Nature Of Love That Seldom Changes Theme

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

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Wuthering Heights: The True Nature of Love that Seldom Changes-Theme

OUTLINE____________________________________________________________________

Introduction

Here I will give brief overview of the book: the authors, the chapters, the author, the main characters and the likes. I then briefly give an overview of the true nature of love, perhaps from the layman’s point of view. The last paragraph of the introduction will dwell on thesis statement which will be to do with the restating of the theme that I am going to discuss in amore of a conclusive manner, not in a copy-pasted way or format.

Body:

Here I will describe the theme with the aid of the characters and their roles they play in the development of the plot from chapter one to chapter thirty four. Because the book is so big, more than 400 pages I will not dwell on describing all the evidence that links specific characters, in the book, to the theme. What I will do is that I will be selective in the choice of events and quotations of the statements by the characters in the book. With specific quotations I will give my own analysis of the circumstances and words to bring out the theme clearly.

For instance paragraph one will talk of the love between Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Heathcliff and how it s manifested through their actions and words. For in stance when Mr. Lockwood says that "…Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. A capital fellow! He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when." Here I will try to answer questions like: what context does Mr. Lockwood say these words? What shows their love and so on?

Paragraphs: two, three,...will, for instance, dwell on the love between main characters: Catherine and Heathcliff as well as that between the young Catherine and Hareton. Other characters may appear in between as I continue reading the book.

Conclusion

Here I will give an overview of the theme as manifested in the book and how the characters involved contribute towards its manifestation. Lastly I will restate the theme conclusive.

Introduction

Wuthering Heights was written is one of the classical Victorian novels that describe the true nature of love, that is, the emotional feeling of love towards someone and, perhaps, the reciprocity and the none-reciprocity of the loved. It sometimes hurts when the one who shows love to the other fellow fails to be loved back or to be appreciated. Sometimes loving someone can be detrimental to our health when we force ourselves to the proxy of those we love however the distance or space between us. Authored by Emily Bronte, the 34 chapters and 428 paged Wuthering Heights describes love as manifested in a small and secluded village of Haworth, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, in 1847(Oda 1).

In spite of having being written in 1846 and 1847, the narration Wuthering Heights gives us the true nature of love that never changes, irrespective of space and time.

Wuthering Heights: The True Nature of Love that Seldom Changes-Theme

The nature of love is evident between Mr. Lockwood (the new Tenant at Trushcross Grange) and Mr. Heathcliff when the former visits the later at in the year 1801 at Wuthering Heights (Oda 1). The love attraction is evident when Lockwood states that:

A perfect misanthropist’s heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. A capital fellow! He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat (Bronte 1).

In spite of Lockwood’s expressively and unhidden love for Heathcliff, the later seemed reserved. This is evident from the hand shake as described by Lockwood above and the later statement by Lockwood that "felt interested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved than myself" (Bronte 2). This is apparently the case in most instances not all the people that we express our love to appreciate that we do really love them that it is upon them to reciprocate or love us back. This is sometimes disheartening as Lockwood was obviously disappointed by the cold-hearted treatment he got from his new tenant, Heathcliff.

The true nature of love is also evident between Catherine and Heathcliff later in the novel. Te nature of their passion for one another sees stronger than what many people would ever imagine of. This is not the love based on sexual intercourse alone but more of emotions and total reciprocity on the side of both the players in the relationship. More precisely, the two love one another so much that their live is more of spiritual love in real practice. There love min reality is above anything else in the world, even gold and other treasures that nature provides us with. This is evident in chapter 5 when Mrs. Earnshaw, Catherine’s father becomes sick and dies just a few months after Heathcliff’s arrival at Wuthering Heights in 1801. Apparently Mr. Earnshaw, like some of our parents nowadays, loved Heathcliff, Catherine’s love, when he came to live with his family but hated Catherine and so did he Hindley, his son.

However, when he died in his chair in October, while seated by the fire, one would not believe the kind of reaction that Catherine, who had been sick for quite some time would react to the loss of her father that fateful October. One would also be surprise to learn of the kind of reaction from Heathcliff when he discovered that the man who loved him had passed, the two love birds cried loudly as they wipes each other’s tears. The death of Catherine’s father nonetheless was a loss to Heathcliff and that the latter felt sorry to see his girlfriend cry out of despair and loss. To him he truly loves her so much that her suffering was his suffering. This is the true nature of love. When one loves another person the two lovebirds some sort of depend upon each other emotionally and psychologically and that one of them cannot live normally without each other regardless of the availability of other available pleasure-givers. This is because when two people, who are in love, operate like one (Sternberg & Karin 22).

When Mr. Earnshaw passes on, the two love birds were just resting, next to the man who hates Catherine so much, Mr. Earnshaw. In fact He died while with Catherine, who had been week from illnesses was resting his head on his father’s leg while Heathcliff’s head lay on her laps. We are told that when Catherine discovered that her domineering father had passed she lamented "Oh, he’s dead, Heathcliff! he’s dead!’ And they both set up a heart-breaking cry" (Bronte 48-49). Perhaps, she had persevered and even ignores her father’s criticism because she wanted to be close to her father, who apparently loved Heathcliff more than he did with his own children. This is the true nature of love in that the one in love can do anything that has detrimental to their well being because of love. This is because her father’s constant criticism and nudging was not interesting for any one like her to seat next to him.

"Love is blind" is a common form of personification of love that many people us when referring to the nature of love. This means that some one can love the unlovable from the third-party’s perspective. In life you will find that a very beautiful and young woman Maries a very old, ugly and poor man in the neighborhood or in town when she bumps into her. This usually comes to the surprise of many of his friends and relatives who may find it a bit obnoxious to them. Whether it is because of pheromones or just wanting to be unique, researchers and psychologist are yet tell us. This is the reality in Wuthering Heights with respect to the love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. According to the narration by Nelly, Heathcliff was not lovable in any sensible way. First, the young man is described from his first encounter with Lockwood to his stay with the Earnshaw family as being reserved. We are told that the young man was very antisocial in the sense that he never showed any kind of appreciation when given something, he never reacted when someone abused him or even beat him up and all he could do was just stare on as or cry without taking nay stern action at his perceived adversaries.

Nelly narrates to us the story where Heathcliff was beaten up by Hindley, the very day Mr. passed on in the evening. We are told that other than behaving viciously when he was being beaten, like the way other normal boys do, instead he just stumbled forward before waking up again while crying only to be rescued by the ailing Earnshaw. In fact Nelly wonders why Earnshaw loves the dull boy, Heathcliff. However, one would still wonder what Heathcliff had that caused Catherine to get attracted to him. One would also wonders how romantic a dull boy like Heathcliff as to offer to a teenage girl like Catherine, whose adolescence behavior puts her in trouble with her father. Perhaps all we can say is that "love is blind."

The true nature of love is also evident between Catherine and Heathcliff following the death of her father. This is because after the death of Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley comes home and takes over the mantle as the master of the home. Hindley also takes it an opportunity to punish Heathcliff, who had earlier on been loved at the expense of Hindley, something that caused Hindley to hate Heathcliff to the core by forcing him out of school to work for the family. He also forced him to dissociate, fully, with his sister, Catherine. However, out of love Catherine would sneak out with Heathcliff to kiss one another in the gardens. This is the same case scenario of love in the 21st where people who love each other yet their families do not want to see them together will always find some time to make merry (Bronte, Chapter 6; Muller, para. 1)

When one loves another person, heshe loves the individual forever. Owing to such intensity of love, it becomes almost impossible for an individual to forget about his/her ex-lover becomes untenable. Lovers who get separated, because of divorce, migrations and a change of residence, will always find themselves in attracted to one another when they meet later in life even if hey have new lovers. This was the case of love between Catherine and Heathcliff, where in spite of the fact that following Heathcliff’s banishment from Earnshaw’s residence and the transformations that followed suit. For instance we are told that following the banishment of Heathcliff that came after Catherine had been bitten by Linton’s watchdog Catherine and Linton became lovers. With distance between Catherine and Heathcliff, the two began to change in that Heathcliff became dirtier while Catherine had a transformation in character and appearance. However in spite of the changes, Catherine and Heathcliff still shared a kiss together yet she ahead a new boyfriend, Edgar Linton (Bronte, Chapters 6 and 7).

Love also involves jealously in the sense hat people in love would want to be like other people in love. This is because envy is part of human nature (Paludi 19-22). This is for example evident when Catherine and Heathcliff reunite, the latter feels jealous of the kind of relationship that the former had with Edgar Linton. In fact the latter felt that he is the one supposed to be looking the way as good and romantic as Edgar Linton. Heathcliff also envied Linton’s advances with Catherine for Heathcliff felt that Linton’s position in Catherine’s life was rightly his. This is perhaps the reason why Heathcliff was so unease with Catherine after she returned home, because of her changed character and appearance, perhaps, because of her association with Edgar Linton. Later on while Edgar and Catherine, while enjoying their honeymoon together after tying a note, Edgar notices that she is still in love with Heathcliff and this too makes Edgar Jealous of this of it. The same jealousy is portrayed by Catherine because when she learns of the kissing of Isabella by Heathcliff, she quarrels Isabella for that, yet she is married to Edgar (Bronte, Chapters 7, 10 and 11).

Love makes people sick, especially those who are deeply in live. Missing someone you love can sometimes have detrimental consequences to the health of someone because by virtue of his or her absence, the other party feels deprived of happiness, leading to stress that can kill. This is evident when Catherine falls sickened by fever and delirium, it takes some time for the family members, including her confidant, Nelly, to learn that her sickness is as a result of the fact that Isabella had eloped with her most precious man, Heathcliff. When Heathcliff finally pays a visit to Catherine and in spite of the fact that Catherine had heard that he was mistreating Isabella, perhaps because she was not a match to Catherine, she refuses to let him go and she even prays that Heathcliff does not leave. When Edgar enters the room, she refuses to relinquish the hand grip and faints on the sport because she knew that that was the point when Heathcliff was going to leave her. In fact she never wakes up from her fainting (Bronte, Chapter 15).

Truly, love hearts when the one you love fails to appreciate your feeling towards them. Once in love it is hard to be enemies with the lover and it is this that causes ex-lovers to fall in love with each other long after separation. Love can cause as pain as we tarry to appease those we love. Jealousy towards ex-lovers’ lovers is a noble thing. Love can cause illnesses and death for those addicted to their lovers even long after eloping with another lover or long after separation. Love is also blind for one’s love may be some one who fails the approval of majority in the society. These are the facts about love as portrayed in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. These are the same facts about love that have failed to go and will remain so regardless of time and space.