Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte

Since its publication, Wuthering Heights has intrigued its readers; a love story gone wrong, twisted by vengeance and heartbreak. Many important factors of the novel are displayed in the portion of the novel narrated by Ellen. The passage in Wuthering Heights in which Catherine Linton’s funeral is described is vital in explaining important relationships in the novel, particularly the relationship between Heathcliff and Edgar Linton.

Throughout time, the moon has been seen as an important symbol in Western culture. Due to the moon’s constant presence every night, it has come to be associated with death and rest. Furthermore, it is seen as a symbol of beauty and perfection that cannot be attained by humans. Finally, the moon’s cyclical movement has caused it to be representative of emotions, time and change. In Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, the moon appears in many different circumstances. Early in the novel, the moon foreshadows the failure of a relationship between Heathcliff and the older Catherine. As the novel unfolds, the moon’s appearance begins to reveal the true inner nature or state of characters. Finally, the moon begins to symbolize the impact of change, or the lack of change, over time on the characters of Heathcliff and the younger Catherine. Throughout Wuthering Heights, Brontë uses the cosmological body of the moon to foreshadow the inability to attain perfection, to reveal the truth about certain characters, and finally to demonstrate effects of change on humans in order to emphasize the power of nature in the lives of humans.

With the coming of age of Catherine and Heathcliff, the hapless families of Earnshaw and Linton brave the storms that brew between them and realize that they must rise up to meet what they have forced upon themselves. Foremost, the main characters, Catherine, Heathcliff, and Edgar are never quite as they appear to be, and are constantly changing in both dynamic and static ways. For example, Catherine is the one who changes the most. As she states, “In my soul and in my heart, I’m convinced I’m wrong … I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas: they’ve gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind,” (p. 79). This expresses how she feels as if she has been

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights display of cultural and physical features of an environment affecting one’s character and moral traits is showcased through the first Catherine’s development throughout the novel. Catherine is forced to “adopt a double character”, as she lives as a rebellious, passionate woman on the turbulent Wuthering Heights, while behaving politely and courtly on the elegant Thrushcross Grange(Bronte, 48). Each of these environments also contains a love interest of Catherine’s, each man parallel with the characteristics of their environments: Heathcliff, the passionate and destructive, residing in Wuthering Heights, while the civilized and gentle Edgar inhabits Thrushcross Grange. Catherine’s development in character due to her setting significantly contributes to the theme that pursuing passionate love is dangerous, such as the love shared by Heathcliff and Catherine.

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.

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.

Have you ever gotten to the end of a book and been clueless about how all of the problems that are out in the open will get resolved in the next few pages? Or worse, gotten to the end of a book, without any of the problems getting resolved at all? Are you unaware of how the characters ended up? Do all of the unanswered questions gnaw at you? Do you instantly begin to make up your own scenarios of how the story should have ended, just to tighten all of the loose knots? Similarly, the relationship of Catherine and Heathcliff from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, ends this way, abruptly and without resolutions to many of their problems. While they seem to share an idealistic relationship, it is not a sufficient one, as Catherine and Heathcliff

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

One day, she finds herself upstairs at Wurthering Heights drifting by her Mothers old room. Curiosity took over her and she entered the room; she went straight to the wood vanity where her Mothers things still lay untouched. In the first drawer, she picked up the first thing she saw, which was a brown ragged book. When she opened the book, a letter fell to the floor; it was written to Cathy. She sat down on the oak paneled bed and opened the letter entitled to her. The letter made it clear to not open the book until Heathcliff had passed away. Following the letters directions, Cathy opened the book to see what was enclosed on the dusty pages. Cathy sat for hours locked in on Heathcliffs journal. When she finished reading, she was astonished at the secrets that the pages held. Cathy swiftly ran downstairs to find Hareton; she could not wait to share the incredible story she had read. Hareton and Cathy sat in front of the brick fireplace to discuss the story of Heathcliffs missing

Even if Catherine is already married, the main conflict of the novel is the dynamic union between her and Heathcliff, making this scene a central milestone in the

Nussbaum also establishes a conflict between the fundamental Christian world of the Lintons, and the chaotic world of Heathcliff. The distinction is clearly drawn as a virtuous and companionate world in which the Linton’s live, while Heathcliff is drawn to immoral and devious actions. The author does not however see it this simple. The superficial piteous world is in fact shadowed by a shallow a fake ideal of life. Even Catherine realizes the forged environment in which the Linton’s live, as she explains, “in whichever place the soul lives. In my soul and in my heart, I’m convinced I’m wrong.” Even though Heathcliff is portrayed as a demonic figure, he also is shown as the romantic Christina lover. This love is the driving force behind his urge to fight against what is expected of him. Both the Linton’s and Heathcliff are not given the satisfaction of becoming the portrait for the ideal Christian.

Only towards the end of the book does Catherine’s curse of cruelty really end. Cathy Linton-Heathcliff

While at Thrushcross Grange, she grows infatuated with Edgar, despite her love for Heathcliff. Edgar came from an upper class family as well and took care of her when she was in a dog accident. This leads to her acceptance of Edgar Linton’s marriage proposal despite her statements regarding her love for Heathcliff. Heathcliff overhears unfortunate passages of Catherine's discourse and disappears for a period during which he mysteriously makes his fortune and changes irrevocably from the person he was. Vengeance consumes him, and Heathcliff attempts to destroy the lives of those who wronged him, (as well as their children). Ultimately, Heathcliff’s bitterly executed vengeance is effaced by a love between Hareton and Cathy that mirrors Heathcliff’s own love for Catherine. Hareton is Catherine’s nephew and Cathy is Catherine’s daughter, which makes the two first cousins.

The confinement that characters within the texts experience can be translated into modern values based on equality. In the novel, Catherine Earnshaw is constantly controlled by the circumstances that control her; she’s ruled by her father and Hindley throughout her childhood, restricted by her injury at Thrushcross Grange, and forced to marry Edgar because of her isolation from the rest of the world. Even in her passionate relationship with Heathcliff, which reflects the spontaneous, exciting nature of the Romantic period, Heathcliff

It is the opinion of this essay that the character of Heathcliff evolves a lot more than the character of Catherine. When we first meet Heathcliff, he was found on the streets of Liverpool by Catherine’s father who then adopts him into the family as one of his own. This would have been a dramatic change for Heathcliff. Then after experiencing this quality of life until the death of the father he is then cast into the role of a servant/labourer by Catherine’s brother who despises him. Finally, when Heathcliff hears part of the conversation between Catherine and Nelly, he hears Catherine plans to marry Edgar Linton as she could never marry Heathcliff. “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now”. (82) It is here Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights and returns three years later, a gentleman of means and of polite demeanour, not what you would expect from him. Here we can bring back the point that one’s environment dramatically affects one’s behaviour. Like Catherine, Heathcliff defies social norms expected of his gender. After he returns back from travelling having acquired great wealth and on the surface seems a changed man, he would be accepted into middle class society as he displays the characteristics expected of him. It is well described in the book to enforce the dramatic change in him for readers to understand how far he has come from