AnalysisofHeathcliff’sViewsOnLoveInWutheringHeights.doc

Analysis of Heathcliffs Views On Love In Wuthering HeightsI. IntroductionA. Overview of Emily Brontes LifeEmily Bronte, the fifth child of Patrick Bronte, was born in 1818. His father was a Cambridge educated clergyman born in Ireland. When Emily was two years old, her father was appointed to a church in Haworth, a remote village in Yorkshire, and they spent most of their rest life there. When Emily was three years old, her mother died of cancer. After that, the children were left much to themselves and spent most of their time in reading and composition. They lived in a parsonage in Haworth with the bleak moors of Yorkshire on one side and the parish graveyard on the other. Life at home was much better for Emily and her siblings. In 1824 Mr. Bronte sent his four eldest daughters一Elizabeth, Maria, Charlotte, and Emily一to boarding school. While at school, they were frequently cold and undernourished, and Maria and Elizabeth contracted tuberculosis. Soon after being sent home to recuperate, they died. Alarmed, Mr.Bronte brought Charlotte and Emily home to be educated. Haworth was a relatively isolated community, and so the Bronte children turned to one another for amusement and companionship. In 1826 Mr. Bronte brought home some wooden soldiers, and these were to be the foundation of the creation of a complicated fantasy world, which the Brontes actively worked on. They began to write about an imaginary world they had created. To escape their unhappy childhood, Anne, Emily, Charlotte and their brother Branwell, in their isolated childhood on the moors, developed an extremely close relationship partly based on their mutual participation in a game of make-believe. Emily and Anne created their own Gondal saga which set in the Pacific Ocean. The first of their diary notes, written in November 1834, gives the first mention of Gondal. They continued writing prose and poems about Gondal until the end of their lives. Branwell and Charlotte recorded their stories about the kingdom of Anglia (Latin word for England) in small notebooks. The children began writing stories about them. They made tiny books containing stories, plays, histories, and poetry written by their imagined heroes and heroines.None of the prose has survived, and the poetry, the earliest of which dates to 1836, is difficult to interpret. Various efforts have been made to fit the poems into a coherent saga, but these efforts are probably misguided. Some poems appear not to be about Gondal at all, but rather to reflect Emilys own feelings. This becomes clear Heights, in which her familiar Yorkshire surroundings become whose passion and beauty attract us today. in her novel Wuthering the setting for a tragedy.Emily made assistant teacher, several attempts to leave home. For example, she went to Law Hill as an Law Hill was a school run by Miss Patchett her lessons having been near Halifax. Emilys lack of formal eduoation (aotually all taken at home), temperament, and her homesickness would seem to have made Emily far from shy ideal teacher, but Miss Patchett didnt discuss her eccentric but distinguished assistant with subsequent biographers. The date and duration of Emilys stay at Law Hill are still in doubt. Law Hill is regarded as important for Wuthering Heights because a house nearby, High Sunderland Hall, is assumed to be the model for the house known as Wuthering Heights, and it has even been suggested that the story of Heathcliff was to be found in recollections of a local Halifax character, Jack Sharp. Returning to Haworth in 1839 at the age of twenty, Emily continued to write poetry. Her sisters made brief and unsuccessful efforts to become governesses, but Emily remained at home, either because she was the most domesticated of the sisters or because she was the least suited to become a teacher. Her birthday in 1841 is, however, full of enthusiasm for a project that the Brontes should run their own school at Haworth. In order to achieve this, the sisters would need knowledge of foreign languages, and so in February 1842, Emily and Charlotte set out to Brussels. The position of the Bronte sisters in Brussels was halfway between those of pupilsand teachers. As a teacher, it is not surprising that her forbidding reserve did not attract her pupils to her. On the other hand, M. Heger, her French teacher, spoke highly of her intellectual gifts as a student, and her surviving exercises show high imaginative power as well as a good command of French. In November 1842, the Brontes were forced to return home by the death of their aunt. They had previously been shocked by the death of their fathers curate, William Weightman, in September, and by the death of their friend Martha Taylor in Brussels. After that,Charlotte returned to Belgium, where she endured much loneliness and pains, but Emily remained at home. Their aunt had left the three girls some money, and there are reports of Emily considering the best way of investing it. For most of 1843 Emily was alone with her father. In February 1844 Emily copied her poetry down into two notebooks, one of which she entitled Gondal Poems. The other notebook would seem to have contained poetry of a subjective nature.The chronology of the poems and the novel is confusing. Emily continued to write poetry in 1844 and 1845 in both Gondal and non-Gondal notebooks. The plan to start a school had collapsed in 1844 for lack of interest. And both Charlotte and Ann were in very low spirits. It was in these unpromising circumstances that Emily wrote some of hergreatest poetry and also Wuthering Heights.In the autumn of 1845, Charlotte discovered a notebook of Emilys containing poetry which she thought was very impressive, and they published the poetry in May 1846, together with a selection of Charlottes and Annes. But they sold only two copies. After this Emily wrote only one more poem and began to revise in May 1848. Her abandoning of poetry has been variously explained. It has been argued that the fact of publication killed the poetry in her; others suggested that she was busy with Wuthering Heights.Meanwhile the Brontes health was not very well. Branwell had been ill badly since 1845, and he died on September 24th 1848. Emily was reported as having a cough and a cold during the funeral. She struggled through her normal household tasks until almost the day of her death, refusing all medical help and died of tuberculosis on December 19, 1848.B. Emily Brontes fictional world The story mainly centers around two harmonious families, namely, the prosperous and bluff Earnshaw family, the richer and more civilized Linton family, and an intruder named Heathcliff. Mr.Earnshaw, his wife, their son Hindley and daughter Catherine are living in the handsome farmhouse Wuthering Heights up in the folds of moors, while Mr. Linton, his wife, their son Edgar and daughter Isabella live down below in the valley at Thrushcross Grange. One day, Mr. Earnshaw comes back home with a rugged foundling from a business trip to Liverpool, whom he named Heathcliff. The daughter comes to make friends with Heathcliff, while the son takes him as an enemy, a usurper of his parents affections and his privileges (Bronte, 1994: 36). Hindley makes every effort to torment and humiliate Heathcliff after his parents deaths. In addition, Catherine, who has developed a passionate love for Heathcliff and vice versa after so many years together, realizes the degradation and poverty she will face if married to him. She decides to marry the richer and more decent Edgar to help Heathcliff out of her brothers insult and torment. Hurt and frustrated, Heathcliff runs away and returns three years later with good manners and fortune, only to find that his beloved Catherine has married Edgar. He begins to avenge his maltreatment and inequality. He cheats Hindley out of his property and traps Edgars sister Isabella into becoming crazy about him. Catherine dies when giving birth to Edgars child, little Catherine, and Heathcliff vents his anger and grief on his rivals. He deprives Hindleys son Hareton of the rightful inheritance and turns him to be a harsh and barbarous man, who takes pride in his vulgarity and rudeness. At the same time, he torments Isabella to death and forces their dying son Linton to marry little Catherine. After the successive deaths of little Linton and Edgar, Heathcliff succeeds in possessing all the properties of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Just as he is about to destroy the widowed little Catherine and the savage-like Hareton, he suddenly changes his mind, as he recognizes some resemblance between the two youngsters and Catherine and himself in the old happy days. For 18 years after Catherines death, he has been tortured and haunted by the memory of her. On seeing the ghost of his beloved one day, he finally forgets his revenge and comes to starve himself to death. At the same time, little Catherine extends the olive branch to Hareton and manages to change him into an educated man. The two fall in love with each other and end in happiness at Thrushcross Grange forever, leaving the ghosts of Heathcliff and Catherine wandering over the moors.I. Heathcliffs views on loveA. Heathcliffs Demonization1. Roots of Heathcliffs Demonization According to Freud, human mind is like an iceberg, of which the visible part above water can be defined as the conscious while the larger part, the invisible one under water is called the unconscious. The conscious stands for the rationality and reason and functions as the guard against the irrational instincts of the unconscious. In psychology,A psychical act mainly goes through two phases as regards its state, between which is interposed a kind of testing (censorship). In the first phase the psychical act is unconscious and belongs to the system unconsciousness; if, on testing, it is rejected by the censorship, it is not allowed to pass into the second phase; it is then said to be repressed and must remain unconscious. (Freud, 1998a: 7-8)When the instinctive drive of the unconscious is repressed, human beings will easily go mad or become abnormal, and most psychological problems are caused by the inhibitions of natural impulses. It is known to all that Heathcliff suffers a lot of repressions from various aspects, like society, culture, family and himself. These repressions are the roots of his demonization. Heathcliffs first encounter with frustration comes from his bitter childhood experience as a deserted gipsy. The first day he is brought to Wuthering Heights, he has been classified as belonging to the social stratum different from that of the Earnshaw family. He has been labeled with some social marks. Mr. Earnshaw calls him it when introducing Heathcliff to his wife. You must een take it as a gift of God, though its as dark almost as if it came from the devil(Bronte, 1994: 34); Mrs. Earnshaw calls him a gipsy brat and is already to fling it out of doors(Bronte, 1994: 35); and Hindley calls him a dog beggarly interloper and an imp of Satan(Bronte, 1994: 37-38); while Catherine grins and spits at the stupid little thing(Bronte, 1994: 37). Both children protest against having it in bed with them, and Heathcliff has to sleep on the landing of the stairs. That is his first day at Wuthering Heights. Except Mr. Earnshaw, all the others in the Heights seem to take him as no more than a pauper, an intruder of the family. An introduction of Heathcliff to another family, the Lintons in Thrushcross Grange, is worth mentioning. When Heathcliff and Catherine intrude the park by accident, Heathcliff is described as frightful thing by Isabella, a gipsy a wicked boy by Mrs. Linton, and a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway by Mr. Linton (Bronte, 1994: 48). In summary, ever since his childhood, Heathcliff has already noticed that he is quite different from the children of both the Earnshaws and the Lintons in that all of them are bathing in the great love and care from their parents while he himself is only an outcast of his family as well as an intruder of both families. The society has determined that he doesnt belong to anywhere except the streets of Liverpool. Even if adopted by a decent family, he is still despised and laughed at. As Alfred Adler mentions in his book Overcoming Inferiority Complex, the feeling of inferiority comes in many cases straight from physical disabilities or defects by birth; besides, there are some external causes that may serve to provoke this feeling, such as repression and alienation caused by social disadvantages(阿德勒，1997: 10). In the article Managing Inferiority, two types of symptoms of inferiority are introduced: the use of withdrawal tactics and aggressiveness, which manifest themselves in various ways. In the former, self-consciousness and sensitiveness to the inferior status, lead to withdrawal from social contacts, while in the latter, the desire to seek attention and approval from others may lead to aggression. When feelings of inferiority develop into an abnormal state, they can lead to madness, aggressiveness and even hatred. Alfred Adler holds in his book Understanding Human Nature that hatred originates from the feeling of being neglected or discriminated(阿德勒1990: 163), and that a quick temper, violent anger and the unscrupulous pursuit of power are all based on the feeling of inferiority(阿德勒1990: 203). This idea may serve as a perfect elaboration of Heathcliffs case in the story. As a boy with no origin or identity, despised and excluded by most people in the adopted family, he feels frustrated and inferior in the society, hence the forming of the personality of aggression and hatred during childhood.2. Manifestation of HeathclifFs Demonization No one is a villain by birth, Heathcliff is not an exception. As to Heathcliff, not a day passes but Heathcliff feels repressed from his childhood to his death, so.he wants to take revenge on whoever has hurt him and on whatever has prevented him from making his dream come true. After his passion for revenge is fulfilled, his personality is changed and he is sorry for his sins against both the living一and the dead. His revenge makes him a demon, with components villain: However, his rebellion against the society to realize his dream of happiness and freedom makes him a hero. The reader may easily sympathize with him when he is powerless, as a child tyrannized by Hindley Earnshaw, but he becomes a villain when he acquires power and returns to Wuthering玲fights with money and the trappings of a gentleman. Nelly Dean describes him as athletic when he returns. No hints are given about where Heathcliff was and how he made his fortune during his three-year absence. But he has become a rich and educated gentleman already. The impulse to revenge himself on all those he regards as having wronged him becomes his overpowering passion. He is ruthlessly determined to destroy thosewho degraded him and prevented him from being with Catherine. After providing money for Hindley, who has fallen into crapulence and gambling after the death of his wife Frances, Heathcliff swindles Hindley out of his ownership of Wuthering Heights. Then, he becomes the master. He also takes advantage of Edgar Lintons sister Isabella and marries her, before treating her in a cruel and contemptuous fashion heartlessly. Although he tells Catherine that he despises Isabella. His and Isabellas marriage promises to result in his inheriting. Thrushcross Grange on Liptons death by. forcing his son Lipton into marriage with Catherines daughter Cathy. After Catherines death, Heathcliffs vindictive cruelty intensifies. He aims at avenging not only his enemies but J also their heirsI一Hareton, son of Hindley, and Cathy, daughter-of Edgar Lipton and Catherine. He turns his attention to Hareton, Well see if one tree wont grow as crooked as another with the same wind to twist it. (Emily Bronte, 1.994:164). Heathcliff first mistreats Hareton, as he has been done by Hindley. Hareton lives in Wuthering Heights as a servant, deprived of education and wage. Heathcliff corrupts Harefons spirit by telling him something ridiculous, rude and worthless. Then Hareton becomes a brutal and ignorant guy. He also trained Hareton to utter vulgar and impolite word; leaving him in the state of darkness and fatuity. In-addition, Heathcliff forces his sickly son, Lipton, who entirely resembles his mother Isabella, to marry the daughter of Catherine and Edgar, Catherine Lipton regardless of his sons illness and death, in a bid to gain ownership of Thrushcross Grange, which speeds up the death of Edgar. Shortly after the two are married in their nearly loveless match, Heathcliff treats Catherine with relative mercy, turning her into a cold, distant.creature, far removed from the bright, lively girl she used to be. By taking possession of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, Heathcliff succeeds .in taking his revenge to his enemies and becomes the richest person. Eventually, Hareton and Cathy fall in love, however, and their relationship in some ways mirrors that between Heathcliff and Catherine. Their union breaks the cycle of hatred at Wuthering Heights. Hareton, resembling his aunt Catherine Earnshaw much in looks, creates a sense of uneasiness for Heathcliff The novel ends with the death of Heathcliff, who has become a broken, tormented man, haunted by the ghost of the elder Catherine: He Heathcliff grows restless towards the very end of the novel and stops eating. He wanted to be with Catherine in eternal life. He doesnt feel happy or satisfied after carrying out those merciless plans of revenge. Actually, the demonic nature of Heathcliff lies not only in his savage actions towards the victims