Wuthering Heights- Revenge, Destruction, Deaths, Ghosts but happy ending

 

 

Three statutes of Bronte sisters at Bronte museum in England remind us three sisters who immortalize their name in the history in their little lives. They were in the list of Jane Austen and Emily Dickenson who lived short, secluded and reserved lives but immortalize themselves mostly after their deaths.

Their secluded lives also reflect in their works, ‘wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte (one of Bronte sisters) is a specimen, in which she wrote the story of only two families who lived at two miles’ distance in the lonely and bleak Yorkshire moors.

Author didn’t tell the story directly; the story is narrated by the housekeeper ‘Ellen dean’ who recounted her memoirs to the tenant of her master’s house ‘Mr. lockwood’. There are more than two important characters in the novel.

The classic tale of revenge begins with arrival of a gypsy boy ‘Heathcliff’ in the house of Mr. Earnshaw. This gypsy boy and the daughter of Mr. Earnshaw start to love each other but she couldn’t marry with him because she was also attracted to a boy ‘Edgar Linton’ of her neighbor. Edgar was wealthy, handsome and belonged to a respected family. And as we expect, Heathcliff couldn’t bear that love or attraction and ran away from the house but when he returned, he destroyed almost everyone around him. Some died and some remained but who lived, they could not live happy lives till a good amount of time, however, at the end, Author somewhat tried to end it with happy ending and it also relieve us when we see that their lives got happiness at last.

The most expected question regarding this novel might be that why it is named ‘Wuthering Heights’. Actually, there are two houses in the distance of two miles in this novel, however they are still neighbors. One house is owned by one family and other by second family and only these both houses exist in this novel. The whole story rounds to both families and both houses. 

 ‘Wuthering Heights’, owned by Mr. Earnshaw, is the first house which came in the novel, from here romance of Heathcliff and Catherine begins, and it is also ends in ‘Wuthering Heights’, but in the middle of the novel, the second house ‘Thrushcross grange’ which is owned by ‘Lintons’ highlights. Author specifically mention why it is called ‘wuthering Heights’,

“Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliff’s dwelling ‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wing blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily, the architect had foresights to build it strong; the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones.”

In the beginning, the story bores, it takes time to understand what is going to be the consequences of their acts, but, this story start to develop interest in the middle when Catherine get married. Infect, the second half of the novel present the power of imagination at its height. However, this is not a horror story but some consequences of the story horrify us, sometimes, the story loose interest, but other times it starts to run in full force. This is the story of revenge and at some scenes, we think how Emily moved her pen while writing these scenes, she almost ruined everything of every character, but her pen continued to move in another destruction after one destruction.

While reading the story, we expect form author to not destroy the lives of the characters further, but she did not stop, however, she gave to the readers a sense of relief in the end and we end the novel at good note. 

Depiction of bronte sisters in 'to walk invisible: Bronte sisters"

 Author put variations in the characters, there are too cruel, too kind, neutral, rustic, intelligent, dumb and lovable types of characters. However, I just liked the two characters throughout the novel, these were the housekeeper ‘Ellen’ and ‘Edgar Linton’. Others just destroyed their lives with their own hands. The housekeeper has very important role in the novel, she is the person who tells the story and also she is only one character, who is loved and respected by everyone in the novel even by Heathcliff. She nursed all children and served for both houses.

On the other hand, if there is any character who is qualified to be loved and respected, is Edgar Linton, everyone in the novel do some wrong, but we don’t find anything wrong on the part of Edgar Linton, he bears the oddities and drama of her wife, later on, he sees how his daughter life gonna be miserable after his death but still he loved both of them. Heathcliff’s hate towards Linton arises sympathy for Linton in the heart of readers.

Heathcliff is shown as hero as well as villain but it is on the reader to choose any character of him. In the beginning and at the end, we feel sympathy for him but in the middle we just grow utmost hate for him.

The whole story is in the theme of memoirs, someone is recounting to someone, However, Ellen told the story to the Mr. Lockwood but in this recounting there are also another letters, diaries, and recounting of another characters to the Ellen. Sometimes, it confuses us to know who is actually saying this but when we go to little further then we reconnect the thread of the story. 

The only available sketch of Bronte sisters

Mr. Lockwood’s character is just to listen the story and to do nothing, he is just the medium to elaborate the story to the readers. Author take some breaks and we again start to read about lockwook but then again after one paragraph, it moves to narrating the tale. If we remove the character of Mr. Lockwood then also nothing change in the story.

The story of the novel affect us and the writing style and the words she used, compels us to pay the gratitude for her writing. If you just want to read it to gain the knowledge then also it is good choice, it will improve your language and also give the glimpse to the story of classic novel ‘wuthering height’, an important novel in English literature.