Wuthering Heights By Charlotte Bronte

Throughtout Wuthering Heights, Healthcliff is destroyed by his love for Catherine Earnshaw. Heathliff never marries Catherine because they become stuck in a poisned love triangle which destroys their relationship. Catherine was married to Edgar Linton despite that her and Heathcliff were in love which immensely destroyed Heathcliff. Heathcliff asserts that “Two words would comprehend my future –death and hell: existence, after losing her, would be hell. Yet I was a fool to fancy for a moment that she valued Edgar Linton 's attachment more than mine. If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn 't love as much in eighty years as I could in a day.” This quote describes that Life without Catherine is not worth living for Heathcliff. The only emotion that begins to compensate for Heathcliff 's loss is bitterness. Despite her unfortunate choice for a husband, Heathcliff knows that Edgar is incapable of loving her the way he does.When

Heathcliff resents her scorn. He desires to regain her approval. He attempts to be “decent” and “good” for her sake (Brontë 40). However, his attempt to be decent fails miserably. He resents the attentions that Catherine gives to Edgar. Catherine would rather wear a “silly frock” and have dinner with “silly friends” than ramble about the moors with him (Brontë 50). Heathcliff keeps track of the evenings Catherine spends with Edgar and those that she spends with him. He desperately wants to be with Catherine. When Catherine announces to Nelly her engagement to Edgar, Heathcliff eavesdrops, but leaves the room when he “heard Catherine say it would degrade her to marry him” (Brontë 59). Catherine has spurned his love, choosing Edgar over him. Heathcliff cannot bear this rejection. The love he possesses for her transcends romantic and filial love (Mitchell 124). He feels that he is one with her (Mitchell 123).

   "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

The curious life Emily Bronte, author of Wuthering Heights and a collection of poems, has been highly analyzed alongside those of her sisters and fellow writers, Charlotte and Anne, for decades. Born in 1818, Emily was the fifth of six children born to Patrick and Maria Bronte. Her father was curate of Haworth parsonage in Yorkshire, England, a home for local clergymen, where Emily spent nearly all of her life. The lonely parsonage offered few companions for Bronte besides her family, but included a large library which consumed her childhood. Bronte never married, and much of her later life was filled with caring for her alcoholic brother, Branwell. This solitary life and experience with Branwell seems to have heavily influenced Wuthering Heights, the only novel written by Bronte, which centers on a similar setting of isolated, lonely households and contains a heavily alcoholic character.

During his multiple visitations to her new residence, Thrushcross Grange, he meticulously tries to make her feel ashamed of her marriage to Edgar Linton. For example, in his second visit to Thrushcross Grange he states that “[she has] treated [him] infernally” and that she should expect “[his revenge] ... in a very [short] while” (105-106). Correspondingly, Catherine responds saying that she is in shock by “his [new phase of character]” and is curious as to how he will get his “[so called ‘revenge’] ... [on her supposed ‘infernal’ treatment]” (106). Infuriated by her calling his sense of judgment, and revenge a bluff, he starts his master plan by aiming his affections at Edgar’s sister, Isabella Linton. Wantonly, Heathcliff manages to win Isabella’s heart and as such “[takes her away on horseback]” for Catherine to find out (122). Once again at hearing the disappearance of Heathcliff, this time with another woman, Catherine slips into another round of hallucinations. Yet, unlike the last time, her condition becomes life threatening. Catherine, in the time of her ailment, believes that “[her old life, and self are gone because of how Heathcliff treats her now]” (151). At the same time of when Catherine thinks this, Heathcliff, returns once again, to inform that “[he has not changed in how he treats her, but she has changed in how

1. As it deteriorates and dies, Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship serves as a cautionary tale and a witness to love’s destructive nature. Their love for one another is an addiction. Catherine long for Heathcliff and states, “I wish I could hold you.. till we were both dead” (Brontë 357). Catherine understands their relationship as “a source of little visible delight, but necessary” (Brontë 183). She views herself as one in the same with her lover, “Nelly, I am Heathcliff” (Brontë 183). She is obsessed with him-- regardless of her relationship with Edgar, Heathcliff never ceases to occupy her thoughts. If she were to lose Heathcliff, she would effectively go through withdrawal; their love is an addiction. She wants possession of Heathcliff

An interesting incident in the story takes place in Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff’s former home, when he returns with his new wife, Isabella Linton. He causes her great discomfort by leaving her alone in the house for a long period of time to the point of her describing him as “ingenious and unresting in seeking to gain [her] abhorrence” (Bronte 144). Heathcliff is only emotionally attached to Catherine; to all others, he treats cruelly and does not restrain his harsh insults. The major climax of the novel and the resolution to the main conflict occur with the final, dramatic union of Catherine and Heathcliff. As the two embrace and Catherine’s maid approaches them, Heathcliff “[gnashes] at [her], and [foams] like a mad dog, and [gathers] [Catherine] to him with greedy jealousy” (Bronte 159).

In this passage from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Catherine reveals her love for Heathcliff to her maid, Nelly. Unbeknownst to Catherine, Heathcliff was audience to the most detrimental part of her speech, in which she proclaims it would “degrade” her to marry him. Love is not the same for everyone, and Catherine, an unconventional character, realizes sometimes soulmates comes from non-traditional places. Catherine couldn’t be with her soulmate, Heathcliff, because of his lesser social position. Her pleading, desperate tone in this passage is a testament to the deep level of her love for Heathcliff and how badly she wants to be with him, but can’t because their marriage wouldn’t be commonplace. Catherine compares her two lovers, Edgar

In the chapter XV of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights book reveals the complex relationship as lover between Heathcliff and Catherine. In order to demonstrate that feeling of love is hard to forget, Emily Bronte reveals that their love was so strong that it destroyed the distance and their relationship with other, but Catherine and Heathcliff never can be together because they are stubborn and never fight for their relationship between others because they do not want to hurt their partners.

“It is a tale of usurpation, revenge, and a devilish, preternatural passion that tamer beings can scarcely recognize as love.” (Duclaux)

In order for the reader to understand the workings of Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Bronte clarified in the preface to her sister Emily’s novel that they had to understand the time and who Emily was. Wuthering Heights is regarded as Emily’s main success and became most popular after her death 1848. The novel basis itself off of many forms of narration, which can in turn become intriguing or confusing. It is agreeable that there are two representative narrators in Wuthering Heights; however, both Nelly Dean and Lockwood give there own opinions of interest to the story, which creates for the audience a highly biased account of the story and its characters.

The nineteenth-century Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is considered to be a gothic novel. Gothic literature took place mostly in England from 1790 to 1830, falling into the category of Romantic literature. The Gothic takes its roots from previous horrifying writing that extends back to the Middle Ages and can still be found in writings today by many authors including Charlotte Bronte. The strong description of horror, abuse, and gruesomeness in Gothic novels reveals truths to readers through realistic fear. The main characteristics of Gothic literature include: being set in medieval times, dream-states, setting of dark castles and chambers, doubling, and mysterious appearances and disappearances. All of these elements play a major role in the novel Jane Eyre.

Catherine cannot, at first, decide whom to marry. Catherine wonders if she should marry the man she loves or the man that can provide her with material security. Catherine tells Nelly that "I've no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven: and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn't have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now" (Bronte 120) Catherine also states that "Whatever our souls are made of, his {Heathcliff's} and mine are the same, and Linton's {Edgar} is as different as moonbeam from lightening, or frost from fire." (Bronte 121) Catherine wants to be with Heathcliff even though she knows all about him. But Catherine's need for psychological security and material comforts out weighs her desire to be with Heathcliff. (Goodlett 124)

Are love, power and wealth essential elements in the perfect soul mate in life? These rudiments are very critical in the novel Wuthering Heights. When looking at the portrayal of love in this novel, there is a great distinction between the loves we show to others presently versus the love shown in the novel. When considering Catherine and Heathcliff in the novel, they both love each other dearly, but when it comes down to it, Catherine cannot marry Heathcliff. Why can’t their love ever be? This is so because Heathecliff has no wealth or power. Without these things, if Catherine were to marry Heathcliff it would degrade her. So what does Catherine do? She marries Edgar Linton, a man who has power and wealth, although she doesn’t love him as much as she loves Heathcliff. The author uses her past experiences to influence the way she writes this novel, which is why this story can compare and contrast with the Victorian age and our modern society. All in all, love, desire and money has a major role in the progression of the story Wuthering Heights, and when compared to today’s society there are noticeable differences in our portrayal of love.

Emily Bronte’s classical literary masterpiece, Wuthering Heights, can more or less be viewed as a struggle between conventional, civilized human behavior, as well as the wild, anarchistic side that each of us humans possess, although subtly. Bronte’s piece can be summed up by the “good vs. evil” elements that include Wuthering Heights as opposed to Thrushcross Grange, Heathcliff vs. Edgar, and much more. These elemental set points lead to the conclusion that Wuthering Heights cannot be classified as a love story, as there is no ‘happy’ ending, and the heroine dies at roughly the halfway point of the book. This aspect makes the masterpiece an enduring Gothic classic, as Bronte is able to transform characters’ feelings onto paper, unmatched by any in the ‘dark’ literary realm. Bronte’s inclusions of aspects such as ghosts, as well as the tranquility in which the Grange brings are the set pieces that make the novel a battle between good and evil, rather than simply a fictitious love account that ends in futility.