The Theme of The Dark Side of Love in Wuthering Heights Essay

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontes haunting novel, Wuthering Heights, tells a tale fraught with obsession, revenge, heartache, and ultimately, grief. Heathcliff, a man who as a child was adopted into a wealthy family, falls in love with Catherine, the daughter of Mr. Earnshaw, the man who adopted him. Mr. Earnshaw becomes quite fond of Heathcliff and grows to love him even more than his biological son, Hindley. Life is good for Heathcliff, until everything changes with the death of Mr. Earnshaw. Hindley inherits Wuthering Heights and channels his resentment toward Heathclif to treat him like a servant. Despite the unpleasant turn of events in Heathcliffs life, he is still thankful to have the love of his life, Catherine, by his side. However, that too changes when Catherine is taken away to become a lady. Although Catherine claims to be deeply in love with Heathcliff, she is a sycophant, and ends up marrying someone else to make an advancement in her social status. Alone and miserable, Heathcliff becomes obsessed with revenge on all those who have wronged him- even, to a certain extent, the woman he loves. Even after Catherines death, Heathcliff is determined to now get revenge on her daughter. Brontes eerie, yet captivating novel truly hooks the reader by unveiling something rarely seen or discussed- the dark side of love.

The element of Brontes novel that is doubtlessly the biggest contributor to the books chilling mood is her mastery of pessimism (Snodgrass). Everything from the setting of the novel, to the characterization has an air of melancholy and disconsolation. The famous quote All good things come to an end is quite frequently germane to the book and parallels Heathcliffs life. While his days were once filled with luxury and love, his life, very quickly, turns into a downward spiral as he loses everything and everyone-from his status, to the love of his life. Another element that makes this novel so fascinating is that no matter how dark and dismal Heathcliff may be, at the end of the day, readers find themselves taking his side over Catherines. One reason why this is, is because Cathy is portrayed as the failed negotiator of peace between Hindley and Heathcliff (Snodgrass). Although she claims to be madly in love with Heathcliff and knows how cruelly Hindley treats him, she never really stands up for Heathcliff. The more obvioius reason why Catherine becomes unpopular with readers throughout the book is because she is clearly a sycophant and at times, arrogant as well. Despite Heathcliffs hateful and abusive ways, he is still seen as the victim.

Brontes structure for the novel tends to get confusing at times but strangely enough, it suits the novel and what it tries to accomplish. The confusion comes into play with the switching between narrators but somehow, in the end, the accounts of each narrator flow seamlessly. In fact, the confusing structure of the novel adds to the development of conflict between characters. The language used in the novel during this time also contributes to the gloomy feel of the story.

Emily Brontes impeccable use of point-of-view adds a very authentic touch to the mystery and the haunting past portrayed in Wuthering Heights. By using Nelly, the woman who used to be Catherines nursemaid, as the narrator, Bronte lets the reader experience just how the events really took place without any biases or parts omitted. When the novel switches back to Lockwoods point-of-view, the new tenant at Wuthering Heights, the reader can experience the

story with the same curiosity and shock that Lockwood does I have just returned from a visit to my landlord-the solitary neighbor that I shall be troubled with (Bronte). He and Nelly are both vital in creating the appropriate mood for the reader. They are both spectators and they each have something different to offer; Nelly offers her wisdom that comes with age, while Lockwood offers a sense of naivety, a childlike immaturity of sorts. The last factor that makes the novel such a favorite, is the complexity and intricacy of the characters. Bronte makes very strong, bold choices for the characters, and reader have time and time again rewarded these daring choices. Catherine, for instance, is caught between her infatuation with Edgar Linton, her intense love for Heathcliff, and her social ambition. Heathcliff also suffers from emotions that are out of his control. He loves Catherine but simultaneously, resents her You neednt have touched me! he answered, following her eye and snatching away his hand (Bronte). It is evident throughout the novel that Bronte genuinely knew each character and they all had a mind of their own. Each character had, like any real person, feelings that he or she could not control and some that were far too intense for their own understanding.

Wuthering Heights structure primarily focuses on the obsession Heathcliff has with revenge. Long after the deaths of several of those who were cruel to him, he still has hate in him, and is still quite a troubled man. The consequences of his obsession trickle down and eventually affect a new generation of enemies such as Catherines daughter and Linton. What is most ironic about Heathcliff is that he spends his whole life, or at least the majority of it, hating the world with a vengeance, but this hate, in a way, was actually provoked by his love for Catherine, of rather, Catherines unexpected rejection of his love. Heathcliff suffered from a heartache so deep and so painful that he could not handle it the only way he knew how to was to turn all of his love for Catherine into something equally as passionate-hate. This hate soon evolved and branched off into hate for Hindley as well, for Edgar, for his new wife, Isabella, and even for his own son, Linton. He was never angry or resentful toward any of the characters until he experienced Catherines rejection. Even when he was treated so cruelly by Hindley and worked for him as a servant, he was content just as long as Catherine was by his side. However, even the slightest thought of Catherines rejection was overwhelming for Heathcliff, and it became too much to bear. A love such as the one between Heathcliff and Catherine was possibly far too intense for them to handle, far too intense to ever truly become a reality.

The overall theme of the novel was really to unveil the dark side of love and Bronte definitely accomplished this. She demonstrated that while love can be an emotion that brings beauty and strength, it is also capable of destruction and unbearable pain. Heathcliffs struggles depict the twists, turns, and tangles that love can produce. The most frightening part about the theme of this novel ist that quite often, loves pains and desperations are repeated. Heathcliffs cruel treatment of his son Linton, for instance, mimics the bitter attitude with which Hindley once treated Heathcliff. In the end, the reader pities Heathcliff and also thinks of him as a victim because all of his desperate attempts of revenge were simply cries of mourning for Catherine. First he mourned her figuratively because he lost her love to Edgar; then, he mourned her when he lost her physically to death. The most painful part about these cries from Heathcliff, however, was that they would never be heard, cries of mourning that everyone mistook for cries of hate. In the end, the dark side of love prevails, something which rarely happens but somehow, this is satisfying because it seems that it is the only way Heathcliff will ever find peace- if he actually gets his revenge, even if it is in the smallest way possible.

Wuthering Heights confronts the emotions that heartache brings with it, emotions of confusion, frustration, desperation, and bitterness. Emily Bronte entices her readers with this novel by provoking them to think beyond the stereotypical happily ever after. Although Heathcliffs character goes to a very far extreme in his search for revenge, Bronte creates an everyman in Heathcliff, revealing the actions everyday people wish they could make in a desperate attempt to mend together their broken hearts. Throughout the novel, Bronte sends a message to her audience that love can be a beautiful emotion, and moreover, it should be a beautiful emotion; the important thing to remember is that when love knocks them down, they need to get back up again- for the love and respect they owe to themselves.