Edgar Linton has more right than Heathcliff to be called the hero in "Wuthering Heights". Discuss.
Edgar Linton has more right than Heathcliff to be called the hero of Wuthering Heights. The word hero conjures an image in one’s head of a valiant, courageous, strong individual; one who puts the needs of others before their own, a being who defies evil with their handsome charm and fearless nature. However, this stereotypical image does not accurately depict the full extent to which the term hero covers, as there are many different types of hero including the Byronic Hero, Classic Hero, Medieval Hero, and Romantic Hero. Classic Heroes are those in Greek and Roman literature; they are often of royal birth or even like the Titan Prometheus; half mortal, half god. Although Edgar Linton is not of royal descent, he is from a family of the highest social class throughout the country which allows him to fall loosely into this category of noble birth. Heathcliff on the other hand, is from a discernible background and is brought into the household at Wuthering Heights as a ‘gipsy brat’ after Mr. Earnshaw saw, ‘it starving, and houseless, and as good as dumb in the streets of Liverpool.’ Another characteristic of a Classic Hero is that they perform extraordinary feats. Throughout the novel Edgar Linton displays no obvious signs of having done anything extraordinary; he is a calm, weak natured individual who avoids conflict and allows himself to be easily overpowered both
Wuthering Heights accurately reflects the sharp class divisions of nineteenth century England. Discuss
Wuthering Heights accurately reflects the sharp class divisions in nineteenth-century English society. In the Victorian Era, the three main classes in society were the elite class, the middle class, and the working class; however, further divisions existed within these three class distinctions. In addition, social class was not solely dependent upon the amount of money a person had; money, manners, speech, clothing, education, and values also contributed to a person’s position in the social hierarchy. This is made evident in the novel as when Heathcliff returns to the Grange following his three year absence as a nouveau riche, having money is not enough for Edgar to consider him a part of acceptable society. This is because of Heathcliff’s non-noble birth which is reminiscent of Oliver from Dickens’ novel, ‘Oliver Twist’; a child who could have been of noble birth but because he lived on the streets he was automatically placed at the bottom of society. Unlike the Lintons, Heathcliff was born and abandoned as an orphan on the streets of Liverpool and ‘seeing it starving, and houseless, and as good as dumb’, Mr. Earnshaw brought him home to raise as a son amongst his two legitimate children. As an abandoned orphan, Heathcliff belonged to the lowest station in society. During this time, it was unheard of for a middle class family to raise someone of lower statute
Wuthering heights
Examine the reasons for destructive relationships in Wuthering heights Bronte's Wuthering heights displays several characteristics of destructive relationships, stemming from jealousy, uncaring parents, and not knowing the true personality of a husband or wife. These situations are all present in the novel, and all cause a breakdown in communication between characters, resulting in hostility and separation. The destructive relationships between parent and offspring are shown through the characters of Hindley and his father, as well as Linton and Heathcliff. When Heathcliff first begins living with Mr Earnshaw, it becomes difficult for the relationship between him and his son to remain unaffected. Hindley becomes hostile towards his father as a result of being overshadowed by Heathcliff, who is favoured by Mr Earnshaw. Nelly reveals to the reader in chapter 4 that she had noticed Mr Earnshaw becoming increasingly fond of Heathcliff, disregarding the feelings of his own son Hindley. This resulted in a separation between Hindley and his father. The destructive relationship between them presents themes such as isolation and depression, typical of a gothic novel. "..and at Mr Earnshaw's death, which happened less than two years after, the young master had learnt to regard his father as an oppressor rather than a friend...". Bronte skilfully chose to continue the theme of