Wuthering Heights- Social issues

Question #5

Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights is a clear reflection of the time period in which it was set. One of the novel’s main conflicts is that of Heathcliff’s revenge on Linton and Linton’s family. To exact his revenge, Heathcliff forces Catherine to marry his son, thereby making his way into the Linton inheritance, and secure his wealth for the rest of his life.

Laws today have been written to prevent this kind of cruelty. Catherine agreed to the marriage, but in addition, Heathcliff prevented her from tending to her dying father. In the time the novel was written, this was an easy way for Heathcliff to take his revenge on the Linton family and make some money in the process. As Cathy says to Heathcliff one day, “You have taken all of my land… and my money!” (page 268) Emily Bronte, when inventing the cruel, strained relationship between the young Cathy and Heathcliff, was criticizing their lack of law while also exposing the darker side of human nature.

If there were laws against Cathy’s captivity and Heathcliff’s abuse, the story could have ended quite differently. Social norms expected that young people marry into a position of money and comfort, however, sometimes this expectation was taken advantage of by others such as the villain Heathcliff. The book’s thematic significance corresponds directly with the message that it sends- love is more important than money, power, greed, or revenge.

Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.