Social Classes in Wuthering Heights.
Social 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, Catherine, the sister is quickly attracted to young Heathcliff, so different from anyone she had ever known. As the two grow older, Heathcliff finds himself falling in love with Catherine. Mr. Earnshaw soon dies, leaving Hindley in charge of the Wuthering Heights manor. Hindley treats Heathcliff abusively as revenge for taking his spot in the family. Heathcliff accidentally overhears a conversation between Catherine and Nelly (the maid) where Catherine says that it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff. After hearing this, Heathcliff strives to make himself more acceptable to Catherine by moving up in the social system. Emily Bronte herself grew up in rural English society where the classes were rigidly segregated. By making the plot of her novel the impossible (for those times) love between an orphan and the daughter of a well to do landowner, she is clearly suggesting that social classes were not meant to be set in stone - that people could move about them and in doing so they could create a stronger, more genuine and honest society. She seems to want to show that love is possible between the social classes, a love that is enduring and real.
Bronte takes her argument so far as to appear to show Heathcliff's challenge to the laws that keep the classes apart, those dealing with acquiring his property (Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange). Heathcliff is so desperate for acceptance that he is willing to cheat people to gain the property he craves. By doing so he hopes to show Catherine that he is worthy of her, a landowner in his own right. After Catherine accepts Edgar's proposal, she seeks out Nelly and tells here that "[I]t would degrade [her] to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how ...
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Bronte takes her argument so far as to appear to show Heathcliff's challenge to the laws that keep the classes apart, those dealing with acquiring his property (Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange). Heathcliff is so desperate for acceptance that he is willing to cheat people to gain the property he craves. By doing so he hopes to show Catherine that he is worthy of her, a landowner in his own right. After Catherine accepts Edgar's proposal, she seeks out Nelly and tells here that "[I]t would degrade [her] to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how [she] love[s] him; and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more [herself] than [she] [is]. Whatever [their] souls are made of, his and [hers] are the same, and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire." (Page 74, lines 29 - 33). Heathcliff overhears this conversation between Nelly and Catherine and leaves Wuthering Heights after hearing Catherine say that it would degrade her to marry him. Heathcliff tries to make himself more presentable to Catherine by moving up the social system. However, he does this by cheating and taking advantage of people. Heathcliff takes advantage of Hindley's state of alcoholism and takes over Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff also takes advantage of Edgar Linton's will my making young Catherine (the daughter of Catherine Earnshaw and Edgar Linton) marry Linton (the son of Heathcliff and Isabella Linton) so he could acquire Thrushcross Grange (where Edgar Linton lives).
Bronte seems to have mixed opinions of the lower class by characterizing Heathcliff positively and negatively. Lockwood, the narrator of the novel, describes Heathcliff as "...a dark-skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman, that is, as much a gentleman as many a country squire: rather slovenly, perhaps, yet not looking amiss with his negligence, because he has an erect and handsome figure-and rather morose." (page 3, lines 24 - 28). Lockwood ponders what Heathcliff is, whether he is a gentleman or a gipsy, whether he is of importance. Heathcliff, crazed with grief, visits Catherine's grave 18 years after she has passed on. Heathcliff tells Nelly that " ... [he] got the sexton, who was digging Linton's grave, to remove the earth off her coffin lid, and [he] opened it. [He] thought, once, [he] would have stayed there, when [he] saw her face again-it is hers yet-he had hard work to stir [him]; but he said it would change, if the air blew on it, and so [he] struck one side of the coffin loose, and covered it up-not Linton's side, damn him! [He] wish he'd been soldered in lead-and [he] bribed the sexton to pull it away, when [he] laid there, and slide [his] out too. [He]'ll have it made so, and then, by the time Linton gets to [them], he'll not know which is which!" "You were very wicked, Mr. Heathcliff!" [she] exclaimed; "were you not ashamed to disturb the dead?" (page 268 lines 14 - 25).
Heathcliff tries to be with Catherine even after her death. The attraction for each other was so strong that even her marrying another man and dying in childbirth does not end the story of their love. Emily Bronte describes this passion as enduring beyond the grave, very real and unconventional. It is hard even for the characters to explain their attraction, so strong that it is also dangerous. Heathcliff's love borders on being insane. Heathcliff's desire to join again with Catherine might explain most of Heathcliff's actions, from his acquisition of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, to his taking power over everyone associated with Catherine. He tries to connect with her by destroying the memory of her.
Emily Bronte uses the character of Heathcliff to show how harmful it is to hold back the classes, to forbid them to share contact or affection, judging people only by the holding of property or wealth. She wants the characters of Catherine and Heathcliff to come together without these constraints on their love. She shows that England's rigid and highly structured class system is not the right answer to society.
In the end, Heathcliff's story ends tragically. He gains the wealth needed to achieve social standing, but in so doing he destroys himself and his family, including Catherine's daughter whose own happiness he disregards. Instead of the love that he wanted so much, he finds that others now fear him and his anger.
Bronte again is telling the readers a moral lesson, to follow the heart and one's deepest desires, ignoring what society tells you is the only 'right' way to lead your life. Only in death can Heathcliff and Catherine be free again as when they were children, to love one another no matter what others think of them. She suggests that in death they have at last freed themselves from society's restrictions, and can finally be together again, walking along the moors, as they did when they were children, and ignorant of the unspoken 'rules' which would keep them apart in life.
Katie Nagy
Wuthering Heights paper
May 27 2003
