The Importance Of Society And Class In Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontà « uses her novel Wuthering Heights to showcase how the constraints of one’s class, while only enforced by will, can take control over one’s autonomy and desires. Brontà « accomplishes this in her depiction of the characters Catherine Earnshaw Linton and Heathcliff. Catherine begins the novel as a tomboyish girl, with no intentions of becoming a â€Å"lady† as defined by the society of her time. She only begins to want to conform to feminine roles when she is introduced to the expectations of women by the Lintons, causing her to begin to abandon her own independence in favor of conforming to societal norms. In doing so, she not only limits her own life, but spurns Heathcliff into a rage and resolution that limits his life also.†¦show more content†¦Linton. Detailed when she returns from her stay with the Lintons, . . .instead of a wild, hatless little savage jumping into the house, and rushing to squeeze us all breathless, there lighted from a handsome black pony a very dignified person, with brown ringlets falling from the cover of a feathered beaver, and a long cloth habit, which she was obliged to hold up with both hands that she might sail in. (Brontà « 63) Before she is aware of how a woman is to act in society, she is able to operate with her freedom outside of these norms, yet as soon as she is pressured to adhere to a feminine role, her defined desires immediately changed. This change is clearly seen in her decision to abandon her love for Heathcliff in favor of stable wealth and class, â€Å"Ive no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldnt have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now.† (Brontà « 86). While Catherine loves Heathcliff and understands that they complete each other, after being introduced to societal views of femininity, she feels compelled to conform. Even though she once viewed Heathcliff as a companion, she now looks at him through another lens—society’s. Catherine’s new view of him is exacerbated by Hindley’s own control of the house, who degraded Heathcliff constantly, while abusing and exiling Catherine for her devotion to Heathcliff. But when she returns fromShow MoreRelated`` Wuthering Heights `` By Emily Bronte1288 Words   |  6 PagesWuthering Heights, a celebrated classic of English literature, offers important social commentary that readers in modern times can relate to. Throughout Emily Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s novel, the emphasis placed on the overbearing social pressures in society affected the characters’ sense of self and the course of their romantic relationships. In modern society, this underlying theme of social class differences in the novel parallels the prevalence of privilege in many aspects of our daily lives. Although today’sRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Character Names In Wuthering Heights1654 Words   |  7 Pagesstory to. It is her explanation to him that the readers learn about most of the events that occurred at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff, a mild-mannered owner of Wuthering Heights, has a relationship with Catherine that demonstrates how class distinctions dictated romantic life and life in general in the 18th and 19th century. Joseph, a grumpy servant at Wuthering Heights, is the only of the few objective character throughout the story, as he hates everyone nearly equal. HindleyRead MoreEmily Bronte and D.H Lawrences Exploration of Social Class1288 Words   |  6 PagesSocial class plays a very significant part in my core text, ‘Wuthering Heights’ and also my partner text , ‘Sons and Lovers’ because it helps the reader determine a sense of character and plays a massive part in the reader finding the true depth of a character. Social class in both novels is determined by location and the origin of the characters, as in ‘Wuthering Heights’ we see that Heathcliff is considered as abnormal and known as having a lower social class because of the uncertainty of his originRead MoreClass and Gender in Wuthering Heights Essays704 Words   |  3 Pagesof class and gender division is a common theme seen throughout Emily Bront#235;s novel Wuthering Heights. Social contrasts and gender boundaries create oppression and tension amongst the characters, affecting their composure and behaviour throughout the novel. The most obvious distinction between upper and lower classes is with the two settings; Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Both places differ significantly in both disposition and appearance. The society in Wuthering Heights isRead MoreFeminism And The Social, Economic, And Political Equality Of The Sexes1619 Words   |  7 PagesWuthering Heights: Feminism Feminism, or â€Å"The belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes.† (Elinor Burkett, Laura Brunell paragraph 1) was a very popular topic in Victorian fiction, and still is to this day with the first signs of feminist logic appearing in 3rd century BCE for the attempted appeal of women’s use of expensive goods, and continuing on to the present day third wave of feminism. Throughout history, women have been seen as objects and toys to men, in which willRead MoreWuthering Heights: Conflict Between Savage and Civilised1601 Words   |  7 Pagescivilization in Wuthering Heights As Charlotte Bronte mentioned on sister Emily’s Wuthering Heights: †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦She did not know what she had done;† creative artists â€Å"work passively under dictates [they] neither delivered nor could question.† I can say that Emily Bronte knew what she was doing when approaching the issues of the Wuthering Heights. The antagonic play between nature and culture in Bronte’s vision were of great impact at the time and I could say that this is a reason why Wuthering Heights is a literaryRead MoreTrapped in the Body of Society1483 Words   |  6 PagesBrontà « would grow up and write one of the literary world’s most acclaimed work of literature. Before she wrote Wuthering Heights in 1847, Emily Brontà « came from a very creative household as both of her sisters, Charlotte and Anne Brontà «, were also writers with whom Emily would enjoy spending time with writing prose and poetry. Because the Brontà « sisters lived a strongly patriarchal society where the ideal Victorian woman only dealt with domestic matters and left everything else to men, they wrote theirRead MoreEssay about Social Classes in Wuthering Heights1105 Words   |  5 PagesSocial Classes in Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights, a gothic novel written by Emily Bronte in the early nineteenth century, describes the conflict and the passionate bond between Catherine Earnshaw and her rough but romantic lover, Heathcliff. In the beginning of the book, Heathcliff, an orphan is made a part of the Earnshaw family. This adoption is not readily accepted by the older brother, Hindley, who sees the new child as a rival to his claim of dominance in the family. However, CatherineRead MoreFeminism And The Social, Economic, And Political Equality Of The Sexes1616 Words   |  7 Pagessubordinate to men.† (Elinor Burkett, Laura Brunell Influence of the Enlightenment) Around the time of the Enlightenment, which took place in the mid-seventeenth century and eighteenth century bringing forth dramatic changes in science, philosophy, society, and politics, female philosophers and intellectuals were ready to challenge men for their â€Å"lack of inclusivity and the limited scope of reformist rhetoric.† in which they so desperately needed in order to be able to spread feminist logic and ideasRead MoreStructure and Narrative Technique in Wurthering Heights and Return of the Native1154 Words   |  5 Pagesto please societies middle-class novel reading public. Although it was to be this novel which eventually underwent serious revision, `Wuthering Heights would have ultimately appeared as m ore baffling to Victorian readership. Here most of the action has passed before the novel begins, which causes a string of narrators to be used for various effect. We are rarely given differing viewpoints on the same event, and, combined with the almost anti-chronological nature of `Wuthering Heights, the story