Moses Nance
Amy Oatis
Literary Theory
12/6/2014
Deconstruction of Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte is an amazing author and poet in the late 19th century. She is the author of the outstanding novel, Wuthering Heights which is renowned for its workmanship and highly praised by all readers. Readers portray Heathcliff as an avenger but this paper will deny Heathcliff as an avenger and expose his causes for revenge. It will deny the love between Catherine and Heathcliff by giving evidence of Catherine’s love for Edgar. This paper will portray Heathcliff as the victim, shedding light on Catherine’s role in the revenges. This paper will also compare the first and second generation showing how the second generation, being raised in different circumstances will lead a much happier life. This paper will also analyze the three causes of the tragic ending; society, geography and Heathcliff’s experience. By recognizing Heathcliff’s victim image and understanding the causes of the tragedy, readers will fully grasp the essence of the characters involved in this novel.
It should come as no surprise to readers that Wuthering Heights is a story about love. Wuthering Heights describes the passionate and violent love of Heathcliff and Catherine. Bronte presents many contrasts through the characters Heathcliff and Catherine, Edgar and Heathcliff, and the relationship of Heathcliff and Catherine compared to Hareton and Cathy or the marriage of Edgar to Catherine and Heathcliff to Isabella. Emily Bronte develops these contrasts through the settings within the novel; Wuthering Heights and Thruschross Grange and more importantly she uses them to extract the themes of the novel: the discord between Edgar and Heathcliff and behavior of Catherine and Heathcliff stress the theme of civilization versus nature.
The most visible of binary opposition within the novel is portrayed through Catherine and Heathcliff’s strained relationship. When speaking to Nelly, Catherine says, “I am Heathcliff…he’s more myself than I am…Whatever our soul are made of, his and mine are the same” shows how Bronte fuses the theme of extremity and obsession. The love shared between Heathcliff and Catherine leads to the view of them being doubles of one another and forms an identity of them of as one person, one not being able to live without the other. Heathcliff and Catherine are united even in death.
Revenge is one of the major themes in this story that ties together the characters in Wuthering Heights, accompanied by possession, social status, common enemies and violence. Catherine is one of the main protagonists in this novel. She is characterized by conflict throughout the entire storyline. She is described as a wild and impulsive character. Her actions indirectly relate to the theme of revenge because her actions are selfish and she uses deceit to get what she wants. Most of her actions throughout the novel are made only because they will benefit her. Catherine is one of the most important characters in Wuthering Heights due to her detailed characterization and the impact her decision have on the storyline. Emily Bronte uses Catherine to expand on her use of opposites to develop conflict which develops the theme of revenge.
Heathcliff is the main character so the plot of the story revolves around him; from his arrival at Wuthering Heights as an orphan until he becomes a powerful landlord. Heathcliff does not speak, he merely growls. He is described as diabolical by his tenants. He is not seen as “man-like” but merely compare to his dogs because they are dirty and pitiful yet strong and powerful at the same time. His cruelty is merely a factor of his frustrated love for Catherine or that his actions are mostly to hide the fact that he is a romantic hero. Heathcliff is obsessed with vengeance and he eventually is consumed by it. While most of his actions are motivated by revenge, we see in Isabella’s case that this is not completely true. He tortures her out of revenge