The Treatment of Love in Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Humanities Department of English

Term Paper: The Treatment of Love in Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations

Presented by: Dana Tabari (ID 20070725-5) Presented to: Prof. Ruben Borg Course: The 19th Century English and American Novel

Submitted on the 7th of September, 2011

Wuthering Heights written by Emily Bronte and Great Expectations written by Charles Dickens are two English novels that present two paralleled love stories both of which are affected by the social class within which the characters are adapted. In this paper my aim is to compare and contrast the treatment of love in these two different novels, and how it is cruelly affected by the social injustice that surrounds the lovers. In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte pictures Heathcliff and Catherine's passion for each other as the core of the novel and the cause behind the structure of the plot. It is the most notorious and predominant love represented as ―spiritual love.‖ To express this bond, Catherine tells Nelly: ―my great thought in living is himself [Heathcliff]. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it.‖ (WH ch. IX) Catherine and Heathcliff grew within a middle-class English countryside small house called Wuthering Heights, where Heathcliff was the servant and Catherine the daughter of the owner of this latter place. As children, Heathcliff and Catherine were best friends. Their friendship turned to love while they grew up. Their love-relation expresses the obsessive longing to be all-in-all for each other, so that nothing else in the world matters, and to be loved in this way forever. Their love is based on the perception that they are almost two bodies and one soul; Catherine declares ―I am Heathcliff!‖ and Heathcliff repeatedly calls her his ―soul‖ or his ―life‖. But Catherine’s rebellion and betrayal of her love by marrying Edgar, awakens the violence in Heathcliff’s character which later becomes the source of pain for those around him. Catherine’s desire for social advancement prompts her to marry Edgar regardless of her overwhelming love for Heathcliff. Her decision of marrying Edgar so that she will be the

―greatest woman in the neighborhood‖ is the key event. For that mistake, Catherine suffers and dies paying for it. In chapter XV, Heathcliff asks: ―is it not sufficient for your infernal selfishness, that while you are at peace I shall writhe in the torments of hell?‖ In her reply, Catherine says: ―I shall not be at peace‖. She is conscious of the price she must pay for her mistake, she adds to Heathcliff: ―If I’ve done wrong, I'm dying for it‖ (WH ch. XV). She suggests that in death they have at last freed themselves from society's restrictions, and can finally be together again, walking along the moors, as they did when they were children, and ignorant of the unspoken 'rules' which would keep them apart in life. This actually foregrounds the fact that Bronte, throughout this failing love story, is implicating that love should defeat social awareness. No external force should become in the way of true love unless it is the interference of the lovers themselves. Ironically, Heathcliff transforms from a homeless man found by Mr. Earnshaw to a gentleman. Thus, through this, Bronte is actually mocking the process of becoming a gentleman during the Victorian age; for it is only the outside of the character that alters and not his essence. Moreover, Catherine claims that she loves Edgar. But to what level does she love him? It is not possible that a person is capable to truly love more than one person at a time. Thus she tells Nelly ―My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees - my love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath - a source of little visible delight but necessary.‖ (WH ch. IX) Catherine dies; therefore the love between her and Heathcliff never came to a pleasant endin. However, it still remains eternal, and there is no question that they both love each other truly. Despite her love to him, Catherine’s unfaithfulness not only drives Heathcliff to become a gentleman, but also, it drives him into a hating beast that only wants to seek revenge. But is his

heart really full of hatred against Catherine like he says? In my opinion, the true reason that drives Heathcliff to hate his beloved is not that she has betrayed him, but because she died and left him. Heathcliff says: Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there—not in heaven—not perished— where? Oh! you said you cared nothing for my sufferings! And I pray one prayer—I repeat it till my tongue stiffens—Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living (…)Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul! (WH ch. XVI)

Heathcliff and Catherine’s love is noticeably powerfully and eternally bonded. The only force of their separation was not the upper social temptations themselves but rather Catherine’s desire of joining a higher-leveled group. She chose to remain in denial and lead both men (Edgar and Heathcliff) to a life of anguish and treachery.

In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens portrays Pip’s character as a young boy who has ambitions about self-improvement (morally and socially) thinking that in order to gain his beloved lady to himself, he should join her upper social class. However, when he indeed succeeds to become a gentleman, he finally realizes that one’s social class is in no way connected to one’s real character. He comes to realize that all this is less important than devotion, affection and inner value. Towards the end of the novel, Pip learns that Estella is actually even lower-born than him; she is the daughter of Magwitch, the coarse convict, and thus originates from the very lowest level of society. Together, the theme of love and the theme of social class influence on each other and create a central issue and trigger throughout this book.

Pip does not desire to be anything else, but is then forced, by Estella, to see himself from a completely different perspective. Estella’s criticizes: ―'He calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy? what course hands he has. And what thick boots!’ I had never thought of being ashamed of my hands before; but now I began to consider them a very indifferent pair." (GE ch.IIX) Pip, the narrator then starts to perceive everything from a different view, and becomes extremely ashamed of his status. The things back home that had seemed ordinary, and the people he used to respect, now seem low and common to him. Pip is fascinated with Estella’s outer beauty, though her inner side is as cold as ice. He was a part of her game (that was taught by Miss Havishman): to catch the men’s heart then to break it. However, Pip was different than other men. Estella falls to him, but does not confess it. She actually warns Pip that she could not love anyone. Pip first believed that being originated as a blacksmith was the reason that Estella does not love him. This fact pushes him into becoming an educated man with different manners and with even different clothes and tone of voice, he becomes a gentleman. Thus, by this, Dickens represents an image of the Victorian gentleman highly viewed by his own society. But Estella, like Catherine, ignores this pure love and purchases money: she marries another. She asks Pip: ―Do you want me then", said Estella, turning suddenly with a fixed and serious, if not angry, look, "to deceive and entrap you?" "Do you deceive and entrap him, Estella?" "Yes, and many others - all of them but you." (GE ch. XXXVIII)

At this moment, we realize that Estella has never been anything but completely honest with Pip. She has never tried to lead him on, but she is been cold all of her life.

Pip’s adoration of Estella is seen as a form of imprisonment, a trap. But is it really a trap? Or does Estella truly love Pip? In my opinion, Estella, having grown under Miss Havishman’s influence, does indeed love Pip but is afraid to show her emotions thinking that he will hurt her – as her aunt was hurt. So she flees away because she does not know how to confront her new sensations. Like Heathcliff and Catherine, Pip and Estella reunite at the end. However, the first couple reunites after death, while the others reunite in life. After she marries Drummel, Estella realizes her mistake (like Catherine does), and fate brings her back together with Pip and they never part again. Pip announces that he ―took her hand in [his], and [they] went out of the ruined place and [he] saw no shadow of another parting from her." (GE ch. XXXXXIX)

To conclude, although these two stories are written by different authors, the themes in the stories are quite similar. The treatment of love during the nineteenth century was corrupted by the social awareness, and unfortunately the heroines (with low-class origins) of these plots fell into these social temptations where they had to go after wealth, leaving their lovers behind. Both authors agree that love and social status should not be at conflict. When there is true love, lovers should be true to themselves and grant a happily ever after life.

Works Cited:

Dickens, C. Great Expectations. Penguin Classics Bronte, E. Wuthering Heights. Wordsworth Classics