英语本科论文呼啸山庄的悲剧根源

1、IntroductionWuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, is one of the greatest curiosities, as it is one of the greatest masterpieces of literature. However, upon the first appearance of the novel, “it was much neglected and regarded as a naive fantasy by a young writer.” Not until 1950s did it begi

2、n to be highly valued and recently the western critics have exalted it as the greatest novel of the Victorian age.Emily Bronte is an English novelist. She was born in 1818, and shared one parsonage with her elder sister, Charlotte, her brother Branwell, her younger sister, Anne, her father, the Reve

3、rend Patrick Bronte, and her aunt, who raised the Bronte children after their mother died. The Brontes lived in Haworth, a Yorkshire village in the midst of the moors. These wild, desolate expanses later the setting of Wuthering Heights made up the Brontes daily environment. Emily Bronte was perhaps

4、 the greatest writer of the three Bronte sisters, and she also was the most solitary member of a unique, tightly knit. Her sister Charlotte Bronte once commented on her: “Stronger than a man, Simple than a child, her nature stoodalone.” At the beginning, Emily Bronte writes some pomes and which were

5、 come across by Charlotte Bronte. At her sisters urging, Emilys poems were published along with Charlottes and Annes in 1846. In order to avoid the social prejudice of women, they used pseudonym Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. An almost complete silence greeted this volume, but the three sisters, buoy

6、ed by the fact of publication, immediately began to write novels. Emilys effort Wuthering Heights appeared in 1847, but at that time it was not well received by the reading public, many of them condemned it as a book full of paganism thought and mental abnormality, and they also condemned it as a so

7、rdid, vulgar, and unnatural novel which should be renamed “Withering Heights”. Emily Bronte went to her grave in 1848 believing that her only novel was a failure. It was not until 1850, when Wuthering Heights received a second printing with an introduction by Emilys sister Charlotte, that it attract

8、ed a wide readership. And from that point the reputation of the book has never been looked back. Today it is widely recognized as one of the great novels of English literature. Wuthering Heights biased on the Victorian Period. The beginning of the story was Mr. Lockwoods visiting of Wuthering Height

9、s. His amazement of Heathcliffs surliness and curiosity of beautiful Catherines rudeness urged him to listen to a very strange and frightening love story from Nelly Dean. Heathcliff is an orphan with unknown family background. By chance, he is brought to Heights from the streets of Liverpool by Mr E

10、arnshaw and is treated as his own child, but it leads his own son Hindleys jealousy and resentment. After Earnshaws death, Hindley begins to persecute Heathcliff. During his revolt, the love between Heathcliff and Catherine develops. But due to some worldly reasons, Catherine finally betrays Heathcl

11、iff and married with Edgar Linton, young master of Thrushcross Grange. Heathdiff left with anger. Nobody knows where he was going and nobody tried to find him. Three years later, he returned to revenge, hate changed the naive Heathcliff to the dragon and his first victim is Catherine, who dies from

12、giving birth to a girl, another Catherine. Isabella Linton, Edgars sister, whom Heathcliff had married, flees to the south. Their son Linton and Catherine are married, but Linton died. Hareton, Hindleys son, and the young widow became close. Heathcliff succeeded in annexing all the property of Hindl

13、eys and the Lintons. However, Cathiners ghost pestered him all the time. As increasingly isolated and alienated of daily life, Heathcliff longs for the death that will reunite him with Catherine. It is a love tragedy and there are many aspects result in this tragic ending. The present thesis attempt

14、s to discuss what lead to this.Chapter I. Social csuaes Love is pure and credible; there are fierce feelings in each others mind. But as a result of common customs, life experiences, social position and values lead to their separations and the failure of love, just like the chief actors tragic love

15、in Wuthering Heights.A. The Social EnvironmentEmily is living in the Victorian times, so her fictional characters have the same background. At that time UK was a classic patriarchy society with strict hierarchy and class contradiction, divided human into several levels. The working people not only w

16、ere exploited and oppressed by the corrupt landed aristocracy, but also ruled by the emerging bourgeois nobles. There is no doubt that money and property is nothing but everything in the capitalist society. The nobleman is enormously proud of their success, they think poverty is shameful, status is

17、first and money is God. Meanwhile women were oppressed too, whose personal rights had been deprived.The middle class women were in worse condition, because they did not go to work, which was regarded as the symbol of estate or status of man. They had to cling to mantheir fathers, husbands, brothers

18、or their sons for life and became others dolls. For them, marriage was the best home and all success or failure was depended on it. In marriage, women were equivalent to jetton which was used to consolidate the familys status and promotion of family wealth. It was the wooers wealth and status that d

19、ecided the success or failure of ones marriage. If the marriage was opposed by families, it was more likely to be a failure.To elope with his/her lover was the last choice for youth who loved each other so deeply and wouldnt abandon each other forever. But elopement means losing everything. In Victo

20、ria times, elopement and adultery were regarded as shameful things, which would be condemned by the society. As a result, they had to live an incognito life, struggling to be against the ruthless and furious life. In that time, though marriage was not arranged, it was not free either.Heathcliff and

21、Catherines love budded at this social environment; they belong to different stratum originally. Catherine Earnshaw is the bourgeoisie and Heathcliff is the underclass which was opposed to the former. This decided their love was an error from the very beginning; it is a mortal blow for their love whe

22、n Catherine recognized the great disparity on status. When Catherine realized: “if Heathcliff and I married, we should be beggars? Whereas, if I marry Linton, I can aid Heathcliff to rise, and place him out of my brothers power.” It seemed that it is the best way she can choose.Heathcliff and Cather

23、ine are the victims in the Victorian Age, although they fight against their current life, their resistance was so weakness under the social customs. They are doomed to be victims of the capitalist society. Their love was also doomed to be a tragedy.B. The Family BackgroundHeathcliff, who was picked

24、up by Old Earnshaw, is a homeless orphan on the streets of Liverpool. He is a gipsy boy, Heathcliff is the name of Earnshaws dead son. He was treated by Mr. Earnshaw as his own children, Catherine and Hindley, and studiedy and read with them together equally. Earnshaw likes him more than his own son

25、, which leads to Hindleys jealousness. He dislikes Heathdiff and always bullied him. Hindley is punishing Heathcliff for his free status, as a fostered member of the family rather than merely a laboring body, by secretly subjecting him to the conditions of slavery. At the same time, peculiar emotion

26、 occurred between Heathcliff and Catherine. Since Mr. Earnshaw died, Hindley treats Heathcliff as a slave; he insulted and maltreated him in every possible way. He insisted that Heathcliff should labor out of doors instead, “compelling him to do so, as hard as any other lad on the farm.” Born in the

27、 lower class, Heathcliff receives little education. His language is quite violent. These factors cause Heathcliff to become a wild person. Catherine is Old Earnshaws daughter and Hindleys little sister. Her father doted on her, the servants respected her, and she lived comfortably and did not worry

28、about her back and belly. Unfortunately, her mother died early when she was a child, and her father was too ill to reprimand the free spirited child, “who was too mischievous and wayward for a favorite.” Therefore, Catherine grew up among nature and lacked the sophistication of high society. In this

29、 case she knew Heathcliff, who became her playmates and her friend. They get along with each other day and night. As they grow up, tint of love is sparkling between them, and they become lovers from good friends. After Old Earnshaw died, Hindley become the master of Wuthering Heights. He let Heathcl

30、iff into the ranks of the servant and not allowed Catherine to speak with him. But Catherine further disregarded social standards and remained friends with Heathcliff despite his degradation by Hindley. They run up in the wilderness together and she always stood on the side of Heathcliff and they to

31、gether opposed Hindly. She wrote in her diary “An awful Sunday!” commenced the paragraph beneath. “I wish my father were back again. Hindley is a detestable substitutehis conduct to Heathcliff is atrociousHeathcliff and I are going to rebel.”However, in that society money and status dominated everyt

32、hing, they were unable to resist Catherines elder brother who would try his best to stop her and Heathcliff to get married. If they elope, it means they will lose everything. They not only had to break with the family and give up the right of inheriting the rank of families and wealth, but also had

33、to bear heavy social pressure. It is even difficult for them to live under such family background, and their love is doomed to have no good results.Chapter II. Causes of the characters Environment is interdependent with people and impacts the formation of character. Sudden change of the environment

34、will lead to the hidden character to break out. When ones character is changed, the destiny will change with it; and this is one of the causes of Heathcliff and Catherines love tragedy.A. The Character of Heathcliff1. Childhood PeriodIn 1771, the abandoned boy Heathcliff was brought to Wuthering Hei

35、ghts by Earnshaw, a warm-hearted man and the host of Wuthering Heights. He is so black when he firstly turning up as if he has come out of the hell, “a dirty, ragged, black-haired child; big enough both to walk and talk” Consequently, the family of Earnshaw all show an abominable attitude towards th

36、is little dirty thing, “Mrs. Earnshaw was ready to fling it out of doorsThey entirely refused to have it in bed with them or even in their roomINellyput it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it might be gone on the morrow” In spite of this, Heathcliff lived there, but everyone, especially Hindley,

37、 looked down upon him and even insulted him. Hindley, the son of Earnshaw, takes Heathcliff as an ominous thing, had learned to regard him as “a usurper of his parents affections and his privileges.” Hindley managed to find any way to “plagued and went on with him.” As the novel writes, “He seemed a

38、 sullen, patient child; hardened, perhaps, to ill-treatment: he would stand Hindleys blows without winking or shedding a tear.” In such a hostile environment to grow up, Heathcliff will naturally develop a kind of stubbornness, apathy depression and the courage to resist personality. This is also a

39、foreshadowing which prefigures the development of the love tragedy between him and Catherine.Although he was oppressed and insulted by Hindley, Heathcliff is still happy. When Old Earnshaw discovered that his son had persecuted the poor, fatherless child, he was furious. He took to Heathcliff, belie

40、ving all he said. Catherine became his best friend; they studied and played together, on that wasteland their laughter was resounded everywhere. At that time he was a rather happy and innocent boy, feeling very comfortable. The care of old Earnshaw, and love from Catherine let his heart full of grat

41、itude inspired the goodness and which was deeply under his inner heart. He used the best way to return his benefactor.But after the death of the old masters, Hindley becomes the lord of the Heights. Heathcliff is taken as a home servant and being envied and hated all the time, and he tastes the crue

42、lty of human life from Hindleys whip. He seems arrogant because he overcompensates for his feeling of inferiority. Long-term abuse and oppression twist his character; he becomes introversive day by day, begains to hate human beings, and even is hostile to the world. Fortunately, Catherine accompanie

43、s him, which makes it possible for him to capture a little bit of friendship and hope in dejectedness. For Hindleys ill-treatment, he chooses forbearance not because he is a coward but because he has Catherine. As long as he has her love, he would forget all the pain and humiliation and can endure g

44、reat tribulation; as long as he is in possession of her love, he can be living tenaciously in the crevice of rock, he can see sunshine in the crude and gloomy reality, and to be himself. 2. After the Betrayal of CatherineUnfortunately, this love did not last long. Since Catherine comes back from Thr

45、ushcross Grange, she has changed a lot “her manners much improved.” Rich and comfortable life in Thrushcross Grange has tempted Catherine; she began to look down on Heathcliff. Because of her desire for social prominence, Catherine marries Edgar Linton instead of Heathcliff. This fatal hitting provi

46、des Heathcliff with a premise to become a rather cruel man. It is not difficult to imagine how sad he is when he heard Catherine said: “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now” Heathcliff grievously leaves Wuthering Heights at that night. It is the turning point that Heathcliff starts to change

47、from innocence into quietness. Catherines betrayal made the last point of love in Heathcliffs life disappeared. The stubbornness and apathy depression personality shaped when he was young decided once he has been betrayed he will go to the extreme. He leaves Wuthering Heights and embarks his plots t

48、o take revenge. Strong love changed into strong hate, his soul was painful, as painful twist, as twist he become stubborn, cruel. He is totally twisted from a man to a ghost.Three years later, when Heathcliff returns Wuthering Heights, he seeks to destroy those who severed the relationship between h

49、imself and Catherine. Then Heathcliff put his first step into luring Isabella, the younger sister of Linton, to marry him. During the three years, Heathcliff has accumulated a lot of fortune and become a gentleman, which attracts Isabella. Thus, Heathcliff easily gains Isabella. But after their elop

50、ement, Heathcliff severely persecutes Isabella, treating her not as a person, but just as a thing to which he gives vent. As Heathcliff seeks his revenge, he becomes fiendish and is constantly associated with diabolical feelings, images and actions. Revenge reinforces the inhuman aspect of Heathclif

51、f. Nelly recalled that his face bore the greatest pain at being the instrument that thwarted his own revenge. As a father his attitude is devoid of fatherly feeling. He sees his own son only as a pawn in his revenge and his main consideration lies in calculating whether Linton lives long enough to h

52、ave married Catherine so having acquired Thrushcross Grange. Once the marriage has taken place, Lintons life is seen as worthless by Heathcliff, his life is not worth a farthing, and Heathcliff wont spend a farthing on him. He is a brutal man. Even his wife Isabella recognizes the sadistic treatment

53、 by Heathcliff and asks: “Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? Is he the devil?”Love is a nuisance, and it destroys Heathcliff; social level system is a savage, and it buries the whole life of Heathcliff. All in all, Heathcliff has successfully become a cruel man. It is his love to Catherine and his hatred to C

54、atherines betrayal that complete the transformation of Heathcliff from an innocent boy to a ghost. His crazy revenge is the root of the love tragedy. Revenge is not able to restore his lost love, but on the contrary to destroy his body so that he died tragically in a rainy night.B. The Character of

55、Catherine1. Childhood PeriodCertainly, she had ways with her such as I never saw a child take up before; and she put all of us past our patience fifty times and oftener in a day: from the hour she came downstairs till the hour she went to bed, we had not a minutes security that she wouldnt be in mis

56、chief. Her spirits were always at high-water mark, her tongue always going-singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do the same. A wild, wicked slip she was-but she had the bonniest eye, the sweetest smile, and lightest foot in the parish; and, after all, I believe she meant no harm;

57、for when once she made you cry in good earnest, it seldom happened that she would not keep you company, and oblige you to be quiet that you might comfort her.As the vivid description in the book Catherine is a free-spirited, wild, passionate, and somewhat spoiled young woman. She has higher blood, b

58、ut dose not have a happy childhood the same like Heathcliffs. Her father Old Earnshaw who does not like her, cannot bear her vivacity and naughtiness. Once he said to her: “I cannot love thee; thourt worse than thy brother I doubt thy mother and I must rue that we ever reared thee!” In the family, C

59、atherine has been living under the patriarchal violence and no one really loved her. Her father had always been strict and grave with her, but he was too ill to reprimand the free spirited child, who was too mischievous and wayward for a favorite. Therefore, Catherine grew up among nature and lacked the sophistication of high society.Under such circumstances, th