Literary Analysis ReMiX: Wuthering Heights

Literature Analysis #5

Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte

-Wuthering Heights is a love story about a man and woman names Heathcliff and Catherine. This is another classic story about forbidden love. Heathcliff was a weathly man. He was adopted into the Earnshaw family. Catherine makes her relationship with Heathcliff extremely complicated when she became infatuated with Edgar. Catherine became engaged to Edgar (despite her burning love for Heathcliff) because Catherine wanted to climb the social status ladder. After Heathcliff ran away in anger; when he arrived back in Wuthering Heights, he came back for revenge on everyone who had done him wrong. Catherine ends up dying before Heathcliff ever had a chance to be with her. They are only reunited once he dies too.

-The theme of Wuthering Heights is the power of an undying love. Love can make people do stupid and irrational things. Catherine and Heathcliff's love is the source of the major conflicts and contains the most emotion throughout the entire novel. It is unclear to me though, how Bronte wants the reader to view love. After reading this novel, my opinion of it could be swayed either a positive or negative way.

-The author's tone is basically passionate.

*"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire."

*That is not my Heathcliff. I shall love mine yet; and take him with me: he's in my soul."

*"Well, if I cannot keep Heathcliff for my friend--if Edgar will be mean and jealous, I'll try to break their hearts by breaking my own. That will be a prompt way of finishing all, when I am pushed to extremity!"

-Diction, tone, symbolism, repitition, and imagery helped me understand the theme and tone. Imagery, diction and tone go hand in hand. Bronte's use of diction created the imagery. The way she used settings and descriptions made a clear visual of everything that was happening throughout the story. The constant emphasis on the settings throughout the story was symbolic. The scenery was always a gloomy kind of weather and just always related to the different moods given off. Repetition was a technique in this novel.Time ran in cycles and bad things from the past continued to repeat themselves in this story.