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Essay: Clashing Classes of Love in Wuthering Heights & Pride & Prejudice

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There are many ways in which both Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights are very similar works of literature. The storylines take place within similar cultures and locations, which are driving forces for the plot of the novels. The characters are very homogenous in development but have very distinct differences that make them individual characters.  While Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen are written in very different styles they both tackle betrayal, social, cultural issues, and have similar dominating male characters. England in both of the time periods was riddled with many of the same problems which are all covered in the novels despite the authors different writing styles. Bronte writes in the gothic style and her novels contain many dark elements while Austen writes her novels with an overarching theme of romance.

Mr. Darcy, a handsome gentleman’s son from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin, can be seen as a similar, yet different male lead when compared to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Both novels have a similar background but with a different twist. Austin’s description of writing is seen to be related to a more realistic and satirical approach, whereas Bronte’s style tends to be written in the gothic style. Furthermore, both novels have a romantic presentation of two very unique characters that fall deeply in love with one another. At Mr. Darcy's introduction in the novel he is immediately described as "Haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting." (Austen pg. 12). However, the readers are only seeing Elizabeth’s perception of Darcy who is gathering information as she goes. The climax of Pride & Prejudice allows the reader a brief description of Darcy and how he views people and his future. Darcy wants to be seen as a prideful, intelligent, cautious man; therefore, his actions are often mistaken as cruel and cocky. However, in Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is brought into the novel as a cruel, rich man who is seen to have a distasteful and contempt attitude towards everyone except Catherine. Convexly, we do learn that Heathcliff, as a young adult was not wealthy and found a stable home after being adopted by his “father.” Both dominant males are seen to display overlapping traits which later can be differentiated between by actions they take towards the loves of their lives. Mr. Darcy and Heathcliff both have difficult love lives that are presented in the novels, the difference is that Heathcliff is in love with his best friend/sister who he grew up with and spent all his childhood. Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, fell in love with the women whom his friend introduces him to. As it is seen, both men are in love but end up in a different twist. Heathcliff does not get to marry Catherine, but Mr. Darcy gets the pleasure of marrying his beloved Elizabeth.

Social class and revenge, are primary and intertwining themes in the novel Wuthering Heights. Social class plays a considerable part in the lives and loves of the characters in the novel. Revenge is key element in the book, this twisted theme creates the entire plot line. “Children develop a strong interest in the world around them by the age of three they are drawn to the adult influences around them as they long to become an adult.” (Vargish). Because Heathcliff was an orphan and had no one to look up to for a long time, it’s possible that his young life affected him more than he would realize. From the start Heathcliff had to assume that the whole world was against him. Heathcliff was taken in as an orphan by Mr. Earnshaw when he was only about six years old. When first arriving at Wuthering Heights Heathcliff does not feel welcomed, but after some time most of the family accepts Heathcliff as one of their own. The family’s love of Heathcliff grows as Hindlys hatred towards him increases. It gets to the point that Hindly is sent away to a school.  Social class is also highly important in Pride and Prejudice, as it was in the society Austen was depicting. English society in the early 19th century was hierarchical, rather than equalitarian, meaning people's place in society was determined by who their parents were. Strict rules of etiquette governed interactions between individuals of different social classes. For example, nobody of a lower social class was supposed to introduce themselves to someone of a higher class unless spoken to first, which is why it is embarrassing situation when Mr. Collins introduces himself to Mr. Darcy. At the top of the hierarchy were royalty and below them the land-owning aristocrats. Mr. Darcy was a land-owning aristocrat: he had inherited a vast estate from his father and rented out most of the land, then lived on the rents. The chief mark of a gentleman was not having to work for a living. Mr. Darcy was at the top of the social hierarchy in Pride and Prejudice. Lady Catherine DeBourg, Mr. Collins's patroness, was also a land-owning aristocrat. The Bingleys represented a new kind of wealth rising in England. We are told Mr. Bingley's father was a tradesman who made a fortune in the north. But because he worked for a living, no matter how wealthy he was, he ranked below a leisured gentleman like Darcy. However, he had the money to set up his son, Mr. Bingley, as a gentleman of leisure with a large allowance, and his daughters as ladies. Miss Bingley's urgent desire to marry Mr. Darcy can be understood if it is viewed as a way of helping her family climb into the aristocracy: no matter how wealthy they were; they were stained by coming from a trade fortune. The Bennet’s were land-owning gentry: they had an estate big enough to take guests hunting, and they derived a comfortable living from the rents on the estate, but they were not wealthy aristocrats with titles: they were no lords and ladies. Therefore, they ranked below people like Darcy and Lady Catherine on the social scale. Clergymen like Mr. Collins were considered gentlemen and included in the upper classes: as we see, Mr. Collins spends much time visiting Lady Catherine. But because they did not have landed wealth, they were lower on the social scale than a lord or lady. We see much jockeying for social position in Pride and Prejudice. Lady Catherine, for example, is furious at the idea that Elizabeth would dare to think she could marry Mr. Darcy.

Betrayal also plays a very key role in the interaction of characters within the novels and betrayal goes hand in hand with vengeance in Wuthering Heights. Firstly, Catherine’s betrayal of her true feelings led to her eventual destruction. When asked about her feelings for Edgar, the reader observed that they were void and repetitive. "You love Mr. Edgar, because he is handsome, and young, and cheerful, and rich, and loves you."(Bronte pg. 64). This ideal was a false one and caused Catherine to abandon her ultimate feelings of love for Heathcliff. The unwise choice Cathy made ultimately led to her unhappiness with Edgar. Being trapped at Thrushcross Grange brought out frustration and anger within Catherine, for she was used to the freedom of wandering the moors with Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights. This feeling was reinforced when Heathcliff came back to visit Catherine. His return caused a personal conflict between Catherine and Edgar. Knowing full well that Catherine was excited about Heathcliff's return, Edgar became extremely jealous, angry and rude; "What, the gypsy – the plough-boy?" (Bronte pg. 103). Catherine's first declaration of disloyalty was shown when, being of lower orders, she offered to set one table for Edgar and Isabella, and the other for herself and Heathcliff. At that point, Catherine began to realize she had pursued a false ideal. The conflicting environments and social class distinctions represented the beginning of her inner struggle. Another cause for Catherine anger involved Isabella's feelings for Heathcliff; Catherine continually warned Isabella that Heathcliff was an uncaring, brutal and ferocious man. In Catherine eyes, this was the only way she was able to excuse herself for her awful mistake of marrying Edgar using false ideals. Isabella's words, "I love him more than ever you loved Edgar; and he might love me if you would let him," (Bronte pg. 105). penetrated into Catherine’s soul. Catherine now knew her feelings of love for Edgar were false and that she had been betraying her true feelings. Finally, Catherine’s selfishness had begun, "If I were only sure it would kill him, I'd kill myself directly!" (Bronte pg. 95). Vengeance and anger now filled Catherine’s soul, as she wanted Edgar to suffer, and would go to any means to do it. She lay awake at night, refrained from eating and worsened her condition only to punish others for her mistakes. Since these recent acts were carried out as a revenge plan for Edgar, Catherine grew even more enraged when she found Nelly had not told Edgar of her condition. This irrational conduct was a direct result of her pursuit of false ideals. These examples make it obvious that Catherine's death was self-inflicted. Her false ideals stood in the way of her dreams, and in the end, she defeated herself. "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; you said I killed you—haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. 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!" (Bronte pg. 221). Heathcliff's anger from Catherine’s betrayal led to the destruction and suffering of others. After Catherine’s death, Heathcliff's only objective in life was to destroy others with his power and manipulation. For Heathcliff, those around him served only as a tool to get the things he wanted. Heathcliff took pride and pleasure in controlling Hareton. He denied Hareton an education, resulting in his unsociable and withdrawn manner. Heathcliff had reproduced the pattern of control Hindley had inflicted on him; because Hareton is bright, and loves Heathcliff, his revenge was even more powerful since he had stunted the growth of a smart boy. Hareton began to acquire some of Heathcliff's brutal characteristics; one afternoon, he hung a litter of puppies on the back of a chair. The childhood of Catherine’s nephew was destroyed as a result of Heathcliff's plan of revenge. The lives around Heathcliff were bound to suffer because Catherine’s pursuit of false ideals destroyed him. Catherine's pursuit of false ideals destroyed Heathcliff, and in turn, the lives of those around him were bound to suffer. Secondly, Heathcliff's harsh environment destroyed Linton. “Heathcliff took revenge on Edgar by marrying Isabella. Together, they had a child and in Heathcliff's "care", this child became very weak.” (Wellington). Upon his arrival, Linton instantly could not survive under the harsh conditions at Wuthering Heights. After having lost his Mother, Linton became very ill; a boy his age cannot proceed without special attention from those who love him. Heathcliff made the worst of the situation, by refusing to "spend a farthing on him". After several weeks, Linton had spent so much time in bed that the reader was under the impression that he was afraid to come out of his protected room into the brutal surroundings of Wuthering Heights. "…and I never knew such a faint hearted creature." (Bronte pg. 176). Catherine’s betrayal turned Heathcliff into an uncaring beast, which led eventually to Linton's suffering and early death. Lastly, Heathcliff used the power of manipulation to get what he wanted. When Edgar was deathly ill, he kidnapped Nelly and locked them up in Wuthering Heights. He presented the ultimatum that she marries Linton in the early morning or she would be locked up until Edgar is dead. This presented the enormous threat of Edgar dying alone and brought out Cathy’s true feelings of hatred and bitterness toward Heathcliff. She fought Heathcliff's power and would suffer any consequence to reach her Father before he died. When Cathy and Linton are married, Heathcliff did not care for Linton, he cared only for Cathy’s suffering. Heathcliff's drive for power and manipulation transformed him to "…a lying fiend! A monster and not a human being!" (Bronte pg. 156), and was the direct result of Catherine’s betrayal of her true feelings of love for him. Had she followed her heart, and married Heathcliff, others would not have suffered so greatly. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth first confesses to her sister, Jane, at the public ball that she has no intention of ever marrying. At the public ball, she meets Darcy, which in contrast to Mr. Bingley, refuses to dance or talk with anyone other than his company. Elizabeth deliberately judges him as arrogant and unpleasant. She also overhears him speaking ill remarks about her to Mr. Bingley; and thus perceives him as ill-mannered and haughty. Thereafter, Elizabeth encounters Wickham, a handsome lieutenant, who tells her about Darcy's betrayal of him due to jealousy. This further exacerbates Elizabeth's perception of Darcy as an individual. Then, Elizabeth attends Bingley's ball, where she engages in some verbal clash with Darcy as she dances with him. During her visit to her friend Charlotte, Elizabeth visits Lady Catherine DeBourg, who is also Darcy's aunt. There, Elizabeth encounters Darcy and engages herself again in verbal sparring, so Darcy confesses that he is not that sociable and outgoing. After that, Elizabeth learns that Darcy was the one behind ruining Jane's marriage from Mr. Bingley. This further exacerbates her view of Darcy. Later, Darcy meets up with Elizabeth and confesses his love and proposes to her. However, Elizabeth rejects Darcy's proposal for his arrogance, and for what he has cost her sister as well as Wickham, and contrast to Bronte’s Gothic style, Austen’s characters always receive redemption. Despite all of the hardships Elizabeth and Darcy went through, they fell deeply in love in the end, which wouldn’t happen for Bronte’s characters.

Overall, after reading Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, it is evident that even though they sound similar, there are also many differences. To begin with, the narration of Pride and Prejudice is more of a 3rd person, because compared to Wuthering Heights, the story is not told from any of the characters within the story. It is told from an unknown narrator’s point of view. Wuthering Heights speaks more of a tragic love. It deals with more conflicts than the love in Pride and Prejudice. Both novels deal with the social and economic class separating both lovers. The only difference is that in Wuthering Heights the lovers, Heathcliff and Catherine, are never together except for when they both are dead. When it comes to characters, again, Darcy and Heathcliff are almost the same. “Both protagonists have copious amounts of pride. Heathcliff at first has the goal of owning the two houses, but when he does and becomes rich, he demonstrates pride.” (Compston). Darcy is incredibly obsessed with his aristocratic status. It is a belief that Heathcliff shows more love toward Catherine than Darcy to Elizabeth because at the beginning of the novel, Pride and Prejudice, “Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth because of her social class. This proves that Darcy had more pride than love toward Elizabeth at some point.” (Vargish). While Heathcliff always loved Catherine, even though she was not with him. Some of the relationships in both novels are quite similar. For example, the relationship between Heathcliff and Isabella in Wuthering Heights sounds like the relationships between Wickham and Lydia, in Pride and Prejudice. Both Heathcliff and Wickham behave the same, and Isabella and Lydia both fall quickly into a love that they did not carefully think through. Both Lydia and Isabella have to live with the consequences, the only difference is that Isabella dies, perhaps due to this mistake.

In conclusion, both Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice are similar novels which both cover social and cultural issues, the topic of betrayal, and have similar male leads. England in both of the time periods was riddled with many of the same problems which are all covered in the novels despite the authors different writing styles. Bronte writes in the gothic style and her novels contain many dark elements while Austen writes her novels with an overarching theme of romance.

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