The universe’s natural cycles promote a sense of continuity by repeating themselves. Emily Bronte’s life was cyclical, and she uses cycles to show this in Wuthering Heights. Death is an important cycle that runs through the entire story. These two cycle are very important for the structure and plot of the novel. They allow the reader a glimpse into Bronte’s Victorian life.
Wuthering Heights’s life and deaths are at the forefront of the story from the very beginning. Lockwood introduces his reader to the paranormal in the very first chapters. In a dream, he wrestles with Catherine Earnshaw’s ghost. “Terror turned me cruel. I couldn’t shake it off and so, instead, I rubbed its wrist against the broken window and pulled until blood began to drip down” (Bronte, p. 20). Bronte’s brutality in the fight between Lockwood, who is dead, and Cathy shows her views on how easily civilized society can be ripped away. To prove her point, she cries, “I was a waif 20 years ago” (Bronte, 21). The word waif means orphan and is used to describe the lost souls Heathcliff & Cathy. This deepens reader’s interest in the events that led to this haunting. The significance of Cathy’s room and Heathcliff’s connection to Catherine are also highlighted by this incident. The ghost is seeking revenge because Lockwood has almost defiled her sacred space. The brutal and bloody language in the quote illustrates how easy it is for a ‘gentleman,’ Lockwood to degenerate into violence. This gothic interpretation has its roots in a strong believe in the unknowable afterlife. Bronte used her thoughts on death to help shape Heathcliff’s relationship with Catherine. Heathcliff said, “Catherine Earnshaw. Do not let me rest while I’m still alive.” You said you killed me– then haunt me!” (Bronte p. 130). Lockwood’s narrative structure reveals the truth. Heathcliff might be telling the real story and Cathy could be a phantom, as shown at the start.
Bronte’s view on life cycles is also influenced by the parallels between death and life. Bronte opens the second part of her novel with Catherine’s second birth. It is important to show the cyclical nature in life. Catherine dies and the younger Catherine appears as a kind of reincarnation. “The intensity of the attachments made me think of her mother,” says Mrs. Dean (Bronte). The author uses the comparison of both Cathys in order to stress the importance that the novel begins to circle.
Bronte explores her own pain in the face of death, and how it affects others. As a girl, Bronte suffered the death of her mother from cancer. Then, a couple years later, two of her older siblings also passed away. The novel was shaped by this cruel loss that she suffered in her daily life. She describes Catherine Senior in the space between life and death using her own experiences. “The softness of her eyes, which no longer seemed to be focused on the objects around her but always appeared to be gazing at something beyond her,” is how she’s described (Bronte 122). Bronte’s use of details, such as “doomed decay” (122) shows how much she experienced death in her younger years.
Death is a theme that runs throughout the book and Bronte’s harsh views on the subject are reflected in the text. Wuthering Heights’ constant use of life or death is due to Bronte’s Victorian outlooks and her childhood. But it is also a book that follows patterns and cycles. Lockwood discovers, when he spends a sleepover in Cathy Earnshaw’s room, that “a particular name is repeated throughout the book, in both the large and the small characters–Catherine Earnshaw. Here and there it’s changed to Catherine Heathcliff. And then, once again, Catherine Linton.” (Bronte.15-16). This repetition is especially important when it comes to the second Catherine. Through her life, Catherine has had all these names, including those of Catherine Heathcliff and Catherine Linton. Bronte’s important pattern reflects her life philosophy: everything is in a circle.
Wuthering Heights follows Bronte’s cyclical perspective on life, mortality, and afterlife. The novel is full with repetitions and cycles. From Lockwood encountering the supernatural, to Catherine’s marriage to Hareton’s, Heathcliffs’ son, there are many. Bronte makes the characters learn from their mistakes by using children. The second generation of souls is what allows Catherine and Heathcliff find peace on the moors.
Bibliography
Bronte Emily Dunn Richard J. Wuthering Heights is a classic novel by Emily Brontë, which tells the story of two families living on the same estate in England. It is a story of passion, obsession, and love that transcends death. London: W. W. Norton, 2003. Print.
The Unhinged Historian. “Why were Victorians obsessed with death?” N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
Author
