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Power, who doesn’t want it
Part of being human is experiencing conflict. No person alive has ever lived a life
without any conflict in it. Sometimes the struggles that people go through can be simplified
down to struggles between two things of the same nature; teams struggle against one another;
people struggle against one another; even society, or rather the classes in society, struggle against
one another. Power is ultimately the goal and is always the same regardless of who the struggle
is between. In her novel Wuthering heights, Emily Bronte illustrates the different struggles
within it in order to reveal who has the ultimate power at the time.
There is an obvious battle between the high and low classes as is evident
immediately within the settings of the novel. One setting is at the Heights: it is a somewhat
homey place, with carvings over the door that opens directly into the family sitting-room, it has a
kitchen in a separate quarter than the parlor, which includes a latter that has never been underdrawn, a chimney with ornaments, a smooth white stone floor, high-backed chairs, and numerous
dogs. (Bronte 4-5). “The apartment and furniture [of the Heights] would have been nothing
extraordinary” (Bronte 5). Juxtaposing this setting is the Grange, which is an isolated place and
located in an enormous park, it has a drawing room with crimson carpets, chairs and tables, a
white ceiling, glass-droplet chandeliers, a parlor, a library, and a study with a fire (Thompson
Thrushcross Grange). The settings of the novel especially portray this conflict between classes.
“The setting of the story at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange provides a clear example
of social contrast. While the Heights is depicted as simply typical and ‘domestic,’ the Grange is
described as a ‘scene of unprecedented richness’” (“Emily Bronte’s” 1). The high class setting
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of the Grange is in constant combat to appear better off than the Heights. For an untitled family
such as the Lintons’ the Grange is abnormally large (Thompson Thrushcross Grange).
Contrarily the Heights is being made to average and normal, while the Grange is being made to
seem to be the richer and more well off of the two. Ultimately the Grange has the power in this
one instance, in relation to the setting, it manages to depict itself as much richer compared to the
Heights while simultaneously giving the impression that those who live in the Grange are better
off, financially and in regards to society. Thus the Grange is revealed to possess the ultimate
power of perception in this instance at this time.
The struggle for the ultimate power between high and low class not only exists in the
setting but also in the characters that live in the different places. Catherine and Heathcliff
present a conflict between the classes as they are brought up in different places, the Grange and
the Heights respectively. What they learn there represents the inherent struggle between the high
and low classes as to how they rear those who are brought up in their midst. “When Catherine is
taken into the Grange, she experiences drastic changes, thus going from a ‘savage’ to a ‘lady’”
(“Emily Bronte’s” 1). This highlights the fact that at the Grange they are rearing their young to
think of themselves as better than others. Thus they are ensuring that the future continues to
struggle to keep others below them. “While [Catherine is] at this house [the Grange], she rises in
status, learns manners, and receives great privileges such as not having to work” (“Emily
Bronte’s” 1). This shows that the Grange is making sure to instill in their young the values that
are needed to remain at a higher station in life, and keep others below them. “Heathcliff, on the
other hand, learns to classify himself as a member of the lower class, as he does no possess the
qualities of those at the Grange” (“Emily Bronte’s” 1). This shows that while it may not be
evident, there is in fact a struggle between those who live in the different settings in that they
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think of themselves in different ways depending on where they live or were raised. Those who
grow up at the Grange become members of a higher class as compared to those who are reared at
the Heights. At this moment the ultimate power is revealed to belong to the Grange, the higher
class, because they keep raising their children to identify with a higher class compared to at the
Grange where they learn to identify with a lower class. This means that a child who is reared in
the Grange will be in a higher station in life when compared to a child who is reared in the
Heights. Assuming that a high station in life is the goal then the Grange ultimately has the
power, because they learn to identify with a higher social class compared to the social class that
the Heights identifies with.
Adversely the disadvantaged, the lower class, struggles against those who are
advantaged, the higher class. Given that “Heathcliff is poor and possesses no assets” (“Emily
Bronte’s” 1) but still wishes to marry Catherine who is in a higher social class proves that the
lower classes strive to fight against the higher classes in that they do not care about social class
when it comes to what they want. Even though Heathcliff did not get what he wanted in that
Catherine choose to marry Edgar Linton instead of Heathcliff illustrates that although they do not
always win they do try, and they have their priorities in what some might consider a better order.
Heathcliff, a member of the lower class, wants to marry Catherine because of personal feelings.
“Catherine does not consider personal feelings; but instead, she focuses on her outward
appearance to society” (“Emily Bronte’s” 1). Catherine does not care about feelings as
Heathcliff does and does not marry Heathcliff simply because “if Heathcliff and I married, we
should be beggars” (Bronte 81). This happens regardless of the fact that Heathcliff is
Catherine’s true love. This simply proves that although the lower class does not triumph in that
Heathcliff does not marry Catherine they do struggle against the higher class by ignoring the
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social barriers and going after what they want regardless of their inherent disadvantages. In this
case the ultimate power is possessed by the higher class because although the lower class does
not regard the barriers of society as berries, however they can not make the higher class
overcome the obstacles that they themselves do not wish to overcome. The higher class has the
ultimate power in this instance simply because they can choose to marry for social class and not
for love, and the lower class can do nothing to force them to act on motives as uncorrupted as
they do in acting on true love.
While the disadvantaged people of the lower class may have not have triumphed over the
greater advantages that the higher class had in regards to their inerrant societal disadvantages
they continue to struggle against the higher class. They demonstrate pure motives and to the
higher class. In actuality Heathcliff does win some of his struggle against the higher class for
Catherine’s hand in marriage in that Catherine marries Linton because “if I [Catherine] marry
Linton I can aid Heathcliff to rise, and place him out of my brother’s power” (Bronte 81). This
illustrates that despite it not a huge victory for the lower class in that Heathcliff still loses the
struggle against Linton for Catherine’s hand in marriage he remains to have gained a small
victory in that while Catherine is marrying Linton she is doing it to aid him. Heathcliff’s
example of pure motives, wisher, and intentions, ultimately win out over simply the struggle for
power. Catherine, in the end, does not simply marry Linton for her own benefit in society
compared to if she were to marry Heathcliff; Catherine also marries Linton because she wished
to aid Heacliff. Catherine observed Heathcliff’s example that one should ignore the class
barriers and do what one thinks is best, so she marries Linton for the aid she can then offer
Heathcliff from her new position. This move reveals that the power ultimately resides with the
lower class at this time in that they can lead by example and their pure motives can touch the
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higher class and encourage them to do things for the right reasons. Thus asserting the superiority
for pure motives, wishes, and intentions over simply considering what is to be gained in respect
to society and how well off they will be.
Those who are oppressed struggle for power against those who oppress them. Many
people live their entire life being suppressed and as a result they yearn for the power that those
who where their own personal tyrant’s yielded. They struggle against their tyrant’s in any way
they can with the hope that one day the tyrant’s will no longer be able to wield their terrible
power. “Heathcliff does his best to make Hareton [Heathcliff’s foster son] a tool of his revenge
against the first Catherine’s brother Hindley Earnshaw” (Woodford 321). Heathcliff was
oppressed by Hindley and so he tries to enact revenge and seek the power that Hindley once
wielded over him by trying to make his foster son into a tool for his own personal gain, since this
is the only way he can figure out how to enact some sort of revenge against his old oppressor.
Instead of what he intended “he [Heathcliff] succeeds instead in creating a reproduction of
himself” (Woodford 321). Instead of becoming a tool for revenge against Hindley, Hareton turns
out to have a “’honest, warn, intelligent nature’” (Woodford 322). In this instance the oppressors
win the ultimate power over those they beat down because the ultimate tool for revenge that
Heathcliff tries to forge turns out to not work in his favor. Tyrant’s have the ultimate power in
this instance because the oppressed are not able fashion a tool to knock them down and enact
their revenge.
In the story much of what happens is a struggle between the past and the parts of the past
that are repeated, or cycled through, in the present. “Cathy’s marriage to Hareton is in a sense a
revision of her mother’s unsuccessful marriage to Edgar Linton” (Federico 323). In this instance
the past is being repeated in the present, thus illustrating the struggle between what has happened
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and what is currently going on. Even the elder Catherine and her daughter Catherine fight the
struggle against past and present as shown by the name cycle. There was writing on a ledge in a
room that “was nothing but a name repeated in all kinds of characters, large and small –
Catherine Earnshaw, here and there varied to Catherine Heathcliff, and then again to Catherine
Linton” (Bronte 19). The elder Catherine is born Catherine Earnshaw and rejects the opportunity
to become Catherine Heathcliff, instead becoming Catherine Linton (Woodford 321). Catherine
Linton then gives birth to another Catherine Linton who becomes Catherine Heathcliff, and
finally becomes engaged to Hareton Earnshaw, so she will become Catherine Earnshaw
(Woodford 321). Thus History repeats itself as both Catherine’s have gone through the same
name cycle, making the second Catherine a reincarnation of her mother in many ways
(Woodford 321). During the entire novel the past and the present compete against each other,
both trying to win the ultimate power. At this moment it is the past that holds the ultimate
power. It influences the people of the present in regards to what they will do. It is extremely
unlikely that the present would have repeated the cycles of the previous generation had they not
existed. Thus the past has the ultimate power in this instance since the present could not have
gone through he cycles of the past and been very similar to the past had the past not existed.
The struggle between the past and the present also appears in how the present learns from
the past and what they gain from their predecessors’ experiences. Eventually the people of the
present learn from the past like when “young Cathy gradually develops sensitivity towards the
feelings and needs of others” (Federico 323). Her mother lacked this sensitivity and so her
daughter learned from her mother’s mistake. Although Catherine “has committed the
unforgiveable sin by marrying Edgar and denying the ‘natural and elemental affinity’ inherent in
her love for Heathcliff” (Bell 325-326). Young Catherine and Hareton “eventually come to love
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[each other] with patience and understanding” (Bell 327). This proves that the present has
learned from the past and is trying to if not rectify the mistakes that were made, or at least
attempt to not repeat the same ones as before. In this instance the ultimate power resides in the
hands of the present. The present has the option of trying to learn from the past or ignoring the
past and being doomed to repeat it. They chose to learn from the past and gain from the
experiences of their elders. Power resided in the hands of the present since they had a choice of
what to do.
Many different struggles appear within Wuthering Heights which Emily Bronte illustrates
in order to reveal who has the ultimate power at the time of the struggle. Wuthering Heights is
“a brooding tale of passion and revenge set in the Yorkshire moors” (“Novels” 308). Most of the
story focuses on a variety of struggles, such as the struggle for revenge, and how they resolve.
One of the main points that the novel makes is that the struggle for dominance exists
everywhere. Despite this not all the groups that are struggling for authority gain it quickly, if
ever. It often takes a long time for a group to displace whoever has jurisdiction. Those who
already have supremacy are unwilling to give it up, especially once they become used to it. The
struggle for power is everywhere; however the changes in power happen very slowly.
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Works Cited
Bell, Vereen M. Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale
Research, 1997. Print. 40 vols.
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York:Barnes and Noble Classics,2004.
Print
“Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights – Class Struggles.” 123helpme.com.
123helpme.com,2000-2011.Web. 12 October 2011.
Federico, Annette R. Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale
Research, 1997. Print. 40 vols.
Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Print.
40 vols.
Thompson, Paul. The reader’s Guide to Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”. Paul
Thompson, September 2011. Web. 25 September 2011.
Woodford, Donna C. Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale
Research, 1997. Print. 40 vols.
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