Another character Emily Brontё manages to establish is the character of Joseph. In the novel Joseph is the opposing character to Lockwood as Joseph represents nature. The first thing that is noticed about the character of Joseph is his strong Yorkshire Dialect. An example of this is when he says, “whet are ye for?...T’ maister’s dahn i’t’fowld.” As Joseph represented nature Emily Brontё wanted to show this to the best she could. The book describes Joseph and “gruff and tacitum.” Emily Brontё wanted to project this image and a way of doing this was through the dialect. After Emily Brontё’s death her sister Charlotte Brontё republished Wuthering Heights, but she removed the Yorkshire dialect as she though it to difficult to understand for readers outside of Yorkshire. At a later date it was decided that the dialect should be re-instated. With the use of this Yorkshire dialect Emily Brontё desired to create a realistic feel to the novel. In the novel Joseph refers to religion alot. He is always quoting on how Cathy and Hareton should and should not behave according to the bible. This is rather stepping beyond his role as a servant in the household. This chastising angers Cathy as Joseph says “aw woonder hagh yah can faishion tuh stand thear I idleness un war... yah’ll niver mend uh yer ill ways; bud goa raight tuh t’divil, like yer mother afore ye!” With that one bit from Joseph Emily Brontё floods the readers mind with questions about Cathy and her mother before. This now starts to secure the readers attention as they want tot read on to find out why this girl is so bad and so full of hate, and who her mother is and what she did that was so bad that Joseph can condemn them both to hell. From this the character of Cathy starts to be established.
Before the incident with Joseph there wasn’t much of Cathy character being developed, although there was little parts that created a suspicion for the reader about her and they would want to know more. Cathy character was first introduced when Lockwood gained entrance to the house. He described her as “an admirable form... most exquisite little face.” He showed an instant liking for Cathy this also makes the read picture a lovely girl in their mind. Lockwood then goes on to say,” ...eyes – has they been agreeable in expression they would have been irresistible.” This makes the read wonder why such a beautiful young girl has eyes of hate. Lockwood trying to make small talk with Cathy annoyed her and lock wood commented on how she replyed “more repellingly that Heathcliff himself.” This shows the hate this Cathy is carrying and makes the read wish to know why she is so hate-ridden. All the hate within this household will start the reader to question why this family is so full of anger and why they all seem so hateful towards other people and each other. This hateful character of Cathy, which Emily Brontё is creating, is show when Joseph provokes her. With this confrontation Cathy scared Joseph tremendously as she threatens him with witchcraft. Cathy says, “ I’ll show you how far I have progressed in the Black Art ... the red cow didn’t die by chance and your rheumatism can hardly be reckoned among providential visitations.” Cathy is scaring Joseph with superstition. When this novel was written there was alot of belief in superstition as people were not as educated as we are today. Superstition had a strong hold of people’s lives and strange occurrences and illnesses were often blamed on spirits and witches, in fact anything that they couldn’t see an answer to was generally blamed on the supernatural. The uneducated were partially gripped by this superstition and this is shown with Joseph’s reaction. He is physically scared of Cathy as he is described as “trembling with sincere horror.” Cathy is portrayed as a very cruel and heartless girl as she torments Joseph. This blackness would have gripped the reader and it would have been something they would have enjoyed. Emily Brontё has started to secure the readers attention within this chapter.
Emily Brontё also starts to establish the setting at the start of chapter 2 and throughout. She starts to create the setting as Lockwood is leaving the grange to walk to Wuthering Heights. He describes the ground as being “ hard with black frost,” he also says “the air made me shiver through every limb.” Right from the start of the chapter Emily Brontё is using very negative words to create this dreary, cold negative outlook, which starts to prepare the reader for what is to follow. Lockwood then arrives at Wuthering Heights to be greeted with a chained gate and locked doors. This gives a negative impression of Wuthering Heights and its occupants. Within a short period of time while Lockwood is knocking for entrance to Wuthering Heights we see deterioration in the weather as Lockwood says, “ the snow began to drive quickly.” This deterioration in the weather along with the other factors creates a very negative setting of Wuthering Heights from the outset as the read has hardly encountered the place before. This negative setting fit in perfects to lead Lockwood into the atmosphere he is going to encounter within the household itself.
The Atmosphere is very antagonistic, tense and cold within the house. There is hatred lingering between all members of the household, which is strongly picked up upon. There is a very cruel atmosphere lingering as we see Cathy being cruel to Joseph threatening to make him into a “wax model.” The reader is intrigued as to what creates this hate-ridden atmosphere in a family household. I think that Emily Brontё chooses to create this atmosphere between the family’s partly to create suspicion as to what caused thing to get this bad between a family and partly to prepare the reader for the cruelties that follow throughout the novel. This Atmosphere is also is maintained as it links with the whole genre of the novel.
Wuthering Heights is a Romance based on the Gothic Romances of the time. Gothic Romance was a type of writing partially popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was characterised by the supernatural and horror themes. These stories had very black backdrops and therefore the setting needed to be established at the start of the novel preparing the read for the horror that the novel was to entail. At the time Emily Brontё’s novel was criticised, as ladies of the time were shocked that a woman could write in such a horrific black and frightening way. They expected and wanted a lady especially to write light-hearted love stories not dark frightening romances. Within these chapters of her novel Emily Brontё is starting to get the black backdrop that is characteristic of the novel. Chapter three especially shows this black supernatural setting and atmosphere as Lockwood entails his overnight stay at Wuthering Heights.
As there is no guide for Lockwood he must stay over at Wuthering Heights. Zillar takes pity on Lockwood and shows him to a room. There is suspicion created around this room as previously Heathcliff had clearly stated, “I don’t keep accommodation for visitors” This creates suspicion as why would Heathcliff not want him to stay in this room. As Lockwood is shown to the room Zillar suggests Lockwood should “hide the candle, and not make a noise.” This starts to build up a tense atmosphere about this room and makes the read want to know what is so strange about this certain room. As Lockwood is making himself comfortable for the night ahead he notices some writing etched into the window ledge. It read “Catherine Earnshaw... varied to Catherine Heathcliff and then again to Catherine Linton.” This makes the read wonder why the surname has been altered so many times. And want to know who the Catherine is and whether it is the Cathy Lockwood previously met downstairs? Lockwood then starts to drift into a sleep but had “not rested five minutes when a glare of white letter started from the... air with Catherine’s.” This shows how Lockwood has not even rested for a short period of time and his mind is already fixed on the writing of the names Catherine. Lockwood then falls asleep again and passes rather a bad dream he is then awoke again by the tapping “of a fir-tree that touched his lattice.” As he is then lay in bed there is another deterioration of the weather as Lockwood says, “I heard distinctly the gusty wind and the driving of the snow.” This deterioration in the weather yet again reminds the reader of the negative setting and starts to prepare for the even to follow. Lockwood became restless by the offending branch tapping on his window as he then says, “ I must stop it, nevertheless...knocking my knuckles through the glass and stretching an arm out to seize the importunate branch. Instead of which, my fingers closed on the fingers of a little ice-cold hand.” The shock of what just happened in that small space of time, the reader would have expected Lockwood to reach the branch but there is a twist in the story creating a great impact. The Victorian reader would have loved this thought of the supernatural as Lockwood reached the hand. As the girl then asked to be let in Lockwood questioned as to whom she was? Her Reply being, “Catherine Linton, I’m come home, id lost my way on the Moore.” The reader now starts to question whether Lockwood is dreaming as when he first fell asleep he was dreaming about “Catherine” Lockwood then tried to pull his hand away and back into the room. The child has a firm grasp on his hand and would not let go. In a panic Lockwood “ pulled its wrist onto the broken pane and rubbed it to and fro till the blood ran down and soaked the bed-clothed.” Lockwood obviously didn’t see this figure as a girl; he used the word ‘its’ hand to describe her or it. He goes on to call the figure it again as he says, “still it wailed.” Lockwood referring to the figure as an ‘it’ adds to the terror surrounds its presents. The Victorian reader would be rather thrilled at this supernatural happening within the story and gripped to see what would then happen further in the novel as this was only the third chapter. The theme of cruelty is also being established further here. Earlier in the novel we had seen cruelty between Cathy and Joseph, Cathy and Hareton, and the whole household being rather cruel to Lockwood. Lockwood rubbing the figure’s wrists till they bled also shows great cruelty. This is a theme, which dominates the novel right the way through. Lockwoods unease is then picked up by Heathcliff as Lockwood being full of fright shouts out. Heathcliff then came towards the room.
As Heathcliff Entered the room and Lockwood confessed his presence, Heathcliff seemed agitated and full of terror as the oak creaked to reveal Lockwood. It “startled him like an electric shock.” This is strange behaviour as we are used to seeing Heathcliff on the few occasions we have as being a tough, ruthless fearful brute. The full terror Heathcliff was suffering was highlighted as Heathcliff “ set the candle on a chair, because he found it impossible to hold steady.” The reader now would be intrigued as to what about this room could scare a fearful man such as Heathcliff and create this trembling wreck. They would also start to question whether in fact Lockwood’s dream was actually reality. Heathcliff’s reaction adds to the horror and terror of this chapter. Heathcliff also seemed to be angered as he is described as “savage and vehemence,” and he “struck his forehead with rage.” This was strange behaviour, as you would have expected him to show a degree of concern for his fearful guest. This shows the cruel, hard, cold character of Heathcliff this is before perceived and continued to be perceived within the novel. Lockwood commented on how “powerfully effected” that Heathcliff seemed to have been by this event. Heathcliff then sent Lockwood from the room and “wrenched open the lattice, bursting, as he pulled at it, into an uncontrollable passion of tears.” This show of emotion shows a side to Heathcliff hardly seen and shows the torment of his love for the diseased Cathy. The whole of the novel backs up on this torment that Heathcliff faces while Cathy is alive and then at the end of the novel the torment he endures while she is dead. Lockwood seeing this ghost ties in with the end of the novel as Heathcliff confesses about being tormented by Cathy’s spirit.
In my opinion Emily Brontё has created a very satisfactory opening to the Novel with Lockwoods over night stay. She has fulfilled the criteria at set out at the beginning of establishing some of the characters, establishing the genre, introducing the setting, establishing the theme and securing the readers attention. She managed to establish the characters of Lockwood, Joseph, and Cathy although the way Cathy is portrayed is not how she is portrayed till the end of the novel again, and Heathcliff. She manages to start establish the genre as a gothic romance she certainly manages to get the black backdrop and dark setting to continue this. She manages to establish an atmosphere within the household and hatred between characters. She manages to secure the readers attention by the style she writes the novel in. Lockwood is telling the story in chapters two and three and like the reader Lockwood is only learning things about this families life as he goes along. The reader therefore learns along side Lockwood and have to starts questioning things on there own, as Lockwoods judgements are not always accurate. This means the reader is gripped to the story and wish to read on to answer the questions they have set themselves. As Emily Brontё seems to have covered all the criteria in some detail I think this is defiantly a satisfactory opening to Wuthering Heights.
