Physical and Emotional Destruction in Emily Brontes...

Physical and Emotional Destruction in Wuthering Heights Often the lifestyles of a person and those around them are affected by ones concern for his/her own welfare and neglect of others. This attitude is a reflection of self-love and a feeling of self-righteousness. In the novel, Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontà « describes the lifestyles of late 18th century and early 19th century rural England emphasizing selfishness. From the very beginning, there is an obvious tension between the households at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The Heights is the house of the Earnshaws: Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, Catherine, Hindley and later Linton and Hareton. The Grange is inhabited by the Lintons: Mr. and Mrs. Linton, Edgar and†¦show more content†¦This selfishness introduces the antagonist, Heathcliff, to the family. From this point on, the family faces terrible hardships as a result of Heathcliffs arrival. Catherine Earnshaw grows very fond of Heathcliff as the years pass. She eventually falls passionately in love with him, but because of Heathcliffs poor financial status and character, she chooses to marry Edgar Linton of Thrushcross Grange. Her reasoning becomes evident in dialogue with Ellen Dean, the housekeeper. In response to Ellen asking why Catherine wants to marry Edgar, Catherine replies, he will be rich, and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighbourhood, and I shall be proud of having such a husband (106). After marrying Edgar, she refuses to let go of her longings for Heathcliff. This total disregard for others and admiration of herself leads to extreme pain for Edgar, Heathcliff, and herself. This pain is such that it remains with each person until they are laid to rest. Heathcliff is probably the most selfish of all the characters. His selfishness starts as a young boy in the Earnshaw household. He knows very well the affection Mr. Earnshaw holds for him and uses it to his best advantage. When two colts are given to Heathcliff and Hindley (Mr. Earnshaws biological son), Heathcliff took the handsomest, but it soon fell lame (50). After discovering this, Heathcliff tells Hindley, YouShow MoreRelatedEmily Brontes Wuthering Heights: Mental Illness and Feminism915 Words   |  4 Pages Psychoanalytical View of Wuthering Heights Mental illness was viewed as being a self-inflicted disease during the time period Wuthering Heights was written in (Bloomfield 298). Many of the characters suffer from a form of mental illness, but not all of them can be seen as self-inflicted. Most of the illnesses are inflicted by the death of other characters. After Hindley’s wife dies in his arms, he becomes an alcoholic and foreshadows his own death due to his destructive behavior (Bloomfield 291)Read More Comparing Brontes Wuthering Heights and Dickens Coketown1228 Words   |  5 PagesComparing Brontes Wuthering Heights and Dickens Coketown      Ã‚   Throughout British Literature, compositions created by honored literary artists reflect current dominant lifestyles. The differences in prevailing environments are visible when comparing Emily Brontes Withering Heights and Charles Dickens Coketown. Bronte reveals the wild unbinding freedom available though country living predominate in the late 17th and early 18th century, whereas Dickens explains the disheartening effects of industrializationRead MoreWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1592 Words   |  7 Pageschange. In Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontà «, the moon appears in many different circumstances. Early in the novel, the moon foreshadows the failure of a relationship between Heathcliff and the older Catherine. As the novel unfolds, the moon’s appearance begins to reveal the true inner nature or state of characters. Finally, the moon begins to symbolize the impact of change, or the lack of change, over time on the characters of Heathcliff and the younger Cath erine. Throughout Wuthering Heights, Brontà «