definition of what love is. Linton can’t be comfortable with who he is because of his father exploiting his current state. He is naturally sickly, frail, and weak, and his father is using that to play on Catherine emotions as apart of his plan. He is talking to Nelly and says, “My design is as honest as possible. Ill informs you of its whole scope. That the two cousins may fall in love, and get married. I’m acting generously toy our master; his young chit has no expectations, and should she second my wishes, she'll be provided for, at once, as joint successor with Linton.” Nelly then goes to say, “If Linton died as his life is quite uncertain, Catherine would be the heir.” Heathcliff responds, “No she would not, there is no clause in the will to secure it so; his property would go to me; but, to prevent disputes, I desire their union, and am resolved to bring it about.” (Chapter 7: Volume 2) He has the potential to be nice and kind without having any other intentions attached to it. Lastly, you have Cathy, who is a lot like her mother, who constantly requires the
“Wuthering Heights is a strange, inartistic story”(Atlas, WH p. 299). “Wuthering Heights is a strange sort of book” (Douglas, WH p.301). “This is a strange book” (Examiner, WH p.302). “His work [Wuthering Heights] is strangely original” (Britannia, WH p.305). These brief quotes show that early critics of Emily Bronte’s first edition of Wuthering Heights, found the novel baffling in its meaning - they each agreed separately, that no moral existed within the story therefore it was deemed to have no real literary value. The original critical reviews had very little in the way of praise for the unknown author or the novel. The critics begrudgingly acknowledged elements of Wuthering Heights that could be considered strengths – such as, “rugged power” and “unconscious strength” (Atlas, WH p.299), “purposeless power” (Douglas, WH p.301), “evidences of considerable power” (Examiner), “power and originality” (Britannia, WH p.305). Strange and Powerful are two recurring critical interpretations of the novel. The critics did not attempt to provide in depth analysis of the work, simply because they felt that the meaning or moral of the story was either entirely absent or seriously confused.
Wuthering Heights is a novel which deviates from the standard of Victorian literature. The novels of the Victorian Era were often works of social criticism. They generally had a moral purpose and promoted ideals of love and brotherhood. Wuthering Heights is more of a Victorian Gothic novel; it contains passion, violence, and supernatural elements (Mitchell 119). The world of Wuthering Heights seems to be a world without morals. 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. Young Cathy’s love for Hareton is a redemptive force. It is her love that brings an end to the reign of Heathcliff.
is alone and he had to stay in the farm because of the snow. He is
Often in literature, the fictional written word mimics or mirrors the non-fictional actions of the time. These reflections may be social, historical, biographical, or a combination of these. Through setting, characters, and story line, an author can recreate in linear form on paper some of the abstract concepts and ideas from the world s/he is living in. In the case of Emily Bronte, her novel Wuthering Heights very closely mirrors her own life and the lives of her family members. Bronte's own life emerges on the pages of this novel through the setting, characters, and story line of Wuthering Heights.
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.