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Analysis of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on March 25, 2019 • ( 3 )

Wuthering Heights is constructed around a series of dialectic motifs that interconnect and unify the elements of setting, character, and plot. An examination of these motifs will give the reader the clearest insight into the central meaning of the novel. Although Wuthering Heights is a “classic,” as Frank Kermode has noted, precisely because it is open to many different critical methods and conducive to many levels of interpretation, the novel grows from a coherent imaginative vision that underlies all the motifs. That vision demonstrates that all human perception is limited and failed. The fullest approach to Emily Brontë’s novel is through the basic patterns that support this vision.

Wuthering Heights concerns the interactions of two families, the Earnshaws and Lintons, over three generations. The novel is set in the desolate moors of Yorkshire and covers the years from 1771 to 1803. The Earnshaws and Lintons are in harmony with their environment, but their lives are disrupted by an outsider and catalyst of change, the orphan Heathcliff. Heathcliff is, first of all, an emblem of the social problems of a nation entering the age of industrial expansion and urban growth. Although Brontë sets the action of the novel entirely within the locale familiar to her, she reminds the reader continually of the contrast between that world and the larger world outside.

Aside from Heathcliff’s background as a child of the streets and the description of urban Liverpool, from which he is brought, the novel contains other reminders that Yorkshire, long insulated from change and susceptible only to the forces of nature, is no longer as remote as it once was. The servant Joseph’s religious cant, the class distinctions obvious in the treatment of Nelly Dean as well as of Heathcliff, and Lockwood’s pseudosophisticated urban values are all reminders that Wuthering Heights cannot remain as it has been, that religious, social, and economic change is rampant. Brontë clearly signifies in the courtship and marriage of young Cathy and Hareton that progress and enlightenment will come and the wilderness will be tamed. Heathcliff is both an embodiment of the force of this change and its victim. He brings about a change but cannot change himself. What he leaves behind, as Lockwood attests and the relationship of Cathy and Hareton verifies, is a new society, at peace with itself and its environment.

It is not necessary, however, to examine in depth the Victorian context of Wuthering Height s to sense the dialectic contrast of environments. Within the limited setting that the novel itself describes, society is divided between two opposing worlds: Wuthering Heights, ancestral home of the Earnshaws, and Thrushcross Grange, the Linton estate. Wuthering Heights is rustic and wild; it is open to the elements of nature and takes its name from “atmospheric tumult.” The house is strong, built with narrow windows and jutting cornerstones, fortified to withstand the battering of external forces. It is identified with the outdoors and nature and with strong, “masculine” values. Its appearance, both inside and out, is wild, untamed, disordered, and hard. The Grange expresses a more civilized, controlled atmosphere. The house is neat and orderly, and there is always an abundance of light—to Brontë’s mind, “feminine” values. It is not surprising that Lockwood is more comfortable at the Grange, since he takes pleasure in “feminine” behavior (gossip, vanity of appearance, adherence to social decorum, romantic self-delusion), while Heathcliff, entirely “masculine,” is always out of place there.

Even Cathy’s passionate cry for Heathcliff, “Nelly, I am Heathcliff,” is less love for him as an individual than the deepest form of self-love. Cathy cannot exist without him, but a meaningful relationship is not possible because Cathy sees Heathcliff only as a reflection of herself. Heathcliff, too, has denied an important aspect of his personality. Archetypally masculine, Heathcliff acts out only the aggressive, violent parts of himself.

The settings and the characters are patterned against each other, and explosions are the only possible results. Only Hareton and young Cathy, each of whom embodies the psychological characteristics of both Heights and Grange, can successfully sustain a mutual relationship.

This dialectic structure extends into the roles of the narrators as well. The story is reflected through the words of Nelly Dean—an inmate of both houses, a participant in the events of the narrative, and a confidant of the major characters—and Lockwood, an outsider who witnesses only the results of the characters’ interactions. Nelly is a companion and servant in the Earnshaw and Linton households, and she shares many of the values and perceptions of the families. Lockwood, an urban sophisticate on retreat, misunderstands his own character as well as the characters of others. His brief romantic “adventure” in Bath and his awkwardness when he arrives at the Heights (he thinks Cathy will fall in love with him; he mistakes the dead rabbits for puppies) exemplify his obtuseness. His perceptions are always to be questioned. Occasionally, however, even a denizen of the conventional world may gain a glimpse of the forces at work beneath the surface of reality. Lockwood’s dream of the dead Cathy, which sets off his curiosity and Heathcliff’s final plans, is a reminder that even the placid, normal world may be disrupted by the psychic violence of a willful personality.

The presentation of two family units and parallel brother-sister, husband-wife relationships in each also emphasizes the dialectic. That two such opposing modes of behavior could arise in the same environment prevents the reader from easy condemnation of either pair. The use of flashback for the major part of the narration—it begins in medias res—reminds the reader that he or she is seeing events out of their natural order, recounted by two individuals whose reliability must be questioned. The working out of the plot over three generations further suggests that no one group, much less one individual, can perceive the complexity of the human personality.

Taken together, the setting, plot, characters, and structure combine into a whole when they are seen as parts of the dialectic nature of existence. In a world where opposing forces are continually arrayed against each other in the environment, in society, in families, and in relationships, as well as within the individual, there can be no easy route to perception of another human soul. Wuthering Heights convincingly demonstrates the complexity of this dialectic and portrays the limitations of human perception.

Bibliography Barnard, Robert. Emily Brontë. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Benvenuto, Richard. Emily Brontë. Boston: Twayne, 1982. Berg, Maggie. “Wuthering Heights”: The Writing in the Margin. New York: Twayne, 1996. Davies, Stevie. Emily Brontë: Heretic. London: Women’s Press, 1994. Frank, Katherine. A Chainless Soul: A Life of Emily Brontë. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Glen, Heather, ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Brontës. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Liddell, Robert. Twin Spirits: The Novels of Emily and Anne Brontë. London: Peter Owen, 1990. Miller, Lucasta. The Brontë Myth. London: Jonathan Cape, 2001. Pykett, Lyn. Emily Brontë. Savage, Md.: Barnes & Noble, 1989. Rollyson, Carl, and Lisa Paddock. The Brontës A to Z: The Essential Reference to Their Lives and Work. New York: Facts On File, 2003. Vine, Steve. Emily Brontë. New York: Twayne, 1998. Winnifrith, Tom, ed. Critical Essays on Emily Brontë. NewYork: G. K. Hall, 1997.

Major works Poetry: Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, 1846 (with Charlotte Brontë and Anne Brontë); The Complete Poems of Emily Jane Brontë, 1941 (C. W. Hatfield, editor); Gondal’s Queen: A Novel in Verse by Emily Jane Brontë, 1955 (Fannie E. Ratchford, editor). Nonfiction : Five Essays Written in French, 1948 (Lorine White Nagel, translator); The Brontë Letters, 1954 (Muriel Spark, editor).

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Tags: Analysis of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights , Character Study of Catherine Earnshaw , Character Study of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights , Character Study of Heathcliff , Character Study of Lockwood , Character Study of Nelly Dean , Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights , Frank Kermode , Gothic Literature , Literary Criticism , Literary Theory , Motifs in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights , Nelly Dean , Study Guide of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights , Summary of Analysis of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights , Summary of Wuthering Heights , Themes of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights , Victorian Literature , Wuthering Heights , Wuthering Heights as a Gothic Novel

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I found it very informative. Representation of the two worlds is amazing. Thanks a lot.

VERY NICE;I LIKED THE WAY OF ANALYSIS OF WHOLE NOVEL AND DESCRIBE EVERY THING,

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Tess of the D'Urbervilles — “Wuthering Heights” and “Tess of the D’Urbervilles”: Comparing the Depicted Femininity

"Wuthering Heights" and "Tess of The D'urbervilles": Comparing The Depicted Femininity

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Compare and contrast the themes of love and sacrifice in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights.”

Table of Contents

Both William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” explore the themes of love and sacrifice, albeit in different ways. While both plays delve into complex relationships and passionate emotions, their treatment of these themes reflects the distinctive styles and contexts of the authors.

Compare the themes Hamlet And Wuthering Heights- In “Hamlet,” Shakespeare examines the multifaceted nature of love through the lens of tragedy. The play explores various forms of love, including romantic, filial, and even fraternal love. The central romantic relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is fraught with challenges and complexities. 

Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is initially passionate, but his feigned madness and obsession with revenge cause him to mistreat her, leading to her tragic demise. This highlights the destructive consequences of love when influenced by external circumstances and personal conflicts.

Also Read:-

• Compare and contrast the themes of love and jealousy in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights.”
• Compare and contrast the themes of love and betrayal in William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
• Compare and contrast the themes of love and duty in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Jane Austen’s “Persuasion.”
• Compare and contrast the themes of love and jealousy in William Shakespeare’s “Othello” and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights.”

Compare the themes Hamlet And Wuthering Heights- On the other hand, Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” presents a darker and more intense portrayal of love and sacrifice. The novel is characterized by the passionate and tumultuous relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. Their love transcends societal norms and expectations, but it also becomes a source of suffering and destruction. 

The theme of sacrifice is evident as Heathcliff’s love for Catherine leads him to endure years of torment and plot revenge against those who stand in their way. In the end, their love remains immortalized in death, suggesting the sacrificial nature of their bond.

Compare the themes Hamlet And Wuthering Heights- Furthermore, while both works explore the theme of sacrifice, they differ in their portrayal of its motivations. In “Hamlet,” sacrifice emerges as a result of duty and honor. Hamlet’s ultimate sacrifice lies in his pursuit of avenging his father’s murder, even at the cost of his own life. His commitment to justice and the duty to his father’s memory drive him to make sacrifices along the way, including the sacrifice of personal happiness.

In contrast, “Wuthering Heights” presents sacrifice as an outcome of an obsessive and possessive love. Heathcliff’s sacrifices stem from his all-consuming desire for Catherine and his refusal to let go of her memory. His acts of sacrifice, such as acquiring wealth and seeking vengeance, are motivated by an intense and destructive passion, rather than a sense of duty.

Compare the themes Hamlet And Wuthering Heights- Overall, while both “Hamlet” and “Wuthering Heights” explore the themes of love and sacrifice, they offer distinct perspectives on these concepts. “Hamlet” portrays love and sacrifice within the context of duty and tragedy, while “Wuthering Heights” presents a more passionate and destructive form of love that drives characters to extreme sacrifices.

Hamlet “Summary”

“Hamlet” is a tragedy by William Shakespeare that tells the story of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. The play begins with the ghost of Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, appearing and revealing that he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, who has now married Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Filled with grief and a desire for revenge, Hamlet embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and avenge his father’s death.

Compare the themes Hamlet And Wuthering Heights- Throughout the play, Hamlet grapples with his own inner turmoil and indecision. He contemplates the nature of life, death, and the meaning of existence, famously delivering the soliloquy, “To be or not to be.” Hamlet’s erratic behavior leads many to question his sanity, including his love interest, Ophelia, whom he ultimately rejects, leading to her tragic demise.

As Hamlet devises a plan to confirm Claudius’s guilt, he stages a play called “The Mousetrap” that mirrors his father’s murder. Claudius’s reaction confirms Hamlet’s suspicions. In a fit of rage, Hamlet mistakenly kills Polonius, Ophelia’s father, further complicating the situation.

Compare the themes Hamlet And Wuthering Heights- The plot thickens as Hamlet encounters the Norwegian prince, Fortinbras, who seeks to reclaim lands lost in battle. Hamlet admires Fortinbras’s determination and courage, prompting him to reflect on his own lack of action. In the final act, a duel is arranged between Hamlet and Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, who seeks revenge for his father’s death.

The climax of the play occurs during the duel, where Laertes and Claudius conspire to kill Hamlet. Their plan backfires, and in a tragic turn of events, Gertrude accidentally drinks poison intended for Hamlet, and Laertes is struck with his own poisoned blade. Hamlet takes his revenge by forcing Claudius to drink the poisoned wine, finally fulfilling his quest for justice.

Compare the themes Hamlet And Wuthering Heights- In the end, Hamlet’s desire for revenge leads to the death of almost all major characters, including himself. The play concludes with the entrance of Fortinbras, who takes control of the kingdom and reflects on the tragic events that unfolded. “Hamlet” explores themes of revenge, madness, mortality, and the complexity of human nature, leaving readers and audiences with enduring questions about the nature of life and the consequences of one’s actions.

Q: Who is the author of “Hamlet”? 

A: “Hamlet” is a play written by William Shakespeare.

Q: Who is the author of “Wuthering Heights”? 

A: “Wuthering Heights” is a novel written by Emily Bronte.  

Q: When was “Hamlet” written? 

A: “Hamlet” is believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601.

Q: When was “Wuthering Heights” written?

A: “Wuthering Heights” was published in 1847.

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Self Betrayal: Marxist and Psychoanalytic Analyses of Emily Brontë’s "Wuthering Heights"

• Erika Karjohn
• Published 27 April 2012
• Psychology, Philosophy

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comparsion of jane eyre and wuthering heights

Compare and contrast the presentation of the theme of love in Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre

Throughout the novels ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte and ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte countless comparisons can be made. Each novel was written in the romantic era and the use of an omniscient narrator in ‘Jane Eyre’ allows Charlotte Bronte to subtly criticise the values of the society at the time whilst also portraying Jane as a heroine with a mature, forward thinking mind. The two novels explore love, how this powerful emotion is able to overcome countless obstacles. The characters within ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Jane Eyre’ overcome the constraints society had upon them, what appeared to be their destinies and characters were able to overcome themselves. These obstacles are lengthy struggles that the characters within each novel were faced with and each set of characters went through immense pain all for love. The love that the characters feel for each other was able to conquer all obstacles that they are faced with so that they could be together. ‘Jane Eyre’ is very much the story of a quest to be loved. Jane searches, not just for romantic love, but also for a sense of being valued, of belonging. Whereas ‘Wuthering Heights’ is a shattering presentation of the doomed love affair between the fiercely passionate Catherine and Heathcliff. The novel’s  are both stories of passionate, uncontrollable love and stress the importance of imagination and heightened emotion, perhaps with ‘Wuthering Heights’ presenting a sense of realism in respect to the theme of love and ‘Jane Eyre’ a more, unconventional, idealised ‘fantasy’ of love.

Catherine is portrayed as a passionate and wild character; there is a degree of stubbornness within her, “In play she liked, exceedingly to act the little mistress.”  This domineering, strong willed characteristic is what prompts her father and Nelly to consider her a, “selfish wretch.”  The resentment other characters feel towards her is lessened by her diary entries, which is a first hand account, encourages the reader to feel more sympathetic, as she appears as  an innocent child concerned for her beloved Heathcliff.

“He has been blaming our father (how dare he!) for treating Heathcliff too           liberally and swears he will reduce him to the right place.”

As Catherine grows older, she displays remarkably, features of her personality to be similar to Heathcliff’s, her attempts to control those around her and her quickness to violence remind us of him. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love can be viewed as the product of their rebellion against the kind of adult tyranny exercised against children in the period in which they lived. It is in particular this rebelliousness in Catherine that unites and intensifies love between them, “My great miseries in the world have been Heathcliff’s miseries.”    The introduction of her ghost, in Chapter three, strengths this point, as it presents her as a heart broken woman wandering the moors in search of her lover.

Unlike Catherine, Jane is not physically attractive however; there is something quite ‘agreeable’ about her appearance. Mr. Rochester calls her "quaint, quiet, grave and simple."  What Jane lacks in physical beauty, she makes up for in intelligence, with her unselfish nature and strength of character. Her simple tastes and modesty are reflected in the way she shuns extravagant expenditure on her wedding dress and trousseau, completely in contrast with Cathy who married to elevate her social status. Charlotte Bronte created a heroine who was deeply passionate and felt a need for adventure, excitement. ‘Jane Eyre’ is written in first person narrative and in chronological order; Jane dominates and controls the narrative whereas in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the story is narrated from different points of view of the protagonists. Jane's vivid imagination and strong emotions are the basis of her strength as a character, but we're also told that Jane's being "too passionate"  is also a fault. This is similar to Catherine’s nature, in relation to her stubbornness and wit. Jane finds it hard to forgive people who treat her unjustly; she's carried away by her love for Mr. Rochester, even to the point of making him her "idol",  before she knows very much about his past or his true character. However, Jane is not Rochester, in the manner as Cathy affirms she is Heathcliff. Unlike Catherine, Jane constantly stresses that she is an independent woman and although she is equal to Rochester, they are two independent beings.

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Catherine’s attitude to love is a strong, almost domineering one. The love which exists between Cathy and Heathcliff is a love of unnatural passion, which not only leads the protagonists to believing they are identical, “I am Heathcliff…”  but also turns their characters into becoming self obsessed and cruel. This negative aspect of their relationship makes it difficult to tell if Emily Bronte wished for their love to be idealised or frowned upon. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is not a sexual relationship, their love is formed from childhood, yet their attraction to one another is never doubted , “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”  Catherine’s understanding of her feelings for Heathcliff are expressed very passionately yet her desire for a greater place in society overrides this, for instance in chapter nine when she states, "It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff.”  David Daiche states, “Ultimate passion is for her (Catherine) rather a kind of recognition of oneself.”  This perspective of her is evident throughout the novel her selfish, headstrong and passionate nature leads to her own death and Heathcliff’s madness.

Charlotte Bronte handles the love theme very delicately. She shows how love should be based on mutual respect, mutual need and mutual recognition of weaknesses. She does not idealize the heroine. On the contrary she looks upon Jane as a character who is fearless, unashamed, passionate, determined to have her rights acknowledged and sometimes not wholly sympathetic. Throughout Mr. Rochester's courtship, Jane retains her dignity and individuality. She is not prepared to please him if his demands offend her dignity as a woman or go against "the dictates of conscience."  That is why Jane refuses to become Edward Rochester's mistress. This is in complete stark contrast to Catherine, Jane is not concerned about elevating herself n society, she thinks completely for herself, and will openly challenge Rochester when she feels she must.

Charlotte Bronte portrays Mr Rochester as an obvious romantic figure; his character combines masculine strength with tenderness and kindness, he epitomizes the ‘Byronic hero.’ To a certain extent, Mr. Rochester does epitomize the Byronic hero; however, Charlotte Bronte has made the character of Mr. Rochester quite conventional. It is other characters within the novel who mistakenly characterize him this way. Mrs Fairfax describes Mr Rochester as, "…rather peculiar, perhaps: he has travelled a great deal, and seen a great deal of the world, I should think. I dare say he is clever.”  This account, by Mrs. Fairfax of her master establishes Rochester as a sort of wanderer. He appears quite worldly, especially to the inexperienced Jane. In addition, being the son of a wealthy landowner, and thus having a rich heritage, puts him in stark contrast with Heathcliff. Mr Rochester is a forceful, passionate and independent character; he is determined to have Jane, either as his wife or mistress, whatever the cost. However, he is not portrayed as selfish; a characteristic evident in both Catherine and Heathcliff. "The ease of his manner freed me from painful restraint; the friendly frankness, as correct as cordial, with which he treated me, drew me to him",  Jane narrates in chapter fifteen.

Mr Rochester often refers to Jane as a bird, fairy or sprite, “When you came on me in Hay Lane last night, I thought unaccountably of fairytales.” The language used here is heightened and passionate and references to fairies and sprites may echo Shakespeare’s, ‘A Mid Summer Nights Dream’. The references to Jane and magical creatures may be symbolic of the great influence Jane has over him, "You master me,"  he tells Jane in Chapter 24.   Throughout the novel Mr Rochester ‘toys’ with Jane in the hope of making her jealous, but he eventually learns that he must depend on respect and see her as an individual, “I am no bird; I am a free human being with an independent will.” Through these two characters the development of mutual respect is shown. Mr Rochester is simply fascinated by Jane’s courage, education, remarkable efficiency and sterling character. And she is not a romantic who is blind to the defects of her lover, as Jane states in chapter seventeen,

"Most true is it that 'beauty is in the eye of the gazer.' My master's colorless, olive face, square, massive brow, broad and jetty eyebrows, deep eyes, strong features, firm, grim mouth,--all energy, decision, will,--were not beautiful, according to rule; but they were more than beautiful to me…”

Their relationship is one that eventually ends in a marriage of equals, “To be together is for us to be at once as free as solitude, as gay as in company.”

‘Wuthering Heights’ is written from the perspectives of different characters and  this allows us to know the protagonist’s inner thoughts and feelings whereas in ‘Jane Eyre’, we do not have access to Mr Rochester’s inner thoughts as Jane doesn’t know them, as the narrative is dominated by her character. However in reading the novel, the witty ‘banter’ that takes place in the conversations between Jane and Rochester is evidence of their love, strong bond and their similar personalities. Also, to strengthen this point their conversations are portrayed as very natural and relaxed, again emphasising their love. They express themselves very directly and everything from their ‘banter’ to their most impassioned exchanges is suggestive of deeply felt affection, as Jane states, “gratitude and many associates, all pleasurable and genial, made his face the object I best liked to see; his presence in a room was more cheering than the brightest fire"

The love which exists between Cathy and Heathcliff can be viewed as over dramatic and epic, evidence for this comes from Catherine and Heathcliff’s declaration that they are one another. However, Mr Rochester doesn’t try to ‘woo’ Jane on ‘bended knee’ and they do not idealise one another, they see each other as equals; each is free to make their own decisions and choices. Their love is powerful and yet simplistic.

Like Mr Rochester, Heathcliff is also portrayed as a romantic hero. The critic Moser believes he is "the embodiment of sexual energy.”  He is a passionate man with an energy that only Catherine can understand, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."  Others in the novel misinterpret him, Isabella sees him as a romantic hero whilst Mr Lockwood views him as a solitary recluse, “I no longer felt inclined to call Heathcliff a capital fellow.” Nelly sees him as a character of a folk tale. As Heathcliff resembles a romantic hero, we as readers would expect him to be more than what he seems. As traditionally the romantic hero would appear dangerous and brooding, only later to unveil as being fiercely devoted and loving, much like Rochester. However we are left to question if his cruelty is a mere expression of his suppressed love for Catherine, or that his malevolent actions in the novel serve to conceal the heart of a romantic hero. An example of his sinister behaviour is evident in his sadistic treatment of Isabella, which causes her to exclaim, “Is Mr Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he the devil?”  To strengthen this, Emily Bronte often uses animal imagery to describe him, evident in the quote were he is described as a, “fierce, pitiless, wolfish man.”  Although Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is idealised, the tyrannical nature of Heathcliff leaves a lot to be questioned.

In ‘Wuthering Heights’, Emily Bronte presents marriage as being a ‘tool’ one uses to pursue financial security and thus therefore corrupts the idealised perspective of the celebration. Heathcliff uses marriage as a weapon for his own personal revenge and his desire to acquire wealth and property. He achieved this through his own marriage to Isabella Linton and through the forced marriage of his son. Catherine also uses the vows of marriage to improve wealth and status. The marriage between young Catherine and Harleton however is based on love and it is the only one in the novel, it even causes Mr Lockwood to declare, “Together they would brave Satan and all his legions.” The union between the two young lovers at the end of the novel gives a sense of happiness and a fresh start, as it also does in ‘Jane Eyre’. This is in stark contrast to Heathcliff and Catherine as their union is not blissfully met and happens only in death. The use of marriage as a tool of repression instead of the romantic cliché helps Emily Bronte portray that marriage is not always a reflection of love. The passionate love between these two characters and the sense of betrayal in Catherine’s marriage to Linton completely diminishes the setting needed to portray ideal marriage. The compelling fierceness of their love and union in death reflects Emily Bronte’s own opinion of marriage and love, “a dwelling of unhappiness”.  This opinion is starkly contrasted with that of her sister’s.

In complete contrast to Catherine, Jane is an independent woman and does not wish to marry for any other reason than the fact that she loves Mr Rochester wholly with all her soul, regardless of his status or hers, in society. Jane is fully aware that Mr. Rochester is wealthy and status- conscious however she is also conscious of his irritable nature, yet she loves him. Jane's love for Rochester is a fine example of true love, which is deep and enduring and does not vary with the changing circumstances of her life.

Charlotte Bronte’s exploration of the complicated social position of governesses, allows her to portray Jane as very critical of Victorian England's strict social hierarchy. Like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Jane is a figure of ambiguous class standing and, consequently, a source of extreme tension for the characters around her. Jane's manners and education are those of an aristocrat, because Victorian governesses, who also tutored children in etiquette, were expected to possess the culture of their class. However, although they were paid employees, they were more or less treated as servants; thus Jane was penniless and powerless while at Thornfield. Jane's understanding of the social barrier becomes evident when she becomes aware of her feelings for Rochester; she is his intellectual, but not his social equal. Even before the crisis surrounding Bertha Mason, Jane is hesitant to marry Rochester because she senses that she would feel indebted to him for “condescending”  to marry her. Jane's distress, which appears most strongly in Chapter 17, seems to represent Charlotte Bronte’s view of Victorian class attitudes. The social etiquette in ‘Wuthering Heights’ is not as strictly apparent as it is in ‘Jane Eyre’, at the beginning of the novel but still maintains a very strong presence. However we do see that the Linton’s play the role of the upper class citizens and so Thrushcross Grange also seems to adapt the Linton family’s civility, culture and refinement. Its residents such as, Mr Lockwood, always seem to be the social superiors of those residing in Wuthering Heights.

Both authors invite the reader into an alluring world of intrigue, passion, conflict, frustration and love, in all forms. ‘Jane Eyre’ portrays an idealised picture of true, enduring romantic love, ending in a typical ‘fairytale’ fashion, however in ‘Wuthering Heights’, the reader is plunged into a dramatic, passionate love affair between Heathcliff and Catherine against a backdrop of seemingly impossible love. Emily Bronte’s use of symbolic representation of the elements of nature is similar to the love that Catherine and Heathcliff share. The reader is compelled to hope that against all odds, in both novels, that love conquers all.

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Excerpt: 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë

From Chapter VI :

Mr. Hindley came home to the funeral; and—a thing that amazed us, and set the neighbours gossiping right and left—he brought a wife with him. What she was, and where she was born, he never informed us: probably, she had neither money nor name to recommend her, or he would scarcely have kept the union from his father.

She was not one that would have disturbed the house much on her own account. Every object she saw, the moment she crossed the threshold, appeared to delight her; and every circumstance that took place about her: except the preparing for the burial, and the presence of the mourners. I thought she was half silly, from her behaviour while that went on: she ran into her chamber, and made me come with her, though I should have been dressing the children: and there she sat shivering and clasping her hands, and asking repeatedly—’Are they gone yet?’ Then she began describing with hysterical emotion the effect it produced on her to see black; and started, and trembled, and, at last, fell a-weeping—and when I asked what was the matter, answered, she didn’t know; but she felt so afraid of dying! I imagined her as little likely to die as myself. She was rather thin, but young, and fresh-complexioned, and her eyes sparkled as bright as diamonds. I did remark, to be sure, that mounting the stairs made her breathe very quick; that the least sudden noise set her all in a quiver, and that she coughed troublesomely sometimes: but I knew nothing of what these symptoms portended, and had no impulse to sympathise with her. We don’t in general take to foreigners here, Mr. Lockwood, unless they take to us first.

Young Earnshaw was altered considerably in the three years of his absence. He had grown sparer, and lost his colour, and spoke and dressed quite differently; and, on the very day of his return, he told Joseph and me we must thenceforth quarter ourselves in the back-kitchen, and leave the house for him. Indeed, he would have carpeted and papered a small spare room for a parlour; but his wife expressed such pleasure at the white floor and huge glowing fireplace, at the pewter dishes and delf-case, and dog-kennel, and the wide space there was to move about in where they usually sat, that he thought it unnecessary to her comfort, and so dropped the intention.

She expressed pleasure, too, at finding a sister among her new acquaintance; and she prattled to Catherine, and kissed her, and ran about with her, and gave her quantities of presents, at the beginning. Her affection tired very soon, however, and when she grew peevish, Hindley became tyrannical. A few words from her, evincing a dislike to Heathcliff, were enough to rouse in him all his old hatred of the boy. He drove him from their company to the servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of doors instead; compelling him to do so as hard as any other lad on the farm.

Heathcliff bore his degradation pretty well at first, because Cathy taught him what she learnt, and worked or played with him in the fields. They both promised fair to grow up as rude as savages; the young master being entirely negligent how they behaved, and what they did, so they kept clear of him. He would not even have seen after their going to church on Sundays, only Joseph and the curate reprimanded his carelessness when they absented themselves; and that reminded him to order Heathcliff a flogging, and Catherine a fast from dinner or supper. But it was one of their chief amusements to run away to the moors in the morning and remain there all day, and the after punishment grew a mere thing to laugh at. The curate might set as many chapters as he pleased for Catherine to get by heart, and Joseph might thrash Heathcliff till his arm ached; they forgot everything the minute they were together again: at least the minute they had contrived some naughty plan of revenge; and many a time I’ve cried to myself to watch them growing more reckless daily, and I not daring to speak a syllable, for fear of losing the small power I still retained over the unfriended creatures. One Sunday evening, it chanced that they were banished from the sitting-room, for making a noise, or a light offence of the kind; and when I went to call them to supper, I could discover them nowhere. We searched the house, above and below, and the yard and stables; they were invisible: and, at last, Hindley in a passion told us to bolt the doors, and swore nobody should let them in that night. The household went to bed; and I, too, anxious to lie down, opened my lattice and put my head out to hearken, though it rained: determined to admit them in spite of the prohibition, should they return. In a while, I distinguished steps coming up the road, and the light of a lantern glimmered through the gate. I threw a shawl over my head and ran to prevent them from waking Mr. Earnshaw by knocking. There was Heathcliff, by himself: it gave me a start to see him alone.

‘Where is Miss Catherine?’ I cried hurriedly. ‘No accident, I hope?’ ‘At Thrushcross Grange,’ he answered; ‘and I would have been there too, but they had not the manners to ask me to stay.’ ‘Well, you will catch it!’ I said: ‘you’ll never be content till you’re sent about your business. What in the world led you wandering to Thrushcross Grange?’ ‘Let me get off my wet clothes, and I’ll tell you all about it, Nelly,’ he replied. I bid him beware of rousing the master, and while he undressed and I waited to put out the candle, he continued—’Cathy and I escaped from the wash-house to have a ramble at liberty, and getting a glimpse of the Grange lights, we thought we would just go and see whether the Lintons passed their Sunday evenings standing shivering in corners, while their father and mother sat eating and drinking, and singing and laughing, and burning their eyes out before the fire. Do you think they do? Or reading sermons, and being catechised by their manservant, and set to learn a column of Scripture names, if they don’t answer properly?’ ‘Probably not,’ I responded. ‘They are good children, no doubt, and don’t deserve the treatment you receive, for your bad conduct.’ ‘Don’t cant, Nelly,’ he said: ‘nonsense! We ran from the top of the Heights to the park, without stopping—Catherine completely beaten in the race, because she was barefoot. You’ll have to seek for her shoes in the bog to-morrow. We crept through a broken hedge, groped our way up the path, and planted ourselves on a flower-plot under the drawing-room window. The light came from thence; they had not put up the shutters, and the curtains were only half closed. Both of us were able to look in by standing on the basement, and clinging to the ledge, and we saw—ah! it was beautiful—a splendid place carpeted with crimson, and crimson-covered chairs and tables, and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold, a shower of glass-drops hanging in silver chains from the centre, and shimmering with little soft tapers. Old Mr. and Mrs. Linton were not there; Edgar and his sisters had it entirely to themselves. Shouldn’t they have been happy? We should have thought ourselves in heaven! And now, guess what your good children were doing? Isabella—I believe she is eleven, a year younger than Cathy—lay screaming at the farther end of the room, shrieking as if witches were running red-hot needles into her. Edgar stood on the hearth weeping silently, and in the middle of the table sat a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping; which, from their mutual accusations, we understood they had nearly pulled in two between them. The idiots! That was their pleasure! to quarrel who should hold a heap of warm hair, and each begin to cry because both, after struggling to get it, refused to take it. We laughed outright at the petted things; we did despise them! When would you catch me wishing to have what Catherine wanted? or find us by ourselves, seeking entertainment in yelling, and sobbing, and rolling on the ground, divided by the whole room? I’d not exchange, for a thousand lives, my condition here, for Edgar Linton’s at Thrushcross Grange—not if I might have the privilege of flinging Joseph off the highest gable, and painting the house-front with Hindley’s blood!’

‘Hush, hush!’ I interrupted. ‘Still you have not told me, Heathcliff, how Catherine is left behind?’

‘I told you we laughed,’ he answered. ‘The Lintons heard us, and with one accord they shot like arrows to the door; there was silence, and then a cry, “Oh, mamma, mamma! Oh, papa! Oh, mamma, come here. Oh, papa, oh!” They really did howl out something in that way. We made frightful noises to terrify them still more, and then we dropped off the ledge, because somebody was drawing the bars, and we felt we had better flee. I had Cathy by the hand, and was urging her on, when all at once she fell down. “Run, Heathcliff, run!” she whispered. “They have let the bull-dog loose, and he holds me!” The devil had seized her ankle, Nelly: I heard his abominable snorting. She did not yell out—no! she would have scorned to do it, if she had been spitted on the horns of a mad cow. I did, though: I vociferated curses enough to annihilate any fiend in Christendom; and I got a stone and thrust it between his jaws, and tried with all my might to cram it down his throat. A beast of a servant came up with a lantern, at last, shouting—”Keep fast, Skulker, keep fast!” He changed his note, however, when he saw Skulker’s game. The dog was throttled off; his huge, purple tongue hanging half a foot out of his mouth, and his pendent lips streaming with bloody slaver. The man took Cathy up; she was sick: not from fear, I’m certain, but from pain. He carried her in; I followed, grumbling execrations and vengeance. “What prey, Robert?” hallooed Linton from the entrance. “Skulker has caught a little girl, sir,” he replied; “and there’s a lad here,” he added, making a clutch at me, “who looks an out-and-outer! Very like the robbers were for putting them through the window to open the doors to the gang after all were asleep, that they might murder us at their ease. Hold your tongue, you foul-mouthed thief, you! you shall go to the gallows for this. Mr.Linton, sir, don’t lay by your gun.” “No, no, Robert,” said the old fool. “The rascals knew that yesterday was my rent-day: they thought to have me cleverly. Come in; I’ll furnish them a reception. There, John, fasten the chain. Give Skulker some water, Jenny. To beard a magistrate in his stronghold, and on the Sabbath, too! Where will their insolence stop? Oh, my dear Mary, look here! Don’t be afraid, it is but a boy—yet the villain scowls so plainly in his face; would it not be a kindness to the country to hang him at once, before he shows his nature in acts as well as features?” He pulled me under the chandelier, and Mrs. Linton placed her spectacles on her nose and raised her hands in horror. The cowardly children crept nearer also, Isabella lisping—”Frightful thing! Put him in the cellar, papa. He’s exactly like the son of the fortune-teller that stole my tame pheasant. Isn’t he, Edgar?”

‘While they examined me, Cathy came round; she heard the last speech, and laughed. Edgar Linton, after an inquisitive stare, collected sufficient wit to recognise her. They see us at church, you know, though we seldom meet them elsewhere. “That’s Miss Earnshaw?” he whispered to his mother, “and look how Skulker has bitten her—how her foot bleeds!”

‘”Miss Earnshaw? Nonsense!” cried the dame; “Miss Earnshaw scouring the country with a gipsy! And yet, my dear, the child is in mourning—surely it is—and she may be lamed for life!”

‘”What culpable carelessness in her brother!” exclaimed Mr. Linton, turning from me to Catherine. “I’ve understood from Shielders”‘ (that was the curate, sir) ‘”that he lets her grow up in absolute heathenism. But who is this? Where did she pick up this companion? Oho! I declare he is that strange acquisition my late neighbour made, in his journey to Liverpool—a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway.”

‘”A wicked boy, at all events,” remarked the old lady, “and quite unfit for a decent house! Did you notice his language, Linton? I’m shocked that my children should have heard it.”

‘I recommenced cursing—don’t be angry, Nelly—and so Robert was ordered to take me off. I refused to go without Cathy; he dragged me into the garden, pushed the lantern into my hand, assured me that Mr. Earnshaw should be informed of my behaviour, and, bidding me march directly, secured the door again. The curtains were still looped up at one corner, and I resumed my station as spy; because, if Catherine had wished to return, I intended shattering their great glass panes to a million of fragments, unless they let her out. She sat on the sofa quietly. Mrs. Linton took off the grey cloak of the dairy-maid which we had borrowed for our excursion, shaking her head and expostulating with her, I suppose: she was a young lady, and they made a distinction between her treatment and mine. Then the woman-servant brought a basin of warm water, and washed her feet; and Mr. Linton mixed a tumbler of negus, and Isabella emptied a plateful of cakes into her lap, and Edgar stood gaping at a distance. Afterwards, they dried and combed her beautiful hair, and gave her a pair of enormous slippers, and wheeled her to the fire; and I left her, as merry as she could be, dividing her food between the little dog and Skulker, whose nose she pinched as he ate; and kindling a spark of spirit in the vacant blue eyes of the Lintons—a dim reflection from her own enchanting face. I saw they were full of stupid admiration; she is so immeasurably superior to them—to everybody on earth, is she not, Nelly?’

‘There will more come of this business than you reckon on,’ I answered, covering him up and extinguishing the light. ‘You are incurable, Heathcliff; and Mr. Hindley will have to proceed to extremities, see if he won’t.’ My words came truer than I desired. The luckless adventure made Earnshaw furious. And then Mr. Linton, to mend matters, paid us a visit himself on the morrow, and read the young master such a lecture on the road he guided his family, that he was stirred to look about him, in earnest. Heathcliff received no flogging, but he was told that the first word he spoke to Miss Catherine should ensure a dismissal; and Mrs. Earnshaw undertook to keep her sister-in-law in due restraint when she returned home; employing art, not force: with force she would have found it impossible.

Excerpt from Wuthering Heights , by Emily Brontë, 1847

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