The Importance of Ghosts In Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

Catherine’s locket represents her heart. This symbol is fairly obvious, as the locket is heart shaped, and Brontë puts so much emphasis on it in this passage. Heathcliff’s act of tossing away the lock of Edgar’s hair which was in the locket and replacing it with his own displays his desire to remove all associations

Cathy, catching a glimpse of her friend in his concealment, flew to embrace him; she bestowed seven or eight kisses on his cheek within the second, and then stopped, and drawing back, burst into a laugh, exclaiming, 'Why, how very black and cross you look! and how - how funny and grim! But that 's because I 'm used to Edgar and Isabella Linton. Well, Heathcliff, have you forgotten me? ' (Bronte, 45). (Hindley is speaking).

3. Lockwood compares himself to Heathcliff in his hospitality and in his capacity within the subject of relationships. Lockwood also indirectly contrasts the environment’s suitability to the two

When Heathcliff returns three years later, his love for Catherine motivates him to enact revenge upon all those who separated him from her. Since he last saw Catherine, he has “fought through a bitter life”; he “struggled only for [her]” (Brontë 71). Nelly observes a “half-civilized ferocity” in Heathcliff’s brows (Brontë 70); she views him as “an evil beast…waiting his time to spring and destroy” (Brontë 79). Heathcliff’s obsessive love for Catherine becomes a menacing threat. Heathcliff reproaches Catherine because she “treated [him]

   "My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff" (81)" These words, uttered by Catherine, in the novel Wuthering Heights are for me the starting point in my investigation into the themes of love and obsession in the novel. Catherine has just told her housekeeper that she has made up her mind to marry Edgar Linton, although she is well aware that her love for him is bound to change as time passes. That she is obsessed by her love for Heathcliff she confirms in the above quotation and by saying that she will never, ever be separated from him. Why does she not marry him then? Well, she has

Heathcliff is abused; his only source of love is his dearest Catherine, yet even that love cannot thrive in Heathcliff’s environment. The problem is not that his love is unrequited, but rather that Catherine believes she would fall to ruin if she were to be with Heathcliff “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him---because he's more

One of the most dramatic scenes in the book is the death of Catherine. The first signs of her failing health physically and mentally come when she locks herself up in her room after Heathcliff and Edgar's fight. She fasts herself into a delirium, pulling out pillow stuffing and seeing faces in the mirror. Unlike ordinary death, which comes quick and painlessly, Catherine's slowly wastes her away into a ghost. About seven months later, she dies at childbirth, but returning to haunt Heathcliff. The main cause for Catherine's death is not childbirth, although it may have been the final contributor. Ironically, because of the spiritual link between Heathcliff and her, it is their separation that killed her. Brontë punishes the sinned by slow death, having the guilty put the wrath upon themselves. She also brings in the supernatural to prove that even at death, there is no peace. The precise description of the moments before Catherine's death emotionally charges and further involves the reader. Like Catherine, Heathcliff dies in a similar fashion, except his sufferings prior to death lasted eighteen years. He explains to Nelly, "What does not recall her [Catherine]? Those two [Catherine Linton and Linton Heathcliff] are the only objects which retain a distinct material appearance to me; and, that appearance causes me pain, amounting to agony." This is consistent because he has sinned the most of all

In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster discusses -- in one of his chapters -- how vampires come back for the individuals that they love; they are selfish individuals who will endeavor their ardor. Catherine loved Heathcliff, and she desired to be with him. This ties back to the beginning of the novel when Lockwood is sleeping inside the cabinet. Catherine’s soul travels through time and implores to be let in by Lockwood. Vampires have to be invited into a stranger’s dwelling. Lockwood saw Cathy’s wrists across the broken glass, but Lockwood blocks the hole and refuses to be let her in. However, Heathcliff sees her and implores for her to come back. He yells “Come in! come in!“ (Bronte 20). This invitation by the household’s owner is what set his fate. The reader does not receive an explicit depiction of Cathy transforming Heathcliff. The reader discerns that something happening because Heathcliff says later on “Nelly, there is a strange change approaching—I’m in its shadow at present “ (Bronte 233). However, it is ultimately up to the readers to interpret how the reaction with Heathcliff and Catherine went. Nelly even questions Heathcliff about his strange behavior, however, he just replies, “You'll neither see nor hear anything to frighten you, if you refrain from prying” (Bronte 239), which implies that there is, in fact, something to

Her every need is taken care of. Later, when she is confronted by Heathcliff, she is reminded of Wuthering Heights and begins to miss the place she once was so eager to leave. Catherine begins to see the Grange as superficial and confining, and at first she is only annoyed by this, but eventually the suffocating enclosure causes Catherine to lash out at her husband and all the Grange represents. Catherine, aware of her incestuous attraction to Heathcliff, believes the Grange is destroying her, and because of her disgust of the Grange and her sense of guilt, it does. In the process, Edgar too must suffer Catherine's pain because of his love for her.

In this chapter, we see that Catherine has changed drastically from being a wild savage to a young mannered lady. Shockingly, we can see the distinctive difference between Heathcliff and Catherine's character. They were once the same, but this chapter serves as the platform to highlight the contrasting differences between these lovers. On one hand, one can argue that it develops their relationship immensely.

Heathcliff’s proud commendation of spirits and the dead returning to walk the earth acts as a distressing reminder, a haunting that carries with it all the unfortunate history many would rather keep buried. It is yet another one of Heathcliff’s many Uncanny evocations. Nelly is appalled and condemned him, “You were very wicked, Mr. Heathcliff. Were you not ashamed to disturb the dead?” In this scene, Nelly is the voice of the Western perspective—logical and morally upright in the face of Heathcliff’s abject and strange actions which pay no regard to Victorian values or the desecration of a human corpse. To Heathcliff, his passion and love for Catherine is a spiritual force far more powerful than the accepted Western social rules he rebels against

Heathcliff’s accusation above is mind blowing. From the youngest of ages, Heathcliff longed to have what Edgar Linton had. This translates to the future when Heathcliff wishes to acquire Catherine, who he loves deeply, and Thrushcross Grange from Mr. Linton

'I heard of your marriage, Cathy, not long since; and, while waiting in the yard below, I meditated this plan:-just to have one glimpse of your face, a stare of surprise, perhaps, and pretend pleasure; afterwards settle my score with Hindley; and then prevent the law by doing execution on myself. Your welcome has put these ideas out of my mind; but beware of meeting me with another aspect next time! Nay, you'll not drive me off again. You were really sorry for me, were you? Well, there was cause. I've fought through a bitter life since I last heard your voice, and you must forgive me, for I struggled only for you'(P.105).

Heathcliff overhears this conversation between Nelly and Catherine and leaves Wuthering Heights after hearing Catherine say that it would degrade her to marry him. Heathcliff tries to make himself more presentable to Catherine by moving up the social system. However, he does this by cheating and taking advantage of people. Heathcliff takes advantage of Hindley's state of alcoholism and takes over Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff also takes advantage of Edgar Linton's will my making young Catherine (the daughter of Catherine Earnshaw and Edgar Linton) marry Linton (the son of Heathcliff and Isabella Linton)

The novel suggests that the building is far from civilised places, on page twenty-four, chapter two; “..On that bleak hill top the earth was hard with a black frost, and the air made shiver through every limb..” This says that Wuthering Heights is isolated on a bleak hill top, it is dull and miserable and the earth is “..Hard..” and contains “..Black frost..”. The use of “..Black frost..” is Gothic as it describes even the frost as evil. Normal frost is white but “..Black frost..” symbolizes evil. This is very Gothic. Emily Brontë uses a lot of imagery to create tension for the reader. For example on pages thirty-one and thirty-two, chapter three when Lockwood is shown to his chamber in Wuthering Heights by Zillah, Emily Brontë uses a lot of images to create the feeling that the room and the surrounding is coffin like. This makes the building, Wuthering Heights feel supernatural and very Gothic. The house itself is very Gothic, containing tall dark arches and gargoyle statues. There are lots of shadows. Emily Brontë chooses realistic descriptions of the building/house, Wuthering Heights; “..One or two heavy black ones (chairs) lurking in the shade..“. “..Black..” reoccurs frequently in the novel as it suggests evil. The word “..Lurking..” is interesting because it suggests that something does not belong in a place , it is mysterious, as in his case the chairs have no place in Wuthering Heights. Almost as is the chairs are alive and they have thoughts and