1. Introduction Wuthering Heights is the only novel by Emily Bronte. It was first published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, and a posthumous second edition was edited by her sister Charlotte. The name of the novel comes from the Yorkshire manor on the moors on which the story centres (as an adjective; wuthering is a Yorkshire word referring to turbulent weather). The narrative tells the tale of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.
The highly passionate relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff really impressed us deeply. But there were so many obstructions before their love in that time. In order to stay together, they defied the social ethics, but society is cruel and powerful, it relentlessly prevented them. Cathy compromised at last, but that did not save her. She was wrecked. Heathcliff’s revenge didn’t make him feel happy. It leads us to think about the real truth of life and the real society. Cathy and Heathcliff’s love tragedy is actually a tragedy of society. 2. Entanglement between Love and Hate 2. 1.
Love between Cathy and Heathcliff Cathy and Heathcliff grew up together, Cathy—-passionate and nature, and Heathcliff—-miserable. The wild energies of youthful Heathcliff and Catherine were innocent. Heathcliff is the spark, however. He is the alien element, the gypsy child, forcibly introduced in the happy home on the heath by Mr. Earnshaw almost as if, like a Frankenstein, he had created him on his own; he was his favorite over his own blood. The wild factor on the wild heights forms the wild link to Catherine from which all tragedy will occur and from which all passion shall burst forth.
Cruel and depressive social conditions in that time determine their love tragedy. The reality always relates to social class, money, reputation and fame. And all of these seem faraway from poor slavish Heathcliff. While their pursuits for their never-forgotten love reveals a kind of extraordinary brave courage. But this love can hardly exist in reality – it’s a fantasy of Emily Bronte, she created a sample of a real eternal passion – powerful and boundless. Only death seemed to be stronger than it. 2. 2. Hate between Cathy and Heathcliff
It seems like that where there is deep love, there is intense hate. From the protagonist Heathcliff and Catherine’s romantic but thespian relationship, to the almost crazy revenge behaviors, all these come from the destruction of their love, which lead to a distorted soul of Heathcliff. And for Catherine, she seemingly suffers from a crisis of identity, unable to choose between nature and culture (and, by extension, Heathcliff and Edgar). Her decision to marry Edgar Linton over Heathcliff has been seen as surrender to culture, and has implications for all the characters of Wuthering Heights.
Once Heathcliff said to Cathy wildly, “You teach me now how cruel you’ve been—cruel and false. Why did you despise me? Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? You loved me—then what right had you to leave me? What right—answer me—for the poor fancy you felt for Linton? ” (Wuthering Heights Chapter?? , 275) Yes, in Heathcliff’s opinion, Cathy betrayed him, but not only him. She betrayed her heart, she betrayed herself. It is the reason why Heathcliff hate her and the Linton’s so strong. But Heathcliff’s hate also intermingles with his deep love for Cathy. . 3 Love Tragedy Love needs loyalty. But everyone has the right to pursue happiness, money, and fame. Cathy chose culture but based on human nature. The enthusiasm for love and a guilty conscience excruciated her every day. These inner pains made her collapsed and died eventually. Heathcliff suffered a Heavy blow by Cathy’s death. Even he got everything that he wanted, he lost the most precious. To explore the love tragedy, we can find that Emilie suffered poverty in physical world, and also there was helpless loneliness in the spiritual world.
Thus her material and emotional worlds were filled with extreme disappointments and burst feelings. So in some sense, she wrote the love tragedy with rich and intense features to express her mighty dissatisfaction for the dark social reality. 3. Conclusion Money dominates everything in capitalist society. Living in such a society where poverty is shameful, Cathy and Heathcliff are determined to suffer the social tragedy. Environment exists before character. While character is shaped in the process of fighting for a better environment. Therefore, people say environment builds character.
Furthermore, the special environment necessarily causes special character Poverty brings endless disgrace to Heathcliff. In his dark life, Cathy’s love once gives him hope. But Cathy subject to the secular society, subject to the temptation of money, finally decided to marry Thrushcross Grange master – Edgar. It is a heavy blow for Heathcliff. His final love disappears, and strong love turn into strong hate, strong hate into strong personality – hard, defiant, and cruel. It seems that all this because Cathy betrayed their love, but actually it reveals a strong value orientation – poverty is a shame!
The loss of dignity and love because of poverty is a cruel reality for everyone. Such a reality distorts the soul of Heathcliff, rising up his intensive hate and violent revenge which are in some sense powerful accusations to the merciless society. Wuthering Heights through a love tragedy, presents a portrait of deformity social life in pictures, outlines the distorted human nature shaped by such a morbid society thus bring the variety of dreadful events. This love tragedy is social tragedy, also the tragedy of the times.
