Wuthering Heights in Relation to Bronte’s Life

Wuthering Heights Relation to Emily Bronte’s life Characterization: 1. Hindley- Bronte used the character of Hindley to represent her brother. Emily Bronte’s brother drank himself to death just as Hindley did. 2. Edgar- When Catherine died, Edgar became exceedingly private and quiet. Edgar represents Emily Bronte’s own father. When Bronte’s mother died, her father followed the same pattern that Edgar did by secluding himself and becoming very quiet. 3. Catherine- Emily Bronte personifies her dislike for women’s position in society through Catherine’s love for Heathcliff.
Because women are not listened to, Bronte represents herself as a man, Heathcliff, in order to be listened to. 4. Catherine’ Cold- Emily Bronte caught a cold at her brother’s funeral. Setting: •    Emily lived in an isolated area called Haworth in the West Riding area of Yorkshire. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange both reflect the isolated area where she lived. •    Because they were isolated socially by there geographical location, Emily and her siblings created fictional worlds.
Emily and her sister Anne created Gondal which is a land of moors, and the world is reflected in moors surrounding the two houses. •    Wuthering Heights literally means stormy heights. Emily’s life had many hardships or “storms” throughout her life, such as, her brother’s alcoholism and some of her family dying from tuberculosis. •     Emily was home schooled because she easily became homesick when away at normal schools. This can be seen through young Catherine because Catherine is home schooled and not aloud to see the outside world without her father’s supervision.

Mood: I. Tragic A. Death in Wuthering Heights B. Death during Emily’s lifetime C. Tuberculosis-caused death of characters D. Tuberculosis-caused death of family E. Drunkeness of Hindley Earnshaw F. Drunkeness of Bronte’s brother II. Isolated 1. Cathy and her father 2. Bronte and her father 3. Characters and their reading 4. Emily and her reading Tone: 1. Defiant tone: Book: Catherine is naughty, does not behave. She is against society “They both promised fair to grow up as rude as savages… ” (46, chapter 6). She also believed she could do what she wanted. … if I marry Linton I can aid Heathcliff to rise, and place him out of my brother’s power” (82, chapter 9). Life: Emily was persistent in her goals and beliefs. She and her sisters attempted to open a school, but it failed because of isolation. Before setting the school up she attended an academy to finish studying French and German. In addition, the three sisters published their works under false names because women writers were discriminated against during the time. 2. Humorous tone: Book: Both Catherine and Cathy have a “humorous tone” in some scenes.
The two have the tendency to not take everything seriously all of the time. “Her spirits were always at high-water mark, her tongue always going-singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do the same” (42, chapter 5). Cathy has a joyful mood in many instances; the first talking about the Crags. Life: Emily had two imaginary worlds, although she broke off from the first when she was 13 (Angria) The second one, Gondal, she kept on with until she died. 3. Dark, depressing tone: Both Emily’s life and the novel are filled with the “dark” tone.
Death is consistent and parallels with one another. Structure: Symbolism: The cold dark kitchen that is described at the beginning of the book is a symbol of the hatred Emily had for the woman’s “station” that is symbolized by a kitchen. Heathcliffs starving of himself symbolizes his hunger for life, and in his case his life is Catherine. This relates to Bronte through her own hunger for greater experiences, love, and happiness. She was also anorexic, so heathcliffs physical starvation relates to her own.