wuthering hights 2

7/25/2019 Wuthering Hights 2

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Wuthering Heights1847

Emily Bronte

1818-1848



Themes

• Catherine and Heathcliff’s assion for one

another seems to !e the center of

Wuthering Heights.

• "t is stronger and more lasting than any

other emotion dislayed in the no#el$ and

that it is the source of most of the ma%orconflicts that structure the no#el’s lot&



• The !oo' is actually structured around t(o arallel lo#e stories$

• the first half of the no#el centering on the lo#e

!et(een Catherine and Heathcliff$• (hile the less dramatic second half features

the de#eloing lo#e !et(een young Catherine

and Hareton&



• "n contrast to the first$ the latter tale endshaily$ restoring eace and order to

Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross )range&

• The differences !et(een the t(o lo#e storiescontri!ute to the reader’s understanding of

(hy each ends the (ay it does&



• Catherine and Heathcliff’s lo#e is !ased on

their shared ercetion that they are identical&

• Catherine declares$ famously$

• *" am Heathcliff$+

• (hile Heathcliff$ uon Catherine’s death$

(ails that he cannot li#e (ithout his *soul$+

meaning Catherine&

• The t(o do not 'iss in dar' corners or arrange

secret dating$ as adulterers do&&



• )i#en that Catherine and Heathcliff’s lo#e is !ased uon their refusal to change o#er time&

• The disastrous ro!lems of their generation

are o#ercome not !y some climactic ,causingclima. re#ersal$

• !ut simly !y the ineora!le assage of time$

and the rise of a ne( and distinct generation&



• /ltimately$ Wuthering Heights resents a

#ision of life as a rocess of change$ andcele!rates this rocess o#er and against the

romantic intensity of its rincial

characters&



)othic Elements

• The no#el includes )othic elements$ (ith

the haunting se0uences

• Heathcliff

• #ery o!scure$ mysterious$ nobody knows

where he comes from and how he gets rich.



rchitectonic 2tructure

• The no#el has a classic attern (hich is

recurrent in litearture since )ree' tragedy

• B2E3 5

• Harmony

• 3estruction of Harmony

• 6estoration of Harmony



The Precariousness of Social Class

• s mem!ers of the gentry$ the Earnsha(s

and the intons occuy a some(hat

recarious lace (ithin the hierarchy of lateeighteenth- and early nineteenth-century

British society&



• t the to of British society (as

•the royalty$• follo(ed !y

• the aristocracy$

• then !y • the gentry$

• and then !y

• the lo(er classes$• (ho made u the #ast ma%ority of the

oulation&



THE )E5T69

• The gentry held a #ery fragile social osition e#en if they had ser#ants and often

large estates&• They didn’t ha#e T"TE2 li'e the

aristocrats&

• man might see himself as a gentleman !utfind$ that his neigh!ours did not share this#ie(



• discussion of (hether or not a man (as

really a gentleman (ould consider such0uestions as:

• ho( much land he o(ned$

• ho( many tenants and ser#ants he had$

• ho( he so'e$

• (hether he 'et horses and a carriage$ and

(hether his money came from land or

*trade+&



• Catherine’s decision to marry Edgar so that

she (ill !e

• *the greatest (oman of the neigh!orhood+

• is only the most o!#ious eamle&



The intons

• The intons are relati#ely firm in their

gentry status !ut nonetheless ta'e great

ains to ro#e this status through their !eha#iors&



The Earnsha(s

• The Earnsha(s$ on the other hand$ rest on

much sha'ier ground socially&

• They do not ha#e a carriage$ they ha#e less

land$

• and their house resem!les that of a

*homely$ northern farmer+ and not that of agentleman&



Motifs

Doubles• Bront; organi<es her no#el !y arranging its

elements - characters$ laces$ and themes

into airs&• Catherine and Heathcliff

• They are closely matched in many (ays$

and see themsel#es as identical&



• Catherine and young Catherine are !othremar'a!ly similar and stri'ingly different&

• The t(o houses$ Wuthering Heights and

Thrushcross )range$ reresent oosing(orlds and #alues&



Heathcliff

• He is mysterious

• ,dar' s'in$ curly hair = almost li'e a

foreigner&

• He’s the classic outsider

• Wild manners

• Earthy sensi!ility



Heathcliff

• "n contact (ith elements

• He’s assionate

• He has seual o(er of attraction&

• He’s de#ilish !ut

• He has an enormous caacity to lo#e and !elo#ed



Symbols

• Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or

colors used to represent abstract ideas or

concepts



Moors

• Wide$ (ild eanses$ high !ut some(hat soggy$and thus infertile&

• >oorland cannot !e culti#ated$ and its uniformityma'es na#igation difficult&

• The moors ser#e #ery (ell as sym!ols of the (ildthreat osed !y nature& s the setting for the

!eginnings of Catherine and Heathcliff’s !ond ,the

t(o lay on the moors during childhood.$• the moorland transfers its sym!olic associations

onto the lo#e affair



Ghosts

• )hosts aear throughout Wuthering Heights, as

they do in most other (or's of )othic fiction&

• Bront; al(ays resents them in such a (ay that(hether they really eist remains am!iguous&

• Whether or not the ghosts are *real$+ they

sym!oli<e the manifestation of the ast (ithin the

resent$ and the (ay memory stays (ith eole$

ermeating their day-to-day li#es&



The Conflict between

Nature and Culture • "n Wuthering Heights, Bront; constantly

lays nature and culture against each other&

• 5ature is reresented !y the Earnsha(family$ and !y Catherine and Heathcliff in articular&

• These characters are go#erned !y their assions$ not !y reflection or ideals ofci#ility&



• Corresondingly$ the house (here they li#e

Wuthering Heights comes to sym!oli<e asimilar (ildness&

• n the other hand$ Thrushcross )range and

the inton family reresent culture$refinement$ con#ention$ and culti#ation&

wuthering hights 2

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