Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - English Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte was born in Thornton, Yorkshire in 1818. She was the fifth of six children. Her father, Patrick Bronte, was an imaginative and intelligent man of Irish descent who was ordained into the Church of England in 1806. Both her father and her mother, Maria Branwell Bronte, were interested in writing, and they passed their beliefs onto their children. At the age of two, she moved to the parsonage at Haworth. She lived there until she died at the age of thirty. Haworth was surrounded by the moors that Bronte describes in Wuthering Heights. Throughout her life, Emily spent much of her time in the moors because she had a strong love for nature. Emily’s mother died of cancer when Emily was about three years old. Her aunt, Elizabeth Branwell, came to raise the remaining six children. Emily and her siblings wrote many poem, plays, and short stories in their youth. Some of the characters and plots in these earlier works were used again in their later works. Wuthering Heights was published in 1848 and was not successful at the time. This was mainly because the novel was so different from the usual romantic novels of the time. Wuthering Heights was much too reaslistic for the public’s taste. The story of Wuthering Heights is set in two different houses and the moors that separate them. A few of the characters are mentioned to have made trips to town occasionally, but otherwise, the entire story takes place in Thrushcross Grange, Wuthering Heights, and the moors. This element of seclusion adds to the effect that the two families form their own little world that appears to be separate from the rest of society. All marriages, with the exception of Hindley and Frances, are arranged within the Earnshaws and Lintons. Wuthering Heights is an old, rustic looking house. Thrushcross Grange is well kept and well furnished house. Both reflect the personalities of its occupants. The wild moors attract the wild spirits of both Catherine and Heathcliff. A strong theme in Wuthering Heights is love versus hate. There is love between the various members of the two families in various different forms. In the same respect, there is hatred between many of the characters. These two contrasting emotions can best be seen in Heathcliff. He loves Catherine with all his heart, but his hatred for every other member of the Earnshaw and Linton family is equally strong. Although love prevails over hate when Heathcliff dies and Catherine and Hareton marry. Revenge is another theme that plays an important role in Wuthering Heights. The entire second half of the novel deals with Heathcliff’s revenge. He feels that he must avenge Catherine’s death and his own mistreatment when he was a child. Although, he does not truly enjoy peace until he gives up on his plans for revenge. He then dies and is finally reunited with his love. Another theme is the contrasting social classes. The occupants of Thrushcross Grange are much more educated and classy than the hard workers of the Heights. Catherine marries Edgar instead of Heathcliff because Edgar is much more civilized and educated than Heathcliff. Hareton’s love for Cathy motivates him to learn to read. The structure of Wuthering Heights is unusual. Bronte’s use of narration provides a unique way to view the events that occur. Bronte uses devices such as parallel structure, allusions, and symbolism. Symbolism plays a big part in Wuthering Heights. The two different houses symbolize the contrasting lifestyles of their respective occupants. Thrushcross Grange is neat and rich and so are the Lintons. Wuthering Heights is rough and poorly kept just like the Earnshaws. Heathcliff’s presence at the Heights increases its dilapidated appearance, and when he dies, the Heights becomes a more homely and peaceful dwelling. Cathy and Hareton symbolize new love and a new beginning. Their marriage reveals that love has finally conquered hate. The Earnshaws, of Wuthering Heights, and the Lintons, of Thrushcross Grange, are two families living on the Yorkshire moors in the late 18th century. The Earnshaws have a son and daughter, Hindley and Catherine, and the Lintons have a son and daughter, Edgar and Isabella. Mr. Earnshaw brings home a waif from Liverpool, names him Heathcliff, and prefers him over his own children. Catherine loves Heathcliff while Hindley despises him. After Mr. Earnshaw’s death, Hindley takes over the Heights and treats Heathcliff poorly. Catherine and Heathcliff become closer until Catherine spends five weeks at Thrushcross Grange under the influence of the fashionable Lintons. When she returns to the Heights, she comments on Heathcliff’s rough appearance, and Heathcliff is greatly offended. Edgar Linton begins to make calls to the Heights in order to see Catherine, and despite Catherine’s love for Heathcliff, she marries Edgar. Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights, and when he returns, he appears to have been transformed into a thinner, calmer, and more subdued gentleman. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love for each other intensifies until Catherine gives birth to Cathy and dies. Heathcliff is then determined to get his revenge on both the Lintons and the Earnshaws. He turns Hindley into a drunk and wins all of his money through gambling. As part of his plan to get the Linton estate, he marries Isabella. At this time, the third generation has emerged. Cathy, the daughter of Catherine and Edgar, lives at the Grange with her ailing father. Hareton, the son of Hindley and Frances, lives at the Heights with the tyrannical Heathcliff. Linton, the son of Heathcliff and Isabella, also lives at the Heights. Heathcliff prefers Hareton over his own son because Hareton reminds him of himself as he was a child. Although, Heathcliff encourages visits between Cathy and Linton in hopes that they will be married so he will be closer to owning both the Heights and the Grange. Cathy is forced to marry Linton, and soon after the wedding, Linton dies. In his later years, Heathcliff’s thoughts of revenge diminish as he is haunted more by the image of Catherine. Cathy also begins to fall in love with Hareton. After Heathcliff’s death, peace is restored to both houses, and Cathy and Hareton plan on getting married. Wuthering Heights was not horrible. I believe I could have found better use of my time instead of reading this book, but I thought is was a somewhat interesting story. I found the plot a little hard for me to relate to because it is set during a different time period. I also found Heathcliff’s character to be a little unbelieveable. He had such a strong love for Catherine yet he hated with an equal passion everyone else. His feelings of revenge went so far that he hurt people that hard nothing to do with his earlier mistreating. Such contrasting emotions does not seem possible. It is hard to determine whether the story is about love or revenge and hate. Heathcliff is the waif boy that Mr. Earnshaw brings home from Liverpool to the Heights. He is shown love by only two people: Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine. Soon Earnshaw dies and Catherine marries Edgar. Heathcliff, feeling betrayed, leaves the Heights only to return a rich man. He plans on getting revenge on every member of both households. “Rough as a saw-edge, and hard as whinstone! The less you meddle with him the better,” proclaims Nelly Dean of Heathcliff’s demeanor. Heathcliff is a bad character yet the reader must feel sorry for him at points because of what he has been through. Bibliography: Word Count: 1256
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