Assignment: Paper- E-C-201. The Romantic Literature.

Topic: Traits of Romanticism in “Wuthering Heights”.

Student’s name: Payal G Patel

Roll no: 18

M.A. Sem – II

Batch – 2010-‘11

Submitted to – Mr. Jay Mehta

Department of English

Bhavnagar University

Bhavnagar.

Traits of Romanticism in “Wuthering Heights”

Romantic Features:

                                 In this novel “Wuthering Heights”, LOVE is at the center whether it is about first generation of Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff, Edgar Linton and Isabella or about second generation of Cathy, Linton and Hareton. The developments of the first generation’s love are similar and mixed with the developments of the second generation, but not completely the same. Because the first generation is not at the rest even at their ends also, but there is the happy ending of the novel with the second generation. We find in this novel the complexity of love like,

                          Catherine                                                                  Cathy

                                                               Edgar                                                                    Hareton      

Heathcliff                                                                               Linton                                 

                        Isabella

Romanticism contains the elements of internal and external conflict like;

 Nature versus Civilization

     Or

 Wild versus civilized, and

Natural  versus  Artificial.

                                        Here, we can easily apply the conflict of wild versus Civilized to the character of Heathcliff, that his nature is somewhat like wild and who has been insulted by many of the civilized persons. But Heathcliff is more insulted by Hindley, Catherine’s brother. Though there are many opposite attributes in the society, the love of Catherine and Heathcliff remains unshaken. But we should not forget Catherine’s ideas about Edgar. He is smart and handsome as well as well-dressed and well-mannered and by all these attributes Catherine is impressed by him at least for a while. And during this time the seeds of jealousy are being sown into the heart of Heathcliff.

Because of her love with Heathcliff and to make him prosperous and successfull person, Catherine decides to get married with Edgar and says to Nelly, the narrator of the novel, as well as the housekeeper at Wuthering Heights, that she loves Edgar because he is rich and graceful, and he would make her the greatest lady in the region. So, here, we find complexity of Catherine’s nature but she also says that she is doing all these only for Heathcliff and also declares that her and Heathcliff’s souls are one. Heathcliff overhears the conversation between Nelly and Catherine and leaves the place. His love converts into hate and this is more important here because it is the cause of the tragedy of all the characters, and the root of it is love after all.

There are also many romantic elements in the very beginning that both Heathcliff and Catherine spend their most of the time with each other especially they visit the Moor and share their love. So, Up till now Emile Bronte has described the pure and innocent love but after Heathcliff’s overhearing the conversation, he disappears for three years and during this time Catherine’s genuine love for Heathcliff can be seen. Through she got married with Edgar, Heathcliff remains in one corner of her heart and waits for him. Definition of love is also given by these both characters Catherine and Heathclifft, what is thwarted love of Heathcliff. He yearns for Catherine but the longing of Heathcliff can not be fulfilled in life. Here, Death is more important element, which unites two souls’ or loving souls.

Wuthering Heights as a Gothic fiction:

The gothic elements like terror, mystery, secrets, deaths, the supernatural, madness etc. are pervaded throughout the novel. For example we feel terror in the very beginning when the dogs namely Gnash, Wolf, in chapter-II, attack on Lockwood. When Catherine’s ghost appears to Lockwood and requests him to let her in.

There are many such examples in the course of the novel. Another thing should be pointed out is the names of the dogs which are very symbolical and also the dogs’ scene also symbolize something heinous will happen. Because to suggest such things there are more than two or three dogs scenes. This element also gives a share in the gothic fiction. Then we also find that in the very beginning the note of something mysterious is presented by the ghost. As far as the elements of secret is concerned, we find that in the characters like Catherine who hides the secret of Heathcliff to Edgar, Nelly who hides the secret of clash which was done by the middle generation to Cathy, even Heathcliff who hides most of the things in his heart and follows the plans made out of his mind. Death is the most significant aspect in this novel, because it is only death which reunites Catherine and Heathcliff. But, in gothic world it symbolizes something that is macabre and disgusting. We find out many deaths of the characters like Mr. Earnshaw, Frances- Hindley’s wife, Mr.and Mrs. Linton, Catherinr, Hindley, Edgar, and Heathcliff,so we may say that this novel is not LIFE but DEATH. The supernatural elements also we may see in this novel that Heathcliff is haunted but Catherine’s spirit. We also see Heathcliff’s madness that he digs out the land where Catherine is buried. So, in a way it suggests his madness of love, thus, these all elements are the part of gothic fiction in this novel.

Now, the madness of Heathcliff signifies his psycholodical state of mind. There is the mental chaos in him. So, we may compare Heathcliff’s character with the narrator of the short story “Ligeia” written by Edgar Allan Poe. Because in this short story also we find mental state of the narrator, that he has the strange experience with Ligeia, his first wife and Rowena, his second wife. The short story is based upon the theory of the transmigration of the souls. Ligeia comes back several years after her death to her husband in the dead body of his second wife Rowena. Then, the story also describes the beauty of Ligeia. So, here, we find two types of elements same. First is the transmigration of the souls of Heathcliff and Catherine from their bodies, and another one is concerned with psychological state of mind. Heathcliff’s character is also gothic one.

There are also other important indicators of gothic literature like the themes of –isolation -         Fear, darknes -        Loss of faith in humanity.

These all can also be found in this novel as it suggests the world of gothic elements.

Passionate yet thwarted love between Heathcliff and Catherine:

                                                        Both of them love is genuine. They also show their love at the course of time. Catherine declares that,

“I am Heathcliff’s; he is always in my mind.”

Suggest how much she loves Heathcliff. Even Heathcliff loves Catherine by heart and after her death, he sees everywhere Catherine’s face even in other characters also, that to avenge he concerns with Hareton, he sees Catherine. He can not bear to look at Hareton’s face because when he looks for the resemblance to Hindley, all he sees is Catherine. And Cathy also reminds him of Catherine.

While discussing the element of love, we should not forget the other characters also because in romantic fiction the traits of love are same whether it is of the hero-heroine or any of the others. For example Isabella who has one-sided love for Heathcliff and he uses her as an instrument to destroy the lives of other characters like Edgar and Catherine, and to get power over both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. But what is more important here is Isabella’s love for Heathcliff. Love between Hindley and Frances also has been portrayed because without her love or life Hindley gets him into debt becomes drunkard. Edgar’s love for Catherine is sincere, because throughout her life he loves her. And the love of third generation is also drawn by the narrator. So, these all are the romantic traits of love

Now, the element of love with the reference to gothic aspects can be seen in this novel. When Catherine dies, Heathcliff becomes something like madman. He opens the coffin to have a glimpse o Catherine’s face. Walter Peter saw in “Wuthering Heights”;

“the characteristic spirit of romanticism, particularly in the figures of Hareton Earnshaw, of Catherine Linton and of  Heathcliff – teaching open Catherine’s grave, removing one side of her coffin, that he may really lie beside her in death’ figures so passionate, yet woven on a background of delicately beautiful, moorland scenery, being typical examples of that spirit.”

The scene of locket is in a way significant. Heathcliff and Edgar both love Catherine. When Heathcliff comes in to view Catherine in her coffin, he takes the lock of Edgar’s hair out or her locket and replaces it with his own. Even a simple lock of hair becomes one of the traits of love. But Nelly Dean takes both the locks together and puts them both in the locket, it shows Catherine’s two lovers.

The area of Moors also symbolizes something related with their love. (Heathcliff and Catherine). The severe and wild moors symbolize the unruly nature of their love. In chapter –IX, Catherine declares for Heathcliff that,

“Whatever souls are made of his and mine are the same.”

shows their uniqueness of love. As earlier i have written, Heathcliff sees everywhere or in all the characters the face of Catherine is now reached its climax that he says in chapter -xxxIII,

“In every cloud, in every tree- filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in every object by day, i am surrounded with her image.”

As time passes, Heathcliff becomes increasingly obsessed with his dead love, and he finds reminders of her everywhere. He begins conversing with her ghost. And when Heathcliff dies he is buried next to Catherine’s grave, here, it symbolizes spiritual love rather than physical one. It also symbolizes that after death one may be free like Catherine and Heathcliff from the worldly terms.

 And there is also an occurrence that someone sees the souls of Catherine and Heathcliff together at the Moor. There is also the trait of love in their death that after their death the duet of their grave was mingled which suggests the extraordinary love.

Conclusion:

              As a Romantic Literature contains some of the romantic aspects like love, passion, emotions, feelings etc., we find them in this novel. But at the same time we also find gothic romances, Wuthering Heights does not build to an intense, violent climax before its ending rather its tension quality.

For Heathcliff, the end of life can mean only one thing:

 “THE BEGINNING OF HIS REUNION WITH CATHERINE”

Another thing we may say is the life of Catherine and Heathcliff can be compared with the love life of Romeo and Juliet, of Heer and Rhanja whose love throughout their lives did not fulfill but their deaths made their love immortal.