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呼啸山庄WutheringHeightstranscendsitsgenreinitssophisticatedobservationandartisticsubtlety.Thenovelhasbeenstudied,analyzed,dissected,anddiscussedfromeveryimaginablecriticalperspective,yetitremainsunexhausted.Andwhilethenovel’ssymbolism,themes,structure,andlanguagemayallsparkfertileexploration,thebulkofitspopularitymayrestonitsunforgettablecharacters.AsashatteringpresentationofthedoomedloveaffairbetweenthefiercelypassionateCatherineandHeathcliff,itremainsoneofthemosthauntinglovestoriesinallofliterature.Today,WutheringHeightshasasecurepositioninthecanonofworldliterature,andEmilyBrontëisreveredasoneofthefinestwriters—maleorfemale—ofthenineteenthcentury.LikeCharlotteBrontë’sJaneEyre,WutheringHeightsisbasedpartlyontheGothictraditionofthelateeighteenthcentury,astyleofliteraturethatfeaturedsupernaturalencounters,crumblingruins,moonlessnights,andgrotesqueimagery,seekingtocreateeffectsofmysteryandfear.ButWutheringHeightstranscendsitsgenreinitssophisticatedobservationandartisticsubtlety.Thenovelhasbeenstudied,analyzed,dissected,anddiscussedfromeveryimaginablecriticalperspective,yetitremainsunexhausted.Andwhilethenovel’ssymbolism,themes,structure,andlanguagemayallsparkfertileexploration,thebulkofitspopularitymayrestonitsunforgettablecharacters.AsashatteringpresentationofthedoomedloveaffairbetweenthefiercelypassionateCatherineandHeathcliff,itremainsoneofthemosthauntinglovestoriesinallofliterature.AnalysisofMajorCharactersHeathcliffWutheringHeightscentersaroundthestoryofHeathcliff.Thefirstparagraphofthenovelprovidesavividphysicalpictureofhim,asLockwooddescribeshowhis“blackeyes”withdrawsuspiciouslyunderhisbrowsatLockwood’sapproach.Nelly’sstorybeginswithhisintroductionintotheEarnshawfamily,hisvengefulmachinationsdrivetheentireplot,andhisdeathendsthebook.Thedesiretounderstandhimandhismotivationshaskeptcountlessreadersengagedinthenovel.Heathcliff,however,defiesbeingunderstood,anditisdifficultforreaderstoresistseeingwhattheywantorexpecttoseeinhim.ThenovelteasesthereaderwiththepossibilitythatHeathcliffissomethingotherthanwhatheseems—thathiscrueltyismerelyanexpressionofhisfrustratedloveforCatherine,orthathissinisterbehaviorsservetoconcealtheheartofaromantichero.WeexpectHeathcliff’scharactertocontainsuchahiddenvirtuebecauseheresemblesaheroinaromancenovel.Traditionally,romancenovelheroesappeardangerous,brooding,andcoldatfirst,onlylatertoemergeasfiercelydevotedandloving.OnehundredyearsbeforeEmilyBrontëwroteWutheringHeights,thenotionthat“areformedrakemakesthebesthusband”wasalreadyaclichéofromanticliterature,andromancenovelscenteraroundthesameclichétothisday.However,Heathcliffdoesnotreform,andhismalevolenceprovessogreatandlong-lastingthatitcannotbeadequatelyexplainedevenasadesireforrevengeagainstHindley,Catherine,Edgar,etc.Ashehimselfpointsout,hisabuseofIsabellaispurelysadistic,asheamuseshimselfbyseeinghowmuchabuseshecantakeandstillcomecringingbackformore.CriticJoyceCarolOatesarguesthatEmilyBrontëdoesthesamethingtothereaderthatHeathcliffdoestoIsabella,testingtoseehowmanytimesthereadercanbeshockedbyHeathcliff’sgratuitousviolenceandstill,masochistically,insistonseeinghimasaromantichero.呼啸山庄ItissignificantthatHeathcliffbeginshislifeasahomelessorphanonthestreetsofLiverpool.WhenBrontëcomposedherbook,inthe1840s,theEnglisheconomywasseverelydepressed,andtheconditionsofthefactoryworkersinindustrialareaslikeLiverpoolweresoappallingthattheupperandmiddleclassesfearedviolentrevolt.Thus,manyofthemoreaffluentmembersofsocietybeheldtheseworkerswithamixtureofsympathyandfear.Inliterature,thesmoky,threatening,miserablefactory-townswereoftenrepresentedinreligiousterms,andcomparedtohell.ThepoetWilliamBlake,writingneartheturnofthenineteenthcentury,speaksofEngland’s“darkSatanicMills.”Heathcliff,ofcourse,isfrequentlycomparedtoademonbytheothercharactersinthebook.Consideringthishistoricalcontext,Heathcliffseemstoembodytheanxietiesthatthebook’supper-andmiddle-classaudiencehadabouttheworkingclasses.Thereadermayeasilysympathizewithhimwhenheispowerless,asachildtyrannizedbyHindleyEarnshaw,buthebecomesavillainwhenheacquirespowerandreturnstoWutheringHeightswithmoneyandthetrappingsofagentleman.Thiscorrespondswiththeambivalencetheupperclassesfelttowardthelowerclasses—theupperclasseshadcharitableimpulsestowardlower-classcitizenswhentheyweremiserable,butfearedtheprospectofthelowerclassestryingtoescapetheirmiserablecircumstancesbyacquiringpolitical,social,cultural,oreconomicpower.CatherineThelocationofCatherine’scoffinsymbolizestheconflictthattearsaparthershortlife.SheisnotburiedinthechapelwiththeLintons.NorishercoffinplacedamongthetombsoftheEarnshaws.Instead,asNellydescribesinChapterXVI,Catherineisburied“inacornerofthekirkyard,wherethewallissolowthatheathandbilberryplantshaveclimbedoveritfromthemoor.”Moreover,sheisburiedwithEdgarononesideandHeathcliffontheother,suggestingherconflictedloyalties.Heractionsaredriveninpartbyhersocialambitions,whichinitiallyareawakenedduringherfirststayattheLintons’,andwhicheventuallycompelhertomarryEdgar.However,sheisalsomotivatedbyimpulsestha