GOTHIC ELEMENTS IN WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Flvia Aparecida Ribeiro Teixeira

SINOPSE: The Gothic Genre and the Romanticism. Demonstration of the finite and
tragically self-consuming nature of passion. Gothic-romantic elements in Wuthering
Heights. The new generation. The shift from the dark to the plausible.
This paper aims at showing the gothic elements in a novel written in 184 !
Wuthering Heights ! b" #mil" $ront%& 't is a stor" o( a wild passion in which gothicism
runs simultaneousl" to Romanticism&
The gothic st"le consists on a )ind o( literature which (eatures supernatural
elements encounters* crumbling ruins* moonless nights* and grotes+ue imager"* see)ing to
create e((ects o( m"ster" and (ear& Ambiguit"* chaos* dar)ness* irrationalit" and secrec" are
usuall" present in the gothic novels& The" generall" show a li(e o( pain* destruction and (ear
that shadow (eelings o( love* reason and moralit" among others&
Tales o( recuperation or reparation and resistance to loss (ind in the ,othic an
ade+uate wa" o( expression& -The desire to be terri(ied is as much part o( the human nature
as the need to laugh& This has been recogni.ed (or as long as stories have been told/
0H#1#223* 148* p& 5&
The late eighteenth centur" was dominated b" the gothic novel* in which the
supernatural pla"s the role& 't was one aspect in the literature o( the eighteenth centur"
which ran parallel to the Romantic movement& 'n (act* it is appropriate to sa" that* at times*
,othic +ualities appear to be a characteristic o( Romanticism* which was* in part* one o( the
6
Aluna do 7urso de #speciali.a89o em :oc;ncia em <=ngua 'nglesa do 7#2>?F* especialista em <=ngua
'nglesa pela Faculdade de Filoso(ia* 7i;ncias e <etras de Al@m Aara=ba& Aro(essora orientadoraB 7ec" $arbosa
7ampos&
reasons (or the decline o( the (ormer as a genre* since some o( its aspects were absorbed b"
the latter& #ven later* in the earl" nineteenthCcentur" prose (iction* the ,othic appears in
di((erent wa"s&
:ue to the (acts mentioned above* the great #mil" $ront%Ds novel Wuthering
Heights is o(ten considered a gothicCromantic stor" (or it is satured with some o( those
t"pical aspects o( the ,othicism& 'ts great theme is the (inite and tragicall" sel(Cconsuming
nature o( passion& A doomed love and a desolate landscape can also be highlighted in
$ront%Ds novel&
The (antastic and the supernatural are easil" (ound& 'n Wuthering Heights* ,othic
(eatures are an extension o( the Romantic content& #xamples are the terri("ing dreams* the
appearances o( 7ath" as a ghost* her haunting o( Heathcli(( a(ter her death* the suggestion
o( Heathcli(( as a diabolic (igure in possession o( blac) magic* the (re+uent occurrence o(
bad weather* and visits to the grave"ard* all connected to a doomed love theme& Eoreover*
throughout the novel* the (re+uent hallucinations o( 7atherine and Heathcli(( occur at
moments o( great emotion* passion and su((ering& $oth o( them develop illness and
starvation due to ps"chological disturbances&
For three da"s* 7atherine did not leave her room& 2he re(used to eat& Fn the third da"
she opened the door and as)ed (or (ood and water& 2he said she was d"ing& ' believed
no such thing at (irst* as she ate and ate what ' brought her& $ut she became (everish*
then violent& Her mind started to wander& 2he imagined she was a child again* bac) at
Wuthering Heights& Then she was b" the church"ard* with Heathcli(( 0$RF1TG* 14*
p& 4H5
$ront%Ds Heathcli(( has strong resemblances to horror storiesD characters& He is a
depressive tormented man who never stops mourning& Alwa"s haunted b" the past* he
cultivates a sel(Chate& Eore than that* Heathcli(( believes in Ievil spiritsD to which he is
constantl" compared& His pain and cruelt" causes hate and su((ering to others& Although
Heathcli(( is considered to be a Idamned spiritD* he is not more than a victim o( himsel(& He
seems to be un)illable* but dies (rom within* willing his own death* since he can not marr"
7atherine& Heathcli(( remains (ixed to a dar)l" romantic past till he is unresistingl" drawn
to death&
Heathcli(( presides a range o( dar)some episodesB he beats and )ic)s the (allen
Hindle"* he throws a )ni(e at 'sabella* he savagel" slaps "oung 7atherine* he does not
trouble to summon a doctor (or his d"ing son* as he no longer has an" use (or him&
Heathcli(( grinds his victims beneath his (eet li)e worms Just li)e an" other gothic character
in the most traditional horror stories& 1ell"* the narrator* tells us what had happened to
Heathcli((Ds wi(eB -'sabella would not sta" long with Heathcli((& A (ew da"s a(ter m" visit*
she arrived at Thrushcross ,range* out o( breath and bleeding& Heathcli(( had thrown a
)ni(e at herK she had escaped and run all the wa" to the ,range/ 0$RF1TG* 14* p& 4 5
As important as the aspects alread" mentioned above* as in man" other wor)s o(
gothic (iction* ghosts (re+uentl" appear throughout Wuthering Heights* although the wa"
the" are presented does not ma)e it clear i( the" are real ghosts or simple hallucinations&
Although* in some passages* the" seem to be more realistic* such as 7atherineDs spirit as a
child when it appears to Er& <oc)wood in chapter ''' ma" be explained as nightmares& He
sa"s* horri(iedB -E" (ingers closed on the (ingers o( a little iceCcold handL The intense
horror o( nightmares came over meB ' tried to draw bac) m" arm* but the hand clung to itL/
0$RF1TG* 14* p& HM 5
'n this extract* <oc)wood* a shadow" character himsel(* thought to have had a
dream but it is so realistic that the reader is led to believe that there is reall" a supernatural
being causing his disturbance& The presence o( the ghost suggests that there is more in the
Heights than Just a (eeling o( paranormalit"& 'n (act* the" seem to be haunted& 'n chapter
NN'O* some villagers allege sightings o( Heathcli((Ds ghost* which could be dismissed as
unveri(ied superstition& He is o(ten seen wal)ing on the moors with a woman* on ever"
rain" night& Whether real or not* ghosts are a mar) o( the gothic romantic*representing an
endless love* able to resist even to death&
Regarding the houses o( the two main (amilies* which are separate b" the cold*
mudd" and barren moors& There are numerous di((erences betwen Wuthering Heights and
Thrushcross ,range& First o( all* their own names give the idea o( completel" di((erent
atmospheresB Wuthering Heights represents a wind" and storm" environment* whereas
Thruscross ,range represents a calm and serene place& #ven the weather contrasts the two
placesB at Wuthering Heights* it is o(ten storm"* at Thrushcross ,range* o(ten gentler& 'n
addition to that* these two contrasting estates in the novel represent opposing worlds and
values& Wuthering Heights* set in the moorlands* is the most li)el" setting o( all sorts o(
mis(ortunes& 't is also the land o( storm* o( the untamed and passionate people in an
atmosphere o( m"ster" and (ear* shapes coming out upon the e"e* into the (og* whereas
Thrushcross ,range which is set in a green valle"* is the land o( peace and calm* o( order*
moral and cultural standards&
According to ?o"ce 7arol Fates* -'t is the (idelit" to the observed ph"sical world*
and $ront%Ds own inward applause* that ma)es the metamorphosis o( the dar) tale so
plausible/ 0HMMP5&
Triumph onl" comes with the more plausive love o( the second 7atherine and
Hareton 0the IsecondD Heathcli((5& 3oung 7atherine has not inherited her motherDs
predilection (or the grave& E"steries are graduall" dispelled& 'nstead o( the narcissist and
violent love o( Heathcli(( and 7atherine* Hareton and 7ath" will celebrate a marriage o(
emblematic signi(icance& The" decide to live in Thrushcross ,range&
As we have seen* Wuthering Heights is a novel in which a great deal o( gothic
elements can be (ound& The passionate and pain(ull" convincting nostalgia (or the Heights*
the moor* evinced mainl" b" 7atherine and Heathcli((* their values and their world are
doomed are evidences o( it&
$'$<'F,RAAH3
$RF1TG* #mil" ?ane& Wuthering Heights& <ondonB 7ollins #nglish <ibrar"* 14&
,R'FF'TH* $enJamin W& ?r& Barrons sim!i"ie# aroa$h to Wuthering Heights&
<ondonB $arronDs #ducational 2eries* 14QQ&
H#1#223* $rendan& The Gothi$ no%e!B a critical and bibliographical series& <ondonB
<ongman* 148&
WRTH#R'1, Heights& FnCline& :ispon=vel emB Swww.literature.org/authors T Acesso
emB HM set& HMMP&
FAT#2* ?o"ce 7arol& Wuthering Heights& :ispon=vel emB Swww.sparknotes.comT Acesso
emB HM set& HMMP&