Wuthering Heights RRS
Title: Wuthering Heights
Publication Date: 1847
Author: Emily Brontë
Nationality: English
Author’s Birth/Death Dates: July 30, 1818 - December 19, 1848
Distinguishing Traits of Author:
Emily Brontë heavily utilizes descriptions in her works, especially of nature. Growing up with her three sisters, Brontë lived a solitary life and enjoyed walking through the English moors, which was an inspiration for the setting of Wuthering Heights. She and her sisters began writing fiction when they were little after their brother received toy soldiers as a present. Moreover, Brontë’s writing style is flowing and expressive, using long descriptive sentences and details. She wrote under the pen name Ellis Bell, and her only novel is Wuthering Heights.
Setting (time and place) of work:
The novel is set within two family generations, spanning about thirty years. Lockwood’s narration of the outside frame begins at 1802, while Nelly’s account of the inside frame begins around the 1770s. During this time period, the Romantic era, social hierarchy and class play a large role in the interaction between individuals and influence characters’ choices. During the Romantic Era, the gender roles of society were sharply defined with the women in charge of domestic chores and the men responsible for public affairs. Since the Agrarian Revolution created a newly rich middle class, many times individuals would marry their way into higher classes or purchase land, as land was the common symbol of social status at the time. These social characteristics explain the motivations of Catherine and Heathcliff. Catherine like many others seeks to improve her social standing and thus chooses to marry Edgar instead of Heathcliff. Also, Heathcliff’s obsession with obtaining the Heights and the Grange reflects his need for social power. After all the years of abuse at Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff feels as if he needs to establish himself in society to prove others wrong about his potential and capabilities. The setting explains and influences Heathcliff’s choices. Also, the Industrial Revolution begins to occur during this time period.
The majority of the novel occurs mostly at Wuthering Heights (the Heights) and Thrushcross Grange (the Grange). The characters travel back and forth as the inhabitants of the two households become connected through marriages and familial drama. Although only 4 miles apart, the two contrast each other in many ways. Wuthering Heights is a grand farmhouse that is deteriorating and experiences violent weathers full of chaotic storms and destructive winds. It is built to be strong with “narrow windows...deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones” (3). Moreover, there is an “excessive slant of a few stunted firs...and a range of gaunt thorns” (2). The Heights is a brutal place that is closed off to society like a fortress. The descriptions of the thorns and fir seem to repel visitors and show that it is an unattractive place to live. Brontë uses these harsh descriptions to show that the individuals living in the Heights must be hardy and strong minded to endure the drastic climate. Moreover, like the house itself, the inhabitants are not open to others and protect themselves first over others.
On the other hand, Thrushcross Grange is situated in a tranquil environment and is of a higher class, the upper gentry. It is a “splendid place carpeted with crimson, and crimson-covered chairs and tables, and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold” (55). The reference to the color red indicates that the Grange is a place of wealth and luxury, for red is associated with comfort and extravagance. This is a contrast to the bleak and dark atmosphere of the Heights. The Grange is a place of optimism and hope, for the white and gold are bright colors that create a mood of warmth. Therefore, when compared to those in the Heights, the inhabitants of the Grange are less robust and tough. The locations are used to symbolize the personalities of their inhabitants.
Wuthering Heights symbolizes freedom and normalcy for Catherine. At her childhood home, she is free to roam about her beloved moors and be with her love, Heathcliff. Also, at Wuthering Heights, Catherine is free from the responsibilities of being a wife to Edgar and from having to deal with Isabella, whom she dislikes. This is also supported when Nelly opens the window to look out for Heathcliff and Catherine, when they journey into the moors to go to the Linton’s. The window opens to the outside nature, where they are exploring and roaming the moors. Wuthering Heights represents carefreeness and liberation for Catherine. This connection emphasizes the theme that individuals cannot survive anywhere else other than where they are meant to be, a theme discussed later.
The setting influences the mood of the story through the weather. Weather is a motif that matches the mood of events that occur. After Catherine’s death, the weather becomes snowy, cold, and windy, conveying a depressing and dismal mood. This connects with the sad, serious subject of death brought by Catherine’s funeral. Moreover, after Isabella escapes from Heathcliff’s cruelty and relates the detail on Hindley’s attempted murder of Heathcliff and Heathcliff’s violent response, the harsh winter weather mirror’s the inhabitants’ actions. The weather also plays a role in the beginning of the novel, foreshadowing Catherine being bitten by a dog and having to recuperate at the Grange. After being ousted from the house by Hindley for being too noisy, Catherine and Linton go roam the moors. They do not return and it starts to rain. The foreboding weather indicates that something has gone wrong which is supported by the fact that the Linton’s dog eventually attacks Catherine.
The seasons foreshadow and mirror future tensions, conflicts, and deaths in the novel. When Edgar is sick, the seasons change from summer to autumn. The change from a season of liveliness and activity, to one of gradual decay where the leaves die and fall, suggest the imminent death of Edgar and mirror his deteriorating health. The shift toward a colder and more ominous mood suggests that trouble and hardships are ahead, common events of the colder autumn and winter seasons. Consequently, the events that follow are depressing with Edgar’s death, Heathcliff’s control of the Grange, and Cathy’s abuse at the Heights. The seasons are also used to indicate a sense of hope and tranquility in the end. It is spring when Cathy and Hareton reconcile and fall in love, and Heathcliff dies. The season of renewal and rebirth match the novel’s mood because now, the perpetrator of all the violence and cruelty is gone to rest and everything becomes peaceful and joyous. The setting in the spring emphasizes a sense of hope that shows that the current generation (after Heathcliff and Catherine) is an improvement of the previous and will be able to enjoy blessed lives, unlike those of their parents’.
Brief Plot Synopsis:
Mr. Lockwood wants to rent Thrushcross Grange but is appalled by the way Heathcliff, the landlord, treats him. He meets the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights and cannot believe the desolate and depressed state they live in. When he returns to Thrushcross Grange, he becomes sick and asks Nelly, the housekeeper, to tell him about his neighbors in Wuthering Heights. At this point, Nelly becomes the main narrator.
Nelly works as a servant but grows up with the Earnshaw family at Wuthering Heights. One day, Mr. Earnshaw brings home a boy that he picks up in Liverpool to raise. At first, his children hate him, but Catherine quickly becomes close friends with the boy; they later name Heathcliff. Mr. Earnshaw favors Heathcliff, invoking jealousy in Hindley and making him detest Heathcliff even more.
When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley comes back to take over the house with his wife Frances. He treats Heathcliff like a servant, denying him education and keeping him away from Catherine. One day, Heathcliff and Catherine go to Thrushcross Grange to mock the Linton children, but Catherine is bit by a dog and forced to stay for five weeks to heal. During this time, she becomes acquainted with Edgar Linton and even becomes more lady-like in her appearance and behavior. When she returns, Heathcliff is angered by the change.
Frances dies giving birth to Hareton, and Hindley becomes angry and violent after losing his wife. He is extremely abusive to Heathcliff and is constantly drunk. Catherine admits that she loves Heathcliff in a unique way, but she decides to marries Edgar Linton because he is of a higher social class and marrying Heathcliff would degrade her. Heathcliff runs away, hurt and angry at Catherine’s decision.
Heathcliff later returns with the intent of killing Hindley, but when he sees how happy Catherine is to see him, he changes his plan. He has become tall and handsome, and is now wealthy and educated. He lives at Wuthering Heights, encouraging Hindley’s drinking and gambling by lending him money. At Thrushcross Grange, Catherine becomes severely ill and rants about the moors. Heathcliff finds out about Isabella’s love for him and uses it to his advantage. Isabella runs away with him, causing Edgar to disown her. After living at Wuthering Heights, she realizes what a cruel man Heathcliff is. Heathcliff visits Catherine one last time, in a very intimate meeting, after which Catherine faints and dies while giving birth to young Cathy. Heathcliff is extremely angry, and wants Catherine to haunt him while he lives.
Hindley dies six months after Catherine, and because of his debts, Heathcliff becomes the owner of Wuthering Heights. He vows to make Hareton suffer as he did, even though he likes the boy. Isabella runs away and gives birth to Linton Heathcliff, but she becomes ill and asks Edgar to come take her child. While he is gone, Catherine goes to Wuthering Heights and meets Hareton, but is appalled to learn that he is her cousin because he is so uneducated and rude. Edgar brings Linton back, but Linton is frail and fretful. He wants to keep him, but Joseph is sent by Heathcliff to take him to Wuthering Heights. Once he is there, Heathcliff treats him as property and only keeps him in order to gain Thrushcross Grange.
Later, Cathy and Nelly are exploring the outdoors when Heathcliff lures them to Wuthering Heights for Cathy to meet Linton. After the meeting, Nelly finds that Cathy secretly writes letters to Linton and threatens to tell Edgar, but she ends up burning them. Edgar becomes sick, and Cathy takes care of him, but she also sneaks out to meet Linton. However, as time passes, Linton also becomes frailer and seems to hate their meetings. As Edgar nears death, Heathcliff lures Cathy and Nelly into Wuthering Heights and holds them prisoners inside the house to force Cathy into marrying Linton. Edgar soon dies, followed by Linton, and Heathcliff becomes the owner of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. He continues to hold Cathy in his house, treating her like a servant.
After hearing the story, Lockwood leaves to return to London. Later, he passes by the area and searches for Nelly, who tells him what has happened. After Edgar and Linton’s deaths, Cathy becomes bitter and depressed. She is rude to Hareton, but eventually, she seeks for forgiveness and asks to be friends. She teaches him how to read, and they begin to love each other. Meanwhile, Heathcliff becomes increasingly obsessed with Catherine, looking at her in her grave and constantly talking to her ghost, and he no longer seems to care about getting revenge. He refuses to eat, and he often goes out to the moors. One morning, Nelly finds him dead, laying down and seeming to smile. Hareton is genuinely mournful for the death, but he and Catherine plan to get married and move to the Grange.
Characters:
Edgar Linton:
Edgar Linton is Catherine’s husband. Born into the gentry, Edgar is weak and controlled. He is not easily angered or moved by any emotions. When he wants to remove Heathcliff from the Grange, he calls for his servants to take him out and is afraid of Heathcliff’s imposing stature. Moreover, when Catherine tells him that if he will not fight Heathcliff, he should let himself be beaten or make an apology, she locks him in with Heathcliff and throws the key into the fireplace. He becomes “deadly pale” and only punches Heathcliff unexpectedly when his back is facing Heathcliff, giving Edgar an element of surprise (138). Edgar is not brave enough to fight Heathcliff alone and is embarrassed by his wife’s comments on his manhood. Thus, he attacks Heathcliff, but is again unable to find the strength to fight him face to face and has to resort to shortcuts. Though Edgar loves Catherine dearly, he is less of a man than Heathcliff and is shyer and easily intimidated. On the other hand, Edgar Linton is a “kind, and trustful, and honourable” man(79). As a husband, he deeply loves Catherine despite her impatient and commanding nature. His patience for her is immensely great that “he wouldn’t wish to retaliate” against Catherine even if she dared to hit him (72). While Edgar loves Catherine unconditionally, ironically, Catherine loves both Heathcliff and Edgar. Edgar holds a lifelong feudal relationship with Heathcliff that stems from their common love for Catherine.
Catherine Earnshaw Linton:
Catherine Earnshaw is the daughter of Mr. Earnshaw. As a child, Catherine is mischievous, spoiled, selfish, and has outbursts of passion and emotion. When her father is dying, she intentionally angers him because she enjoys being scolded and having a “bold, saucy look, and her ready words” to retort (49). Catherine is a rebellious and insolent girl who is inconsiderate, not caring about preserving her father’s health. Furthermore, she is disrespectful and shameless, having no respect for authority and, stubbornly, no sense of guilt for her actions. She deeply loves Heathcliff and believes that they are soul mates. Catherine says that her and Heathcliff’s soul are made of the same thing and that she is Heathcliff, highlighting how they are inseparable and obsessed with each other. She also had tantrums when she does not get her way. When Nelly does not leave the kitchen at her request, Catherine pinches and slaps Nelly in retaliation, and slaps Edgar. Catherine has a quick temper and is spoiled. At the Grange, she is pampered because Edgar is afraid of her temper. He and Isabella always yield to Catherine, making her seem good-natured. As an adult, Catherine is a passionate and headstrong woman. She loves Heathcliff obsessively, saying that he “resembles the eternal rocks beneath” and that they are the same person (60). However, she values class over her love, and marries Edgar because it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff. She is ambitious and arrogant, and she causes suffering for both men who love her. When she marries Edgar, she behaves well only because Edgar and Isabella submit to her needs and wants. Instead of “the thorn bending to the honeysuckles”, the honeysuckle must embrace the thorn (67). Catherine is demanding and spoiled, manipulative of others to get what she desires, as shown when she refuses to choose between Heathcliff and Edgar. Though she loves Edgar for his social status and believes that she will “be the greatest woman of the neighbourhood, and… shall be proud of having such a [wealthy] husband,” she knows she truly loves Heathcliff, for they have been partners since children, and wants both of them, not realizing that it is unfair for both men (57). Overall, Catherine and Heathcliff have a natural and passionate relationship where they love and torment each other.
Heathcliff:
Heathcliff is a cruel, vengeful, and manipulative man who is motivated by revenge. A poor orphan brought into the Earnshaw family by Mr. Earnshaw, Heathcliff becomes Mr. Earnshaw’s favorite. He is an outsider with his dark hair and skin, “as dark almost as if it came from the devil” (42). Mr. Earnshaw’s comparison of Heathcliff to a devil’s child emphasizes that in comparison to the rest of their pale faces, Heathcliff is very tanned. The reference to the devil also shows that Heathcliff is from a lower class and foreshadows his demonic and treacherous personality later on. After surviving the abuse and dehumanization caused by Hindley Earnshaw, Heathcliff strives to get revenge upon him and Edgar Linton because Edgar marries Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff’s lover. To get revenge on Hindley, Heathcliff debases Hindley’s son Hareton by dismissing the tutor and making him a servant on his own property. He teaches Hareton to be prideful of his unintelligence and rough nature. Also, Heathcliff takes revenge upon Edgar by deceiving Edgar’s sister Isabella into marrying him. Heathcliff never loved Isabella and even hung her dog. However, he takes advantage of her naïveté and abuses her as his wife, calling her a “slut” and a “pitiful, slavish, mean-minded brach” (182). Heathcliff’s diction shows that he is a brutal and obnoxious man. He lacks the empathy and sympathy for the innocent Isabella and is willing to ruin her so he can hurt Edgar. Moreover, he is deceptive, manipulative, and selfish, toying with others’ emotions to get his way. Heathcliff also wants Linton and Cathy to marry so he can inherit the Grange. His desire to get the Grange shows how Heathcliff’s vengefulness is also caused by the desire for power and social power. He wants to be able to exert his dominance and control on both of the houses, making the Linton’s erased and only the name Heathcliff left. Thus, Heathcliff’s vengeance is multifaceted, caused by his jealousy, bitterness, and desire for power. He is also a Byronic hero: his obsession with Catherine and his vengefulness greatly flaws his character; he has mysterious origins, and is a reject of society.