Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights is a perfect parallel to the era in which it was composed. Heathcliff, its protagonist-turned-antagonist, was brought into a world to which he did not belong, in both a social and economic sense. As he joins the lives of two wealthy families who did not appreciate the presence of this unwanted "gipsy", Heathcliff finds himself alone and struggles to be recognized. The only two people in his new life who show him any consideration are Mr. Earnshaw, the owner who adopted him, and Mr. Earnshaw's daughter, Catherine, who immediately falls in love with him. When Catherine refuses him to marry the wealthy Edgar Linton, who can offer her a life that Heathcliff could not, Heathcliff's self-esteem declines until he realizes that his only choice is to turn to his other ally, Mr. Earnshaw, and also become the owner. Heathcliff's struggle for a place of value reflects the societal struggle of the time. As the Industrial Revolution reached its peak, the working masses struggled to find their place and, amidst their cruel treatment, sought a better future. In her critique of the context in which she lived, Bronte uses Heathcliff's circuitous rise and subsequent fall as a tool to discuss class inequality and the need to understand the nature of society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssaySociety has always been divided. Throughout history, one fact has remained constant: inequalities have always existed. In many cases, people have tried to change reality, but to no avail. Despite the progress made in this area, inequalities have retained their place on the stage of human history. The Industrial Revolution was no different. It began in England in 1750, in an attempt to balance the social ladder. Although its achievements have been many, in the case of absolute equality it has only managed to take a few steps forward in the long term. The revolution began gradually; the bourgeoisie had won victory in its struggle against feudalism. Over the years, changes have been made. As landlords increased their holdings and incomes, the results caused a redistribution of their land and thousands of tenants and farmers found themselves unemployed. At the same time, British traders were discovering new markets and so new factories were established and a series of inventions came to fruition. Displaced workers now had somewhere to turn, and thus began what would soon characterize a productive industrial world. (Greer, 496) As the world became economically focused, the outcome was not positive for everyone. In 1844, three years before the publication of Wuthering Heights, Friedrich Engels published his book The Condition of the Working Class in England, which later contributed to Karl Marx's research and theory on the subject. Engels denounced the scandalous working conditions, the long working hours of men, women and children, and the risks associated with maintaining the machines (Sabine, 713). The shift of production from farms to factories brought together people who needed this new work. The factory owners treated the workers horribly, but they had no choice but to obey or starve. Workers realized they could have a kind of united power and began attempting collective action for relief. As they fought for their rights, theycrowded into cities where living conditions were appalling: cramped housing, poverty and disease. Although the advent of urbanization brought better education, medical care, theaters, libraries, and goods from around the world, the working poor did not receive an equal share. (Greer, 507) Instead, they had to wallow in their suffering. People tried to remedy their situation, but the problem lay in the system itself. Employees depended on a salary that was not guaranteed. They were a lower class, with fewer rights, and it seemed that no one above them was willing to help. Although Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847, as the Industrial Revolution was soaring, the story takes place in 1801, and the flashbacks that encompass the bulk of the novel took place in the 1770s. Bronte wrote the story from the perspective of the 1840s, in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, but sets the time at 1801, in the middle of the revolution. She does this to show the evolution of the characters from the 1770s, at the very beginning of this new world order, to the 1800s, a time when the future of the working middle class was unclear. That she wrote it as a contemporary review of 1847 was perhaps to enlighten her peers that, although the last 100 years had seen significant changes, positive in many ways, a class had gone out of this success with a dark vision of reality, a reality that required renovation. The end of the novel proves it; through Heathcliff's struggle (and the resulting cruelty), the reader is perhaps led to hope for a happy ending. Brontë disagrees. She writes her ending carefully, to shock the reader into a tragic reality. A solved problem only created a new one. His cure lay at the source of his problems: the system. Heathcliff, from his introduction, seems like an obvious parallel to the thousands of pathetic, poverty-stricken souls crowding the streets of England in their despair. Nellie Dean immediately tells the reader that she doesn't know "where he was born, who his parents were, and how he got his money in the first place." » (44) What we learn is that he is immediately hated. Hindley was taught to regard him as “a usurper of his parents’ affections and privileges; and he became bitter brooding over these wounds. »(46) And why not? After all, he was: A dirty child, in rags, with black hair... the master tried to explain the problem to him; but he was really half dead with fatigue... all I could understand... was a story that he saw hungry, homeless, and almost mute people in the streets of Liverpool; where he picked it up and asked for its owner. No one knew who it belonged to, he said; and his money and his time being both limited, he thought it better to take them home at once, rather than to waste them in vain; because he was determined not to leave him as he found him... Mr. Earnshaw [said] to wash him, give him clean things, and let him sleep with the children. (45) Heathcliff, found homeless on the streets of Liverpool, is brought back to a wealthy family by a kind man, but even his introduction to the upper echelons of society is bitter. He is called “it” and is looked at with disdain. Peter Miles explains Heathcliff's position best. Until he is given his name, he is only an "it" and "has climbed levels of depersonalization to a point of negation [...] he reaches a human and social definition, is translated from “that” to “he”, being “baptized”. » (Miles, 56 years old) As listed by Nelly Dean, Heathcliffserved as both his Christian name and his surname. Although I disagree with the analysis of focusing on a first or last name as representative of the class, I do agree that Heathcliff's unique name automatically separates it. It "will never be fully integrated into his name like, say, 'Heathcliff Earnshaw'...the particular combination 'Heathcliff Earnshaw' remains the deceased son's identity alone." (Miles, 57) It can never be fully incorporated and it will always be separate and distinct. The very name "Heathcliff" is a family name for some (Isabella, Catherine Jr., Linton) and a first name for its deceased namesake, but none will carry it with the intensity and particularity that they will. It will create his placement as a Christian and last name. This “baptism” illustrates his class position throughout his life. Even with a name that considers him a member of the family, and without a last name, he is still willingly separated. Steven Vine describes his "'introduction' to the family, here, [as] an expulsion from it. » (Vine, 343) Even when he is incorporated into the family, he is always excluded. Vine aptly describes Heathcliff's position as a "favorite and an outcast." Although most members of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange view Heathcliff as a dirty and unacceptable addition to their lifestyle, "Heathcliff took his degradation well at first." (52) Not only did Mr. Earnshaw treat him like a son, but Catherine was also immediately attracted to him. They became best friends and fell in love. Throughout their childhood, the two were inseparable. It seemed that their union would be inevitable, despite their class differences and opposition from others. However, the opposition was very strong. Catherine is forced to stay at Thrushcross Grange to receive medical treatment following their failed escapade in the house. Isabella (who will ironically be seduced by Heathcliff years later when he returns as a rich man) implores her father: Scary thing! Put it in the cellar, Dad. He's just like the son of the fortune teller who stole my pet pheasant. Isn't that right, Edgar? (55)When Mrs Linton discovers the situation, she shouts in shock: Miss Earnshaw! Absurdity! Miss Earnshaw travels the country with a gypsy! (55) During the entire time that Catherine is held at Thrushcross Grange, Heathcliff is forbidden from coming to visit her, the Lintons wishing that she and Heathcliff would not remain as friendly as before. After all, she is part of a wealthy family, whose ownership of Wuthering Heights dates back to at least 1500 (21). He is just a dirty and unwanted “gypsy”. When Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights five weeks later, it appears that some changes have been made: If [Heathcliff] was careless and unkempt, before Catherine's absence he was ten times more so. , Since. No one except me even did him the kindness of calling him a dirty boy and telling him he was being himself, once a week. (57) Catherine, for her part, the former tomboy, wore: A large-checked silk dress, white pants and hot shoes; and while her eyes shone with joy as the dogs came running to greet her, she hardly dared touch them, lest they flatter her magnificent clothes. (57) Although Heathcliff was a stranger his entire childhood, he always found comfort in Catherine. Despite her upbringing, she and Heathcliff were equals as children. But now she too was proving the differences between their classes: I didn't mean to make fun of you. I couldn't help it: Heathcliff, at least shake hands! Why are you sulking? It's just that you seemedweird. If you wash your face and brush your hair, everything will be fine: but you are so dirty! (58) It seemed that now Catherine's interests were not limited to gambling, but rather to the wealth and social status of Edgar Linton. She cared for Heathcliff, but didn't seem to realize that she couldn't have both him and Edgar. Arthur Kettle considers this a betrayal on Catherine's part, "deceiving herself into thinking she can keep them both, then discovering that by denying Heathcliff she has chosen death. The conflict here is clearly social.” He explains that Thrushcross Grange embodies the "prettier and more comfortable side of bourgeois life", and thus seduces Catherine, making her resent Heathcliff's lack of "culture". (Kettle, 135) Therefore, despite Catherine and Heathcliff's shared childhood, the reader will not be surprised, thirty pages later, when, looking for Nellie Dean, she bursts into the kitchen with the following statement: Today, Edgar Linton asked me to marry him and I gave him my answer.(77)To answer Nellie's question:Why do you love him?(77)Catherine answers:Because he is young and cheerful...because he loves me...and he will be rich, and I would like to be the greatest woman in the neighborhood, and I will be proud to have such a husband."(78) Even Catherine, the one who had shown Heathcliff love and care, who had been his playmate and tender friend, had been captured by the lure of a richer life and had chosen to sacrifice her destiny with Heathcliff. Terry Eagleton identifies this as “a crucial act of self-betrayal and bad faith [in which] Catherine rejects Heathcliff as a suitor because he is socially inferior to Linton; and this is where the train of destruction flows. » (Eagleton, 401)Heathcliff entered the world of Wuthering Heights as a poor and unwanted child, and although he was treated as an inferior by most, he always found appreciation and a feeling of equality with Catherine. They were partners in crime and soulmates, with a “deep and passionate need for each other.” He, the outcast, the pathetic one, turns to the lively, spirited and intrepid girl who alone offers him human understanding and companionship. » (Kettle, 135) When Catherine rejects him because he is of a lower social class, this is the catalyst that leads Heathcliff to his own self-destruction. He leaves shortly after, and when he returns, he is unrecognizable to his former roommates; not in his appearance, but in his obvious change in social status. Nellie notices him first, as she lets him into the house: Who could it be? Mr. Earnshaw? Oh no! The voice has no resemblance to his! You are Heathcliff! But modified! No, it is impossible to understand it. (90) Now fully revealed by fire and candlelight, I was more amazed than ever to see Heathcliff's transformation. He had become a tall, athletic, well-formed man; next to whom my master appeared quite slender and young. His erect bearing suggested the idea that he had been in the army. His face was much older in expression and decision than Mr. Linton's; It looked intelligent and retained no trace of former decay. A half-civilized ferocity still lurked in the depressed eyebrows and the eyes full of black fire, but it was restrained; and his manners were even dignified: entirely devoid of harshness, although too severe for grace. My master's surprise equaled or exceeded mine: he remained for a minute not knowing how to address the plowman, as he had called him. Heathcliff dropped his light hand and looked at him coldly until hechoose to speak. [emphasis mine] (92) With his return, the situation was reversed for Heathcliff. Instead of appearing like the inferior being he had been, he now resembled the upper class who had always looked down on him. Bronte continues to affirm this transformation throughout the novel. Heathcliff, representing the lower class, managed to break class boundaries and become superior to those who had always considered him inferior. However, as Eagleton claims, “in a situation where social determinants are insistent, freedom can only mean a relative independence from given blood ties, from established, evolving and predictable kinship structures. » (Eagleton, 402) Despite his apparent transformation From the lower class to the capitalist bourgeoisie, Heathcliff, with his name alone and his lack of kinship and blood ties, imagines he has found his freedom, but he has not gone as far as the social structure allowed him. Perhaps this is why, despite his success in escaping the shackles of his "gypsy" image, Heathcliff's rise to the top is only a background to his ultimate failure. Heathcliff's rise is the result of his jealousy. He had been scorned and mocked all his life, feeling the daily burns of inequality, finding comfort only in Catherine. As Catherine rejected him for the world he had always observed from afar knowing he did not belong there, he developed strong, sinister feelings as a defense mechanism. So when he surpassed the equality of those before him, he found himself at the top, pushing them further and further beneath him. The complete upheaval of their social structure was indeed a mirror image; the one who was once at the bottom had risen to the top, but as the mirror shows, the image appeared upside down. His rise was an illusion. Heathcliff rejoined the world from which he had always been separated, but his integration was the opposite of what it should have been; it was backwards. He has always not been accepted into any of the nuclear families and has only succeeded in attempting their destruction. The Communist Manifesto published the year after Wuthering Heights and the year of Brontë's death proclaimed that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." (Marx, 57 ) Marx described Europe at the time as being in the midst of a struggle between the rising bourgeoisie and the developing proletariat “The weapons with which the bourgeoisie brought down feudalism are now turned against the bourgeoisie itself. But not only did the bourgeoisie forge the weapons to kill itself, but it also gave birth to the men who must wield these weapons. modern working class, the proletarians. » (Marx, 68). Although not a worker himself, Heathcliff fit the description of a proletarian. Brontë, even if she did not come to the same conclusion as Marx, saw the same world as Marx and expressed her exegesis of it through Heathcliff. Heathcliff was the lesser equal who struggled to be heard; who took the weapons of the bourgeoisie and used them against them. Apparently, Heathcliff achieved his goal. Lockwood's first encounter with him is Heathcliff's assertion: "Thrushcross Grange is mine, sir." (19) This attitude is the one that Heathcliff will possess upon his return. The reader first witnesses his change in attitude when he says to Catherine: I want you to know that I know you have treated me in a hellish, hellish way! Do you hear? And if you flatter yourself that I don't notice it, you are an imbecile; and if you think I can be comforted by gentle words, you are an idiot; and if you think that I will suffer without vengeance, I(105) Heathcliff's motivation now is to turn to his only other ally, Mr. Earnshaw. With Catherine's rejection of him, he realizes that he must follow the example of his kind host and become owner Soon, the "dirty, ragged, black-haired child" owns both Wuthering Heights and the son of Thrushcross Grange is his servant, education forbidden, unaware how. Things have changed. Edgar's sister, Isabella, who had once considered Heathcliff a "fearful thing", is treated with cruelty and disdain. Catherine's daughter, Catherine, is forced to marry her son Heathcliff, who has become cruel. and sinister, returning the cruel behavior meted out to him by his peers with twice as cruel behavior towards their children, as he says of Hareton: I won't risk a single syllable, all the time, you remember. me at his age, and even a few years younger. Have I ever looked so stupid: so “gaunt,” as Joseph calls it? [...] I have pleasure in him. It met my expectations. If he had been born a fool, I wouldn't enjoy him as much. But he is not stupid; and I can sympathize with all his feelings, having felt them myself. I know exactly what he is suffering now, for example: this is, however, only the beginning of what he will suffer. (188) Hareton, named after his grandfather, the landlord who had given Heathcliff a house, is treated by Heathcliff with worse treatment than even the horrors with which he was treated by Hareton's father, Hindley. Both the reader and Heathcliff are confused throughout the novel by the obvious repetition of names. This is perhaps Emily Bronte's attempt to bring the reader into Heathcliff's mindset and understand that despite all the feelings of inequality he felt growing up in a group that felt superior to him, he considers them the same way: just as bad. For him, when he was treated badly, they all did it, and to appease his ancient need for recognition and equality, he feigns superiority over all those who treated him badly. Yet those who treated him badly and those he treats badly are confused in his mind. The “dance of names,” as Miles eloquently describes it, to the extent that several characters have the same first and last name, remains exclusive to Heathcliff, alone and separated. Kettle suggests that Heathcliff "uses against his enemies with utter ruthlessness their own weapons, to turn against them (stripped of their romantic veils) their own standards, to beat them at their own game." (Kettle, 139) I am not All right. Although Heathcliff used the weapons of his "enemies", I believe he was unaware of his true purpose. His sense of inequality and his subsequent revenge come not from a conscious attempt to defeat them, but rather from an unconscious attempt to join them. His goal was not cruelty, but simply a burning desire for equality. When that tie was never achieved, he continued with the same tactics that had gotten him to a certain point, ignoring his results. As the working class between 1750 and 1850, in search of integration, Brontë seems to express, its initial separation still separated it. Although the world was characterized by what seemed to be immense progress, inequalities remained and, until the system was reorganized, no individual attempt could prove successful. The reader is only able to glimpse the real reason for Heathcliff's behavior when Catherine asks why he and Hindley argued. . His response is as follows: He thought I was too poor to marry his sister. value stayed with him and guided him throughout 49 (1994): 339-359