Love Remains in the Human World

【Abstract】Wuthering Heights is a famous love tragedy. This paper analyses the novel through freezing of human nature， falling of human nature and wakening of human nature represented in the novel to show love remains in the human word.

【Key words】Wuthering Heights； Love； tragedy

【作者簡介】袁蓉，克拉玛依职业技术学院。

I. Introduction

Wuthering Heights is a love tragedy. The structure of the novel is based on the love， hatred， revival of humanity， and wakening of human nature of Heathcliff and Catherine. Wuthering Heights is the only novel written by Emily Bronte. In this novel， the author tells readers the revenge story based on the love of Heath， Cliff and Catherine. The works show the extraordinary of the female writer.

II. Freezing of Human Nature Reflected from the Novel

Lockwood is a narrator in the book. He is precise and honest in his reporting of what he sees， giving the readers an opportunity to compare events as they happened with Lockwoods evaluation of them， and to note the ironic contrasts. Lockwood thus described as he first saw Wuthering Heights， “No wonder the grass grows up between the flags， and cattle are the only hedge-cutters”. Wuthering Heights portrays the universe in microcosm， and the Heights and the Grange at the other frame its entire world. Yet the two houses and their families represent and unleash fundamental force of life. Together they give a total symbol of existence， while in their conflict they divide existence.

III. Falling of Human Nature Represented in the Novel

Ellen Dean or Nelly is housekeeper of Wuthering Heights. Her concrete role is a factual “mistress”of the two families. Nelly， on one hand， shows loyalty to her employer and old friend， Hindley. On the other hand， she speakes the language of Christianity， and is sympathetic to those in distress， and reveals a strain of sturdy common sense. Therefore， it is Nelly that is trying to keep the shaky peace of the family. To make matters worse， the love and passions between Heathcliff and Catherine become more and more apparent. Nelly tries to reconcile Heathcliff with Hindley by giving Heathcliff “sisterly love and comfort” and protecting him from the hurt of Hindley. But she fails， for both sides are so impulsive， irrational and selfish that they go beyond the influence of Heathcliff on Catherine so that the force of the passions will not be so strong as to endanger the family. Even with Heathcliff gone， however， it is impossible for the family to return to normal.

IV. Wakening of Human Nature Presented in the Novel

The love among the second generation gives us a moving picture. Cathy helps Hareton sincerely and reopens his heart. His teacher is a warm-hearted and strict guide， no wonder he makes such a rapid progress. Cathy and Hareton， are cousins， also teachers and student， and also lovers. The writer connects love with the finest feeling in the world， and regards love as an inspiring motivation. The more valuable thing is that she considers “love” and “hatred” as one unit. The ending of the work gives us such a belief： “love” and “hatred” belong to the finest part of human nature. Hatred is the twisted human nature and the degeneration in the world， although it seems so strong， yet it fails. The love that at last breaks through the coldness is the recovering of the frozen and human nature. The twisted and oppressed human nature is set free at last. Human being is always promising.

V. Conclusion

The conflicts between two houses and the destiny of two families shape into two love stories. Heathcliff embodies two human feelings. His experience shows that love and hatred are two opposite sites that may be changeable. The symmetry of the two houses and two kinds of love supplies the novel with parallel structure， which can be also， seems from the contrast of the different ways of life， different natures of the children in the two families and from the arrangement of the plot as well. Wuthering Heights is a symbol with poetic passion and language. The author describes an epitome of human society and reveals the in-the-world of human beings. Its artistic form is perfectly combined with the content and serves the theme combined with context quite well. The two aspects merge into a whole and make the novel a great success. Wuthering Heights is a dazzling star in the artistic palace of the world.

References：

[1]Emily，Bronte.1984.Wuthering Heights.Beijing：The Commercial Press.

[2]Geoffrey，Moore.2002.Selected Reading English Literature.