Lockwood and Nelly as the Obvious Narrators in Wuthering Heights

In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte uses Mr. Lockwood to show that language is not enough to tell the truth and understand the other person. When Mr. Lockwood greets Heathcliff on their first encounter, Lockwood misjudges Heathcliff. He writes, “Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us” (Bronte 1). Also he describes Heathcliff as “a capital fellow” (Bronte 1).

Throughout Wuthering Heights, there are multiple symbols employed to enrich the overall narrative, many of which have a multitude of meanings in order to elevate the text to a higher literary standard. One of the less obvious motifs is books. However, when reviewing their role in both Catherine and Cathy’s lives it is not clear to what degree it would be fair to claim they have a central role in the overall narrative, especially because of the “plurality” and “ambiguity” of each individual instance where the symbolism of books is introduced.

When trying to persuade someone, there are many ways one can approach the task, and appealing to the audience's intellect as well as their emotions are two very good ones. Indeed, in Emily Bronte's 19th century novel Wuthering Heights, the protagonist, Catherine Earnshaw Linton shows her ability to customize persuasive appeals according to her intended audience. At times, she can display impressive emotion. She usually employs this tactic for Nelly, her housemaid. During one explosive scene, however, she uses the same in her interaction with Edgar, her intended husband. Each person has an opinion of Catherine's emotionally persuasive style. And, Edgar and Nelly react quite differently to her changing modes.

The majority of characters in the novel use a dialect word or phrase every now and then, however, in the novel; dialect speech is associated with a single character, Joseph. He speaks Yorkshire dialect almost exclusively. His language is the typical dialect spoken by a servant. Charlotte Brontë describes him as “one of the most graphic characters in the book”. Joseph’s use of dialect according to Nath (2005) reflects the roughness of Wuthering Heights and its surroundings. Joseph’s dialect is intelligible but not easy to understand and it is constantly looked down upon by the higher classes.

Wuthering Heights is a novel with a strong presence of children. As many other novels during the 19th century childhood became a central theme, because during that period arose a conscience about infancy, in many cases denouncing the terrible situation of children, especially in the cities. Emily Bronte was also conscious about children´s situation, as reflecting in the few poems she left. Thus, in Wuthering Heights, childhood has also a strong presence; however there are two important differences in respect to other approaches during the 19th century: on one hand, it is located in the country – far from the satanic mills of the cities. And on the other hand, children in Wuthering Heights are not as innocent as in other contemporary novels.

This parallel is ironic – the reader is not inclined to view Lockwood as a ‘hero’, yet the novel is seemingly framing him as if he invariably is one. This distorts our reading of the novel, as Lockwood’s cowardice and pomposity renders this reading nigh improbable. Therefore, the ironies present in this implied portrayal of our central narrator tends to bend our reading of Wuthering Heights more as a pastiche, rather than a direct addition to the pantheon of Gothic fiction. This is supported when other characters from the novel are scrutinised: the younger Cathy is interpreted by Lockwood as the typically virginal maid present in Gothic literature, and – adhering to the literary tradition – feels compelled to rescue her from the Heights and

Heathcliff is introduced in Nelly's narration as a seven-year-old Liverpool foundling (probably an Irish famine immigrant) brought back to Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw. His presence in Wuthering Heights overthrows the prevailing habits of the Earnshaw family, members of the family soon become involved in turmoil and fighting and family relationships become spiteful and hateful. Even on his first night, he is the reason Mr. Earnshaw breaks the toys he had bought for his children. "From the very beginning he bred bad feelings in the house". Heathcliff usurps the affections of Mr. Earnshaw to the exclusion of young Hindley-: "The young master had learnt to regard his father as an oppressor rather than a

The primary topic, which is the theme discussed in Wuthering Heights, is on “natural supernaturalism.” In Wuthering Heights, there seems to be this idea that the novel focuses on metaphysics. However, the author does also minorly note other primary themes, such as “human love, its possibilities, limitations, and consequences.” Moreover, the writer notes that there is some similarity in style of Bronte’s in comparison to that of the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge -- as in some of Wordsworth and Coleridge’s works involve nature, as well as supernaturalism. Essentially, the character/narrator Lockwood -- in Wuthering Heights -- is the individual in where the themes of “natural supernaturalism” can be present. It is disclosed that this character had various dreams, in which Williams seem to interpret as involving some sorts of supernatural elements. Williams also claims that the closing words and conclusion of Lockwood’s narration suggest and emphasize a link to the idea of natural

In essence, the narrative structure of Wuthering Heights is a literary technique that allows readers to experience more than they would with any one narrator. The technique enables the reader to gain an inside perspective from Nelly, and an outside perspective form Lockwood. Both characters offer different complex interpretations of the novel, and the reader must judge their reliability. If the story had been written chronologically, the reader would not be able to appreciate the complexity and ambiguity that critics have grown to love about the work of fiction. The knowledge from both past and future would be lost, and the creation of mystery and interpretation of action would be

The description of the setting of Wuthering Heights is described so thoroughly, which emphasizes the gothic tradition in this book. It is 1801 and Mr. Lockwood, a new tenant at Thrushcross Grange, writes in his diary that he has rented a house in the Yorkshire countryside, or New England. After he arrived there, he visits his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff. Heathcliff lives

Wuthering Heights is structured around two parallel love stories in which motions verge between passionate love and hatred. Heathcliff and Cathy’s passion centre the novel, this passion condemns as immoral by Nelly (a servant girl who grew up along-side the Earnshaw’s) and also a Victorian reader, but could be interpreted as a love that transcends social boundaries and idealises them as a romantic hero and heroine. This is clear that Heathcliff expresses these passionate emotions as he sobs uncontrollably ‘Cathy, do come. Oh do – once more! Oh! My heart’s darling, hear me this time – Catherine, at last!’. Through the use of exclamation, we see that Heathcliff pines for his lover to come back to life and greet herself with him just once more, by using exclamatory we sense this desperation emphasising his true passionate love for Catherine and the emotions that built up their relationship; he has become broken without++ her. This closely links to the concept Shakespeare talks of in ‘Sonnet 116’ in which he says ‘But bears it out even to the edge of doom’. This

In her novel Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë uses a formal style of writing to portray the language of those used during the early 1800s. Throughout the majority of the novel, Nelly Dean is telling the story of how Wuthering Heights came to be the place that it currently is. Throughout Dean’s narration, characters are voiced differently due to their role in society. An example of this is shown when Brontë would use fragments of words to represent the speech of Hareton, one of the servants of Wuthering Heights. In contrast, Catherine, being well educated, would use sophisticated grammar and an extensive vocabulary whenever she spoke. Heathcliff was revealed as a two-sided character in this reading. On one hand, the author would use negative

The Suffering of the Women in Wuthering Heights It appears that Catherine's expectations are unrealistic especially when placed in the historical context. The novel is written during the Victorian era where the role of women in relation to marriage was that they were to be obedient, disciplined and faithful to their husband. Catherine does not fulfil any of these roles in the long term. Firstly, she marries Edgar for social and financial benefits.

The presentation of childhood is a theme that runs through two generations with the novel beginning to reveal the childhood of Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw, and with the arrival of the young Liverpudlian orphan, Heathcliff. In chapter four, Brontë presents Heathcliff’s bulling and abuse at the hands of Hindley as he grows increasingly jealous of Heathcliff for Mr. Earnshaw, his father, has favoured Heathcliff over his own son, “my arm, which is black to the shoulder” the pejorative modifier ‘black’ portrays dark and gothic associations but also shows the extent of the abuse that Heathcliff as a child suffered from his adopted brother. It is this abuse in childhood that shapes Heathcliff’s attitudes towards Hindley and his sadistic

“If wellness is this what in hell's name is sickness?” American singer Amanda Palmer captures what it means to reside in both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange in her hit song, “Runs in the Family”. Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights puts the ‘dysfunction’ in ‘dysfunctional families’ by using illness to demonstrate family dynamics. In the narrative, the affliction of mental illness is spread to almost all characters as they enter the household of Wuthering Heights, while residents at Thrushcross Grange are afflicted with physical illness, causing the ultimate upheaval of both households.