Wuthering Heights7

A detailed Summary of Wuthering Heights7

The story of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights revolves around the passion that Catherine and Heathcliff felt for each other. These passions run extremely deep and intense. These passions are normal, everyday ones - love, hate, affection, contempt and revenge. These depicted wild, untamable force are so violent, cruel, subjugating that more aften than not defies all order and break all barriers.

F.H. Langman states "that the most important thing in Wuthering Heights, its central experience, is the love between Catherine and Heathcliff. What to make of it is another matter. The intensity of this particular passion which Catherine and Heathcliff display for each other goes beyond all physical and family barriers:

She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invert for her was to keep her separate from him, yet she got chided more than any of us on his account. (Ch.V Pg. 40)

But in the eyes of the Lintons, Heathcliff has no right to Catherine or to the privilages of her class. He is a "gypsy", a "castaway", a "wicked boy, at all events...... quite unfit for a decent house, while Catherine is " Miss Earnshaw" and worthy of Linton respect and Linton attention.

The intensity of feeling between Catherine a

nd Heathclif defies family barriers imposed by Catherine's brother ,Hindley after their father's death. Heathcliff was ill-treated by Hindley after the death of the old Earnshaw:

Catherine decides to marry Linton but reluctant to forsake Heathcliff:

The revenge exerted by Heathcliff is more of emosional and mental than physical abuse. Physical abuse is seen only in the case with young Linton Heathcliff who died as a result of his father's nonchalace and when Heathcliff loses his temper which is hardly ever an act of revenge on Heathcliff's part. However, in Hindley's case, Heathcliffgets his revenge by getting him (Hindley) into his (Heathcliff's) cluches, wins his (Hindley's) inheritance through deceit (gambling) and plays on Hindley's weakness by driving him to drink and ultimately death.

It would degradme to marry Heathcliff.

Every Linton on the face of the earth might melt into nothing, before I could consent to forsake Heathcliff. Oh, that's not what I intend-that's not what I mean! He'll be as much to me as he has been all his lifetime. Edger must shake off his antipathy, and tolerate him, at least....(Pg. 81)

The spiritual revenge is seen in the forced marriage of Linton ans Cathy. The adult love which he imposes on them is representative of what was not between him and Catherine. Heathcliff does it in full knowledge that the love he is imposing upon them is unbereablefor both of them-Linton and Cathy, Heathcliff and Catherine. Young Linton and Cathy are made to suffer as a result of their unrealised adult love. Obviously, these acts of revenge are inhuman in nature.

If I married Linton, I can aid Heathcliff to rise, and place him out of my brother's power. (Pg. 81)

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1520
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English